Florida Appellate Court Says Hospitals Can Challenge Medicaid Rate Cuts

On November 30, 2017, a Florida appeals court ruling said hospitals can challenge state Medicaid fee-for-service (FFS) rate cuts. The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) cut Medicaid hospital outpatient rates for the 2016-2017 fiscal year. Multiple hospitals (67) requested administrative hearings to challenge the cuts; they argued that AHCA reduced rates beyond what the legislature had authorized. AHCA said the challenges were premature, and that the hospitals could not challenge the rates until after requested reimbursements were audited in the future. The appeals court disagreed, and the three-judge panel of the 1st District Court . . .