For purposes of this article, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

(1) ACCESS PAYMENT. A payment by the Medicaid program to an eligible hospital for inpatient or outpatient hospital care, or both, provided to a Medicaid recipient.

(2) ALL PATIENT REFINED DIAGNOSIS-RELATED GROUP (APR-DRG). A statistical system of classifying any non-Medicare inpatient stay into groups for the purposes of payment.

(3) ALTERNATE CARE PROVIDER. A contractor, other than a regional care organization, that agrees to provide a comprehensive package of Medicaid benefits to Medicaid beneficiaries in a defined region of the state pursuant to a risk contract.

(4) CERTIFIED PUBLIC EXPENDITURE (CPE). A certification in writing of the cost of providing medical care to Medicaid beneficiaries by publicly owned hospitals and hospitals owned by a state agency or a state university plus the amount of uncompensated care provided by publicly owned hospitals and hospitals owned by an agency of state government or a state university.

(5) DEPARTMENT. The Department of Revenue of the State of Alabama.

(6) HOSPITAL. A facility that is licensed as a hospital under the laws of the State of Alabama, provides 24-hour nursing services, and is primarily engaged in providing, by or under the supervision of doctors of medicine or osteopathy, inpatient services for the diagnosis, treatment, and care or rehabilitation of persons who are sick, injured, or disabled.

(7) HOSPITAL PAYMENT. Any payments received by a hospital for providing inpatient care or outpatient care to Medicaid patients or for uncompensated care, including, but not limited to, base payments, access payments, incentive payments, capitated payments, disproportionate share payments, etc. Excludes payments not directly related to patient care, such as Integrated Provider System Payments.

(8) HOSPITAL SERVICES AND REIMBURSEMENT PANEL. A group of individuals appointed to review and approve any state plan amendments to be submitted to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services which involve hospital services or reimbursement.

(9) INTERGOVERNMENTAL TRANSFER (IGT). A transfer of funds made by a publicly or state-owned hospital to the Medicaid Agency, which will be used by the agency to obtain federal matching funds for all hospital payments to public and state-owned hospitals.

(10) MEDICAID PROGRAM. The medical assistance program as established in Title XIX of the Social Security Act and as administered in the State of Alabama by the Alabama Medicaid Agency pursuant to executive order, Chapter 6 of Title 22, commencing with Section 22-6-1, and Title 560 of the Alabama Administrative Code.

(11) MEDICARE COST REPORT. CMS-2552-10, the Cost Report for Electronic Filing of Hospitals.

(12) NET PATIENT REVENUE. The amount calculated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles for privately operated hospitals that is reported on Worksheet G-3, Column 1, Line 3, of the Medicare Cost Report, adjusted to exclude nonhospital revenue.

(13) OUTPATIENT PROSPECTIVE PAYMENT SYSTEM (OPPS). An outpatient visit-based patient classification system used to organize and pay services with similar resource consumption across multiple settings.

(14) PRIVATELY OPERATED HOSPITAL. A hospital in Alabama other than:

a. Any hospital that is owned and operated by the federal government;

b. Any state-owned hospital;

c. Any publicly owned hospital;

d. A hospital that limits services to patients primarily to rehabilitation services; or

e. A hospital granted a certificate of need as a long term acute care hospital.

(15) PUBLICLY OWNED HOSPITAL. A hospital created and operating under the authority of a governmental unit which has been established as a public corporation pursuant to Chapter 21 of Title 22, Chapter 95 of Title 11, or Chapter 51 of Title 22, or a hospital otherwise owned and operated by a unit of local government.

(16) REGIONAL CARE ORGANIZATION (RCO). An organization of health care providers that contracts with the Medicaid Agency to provide a comprehensive package of Medicaid benefits to Medicaid beneficiaries in a defined region of the state and that meets the requirements set forth by the Alabama Medicaid Agency.

(17) REGIONAL CARE ORGANIZATION CAPITATION PAYMENT. An actuarially sound payment made by Medicaid to the Regional Care Organizations.

(18) STATE-OWNED HOSPITAL. A hospital that is a state agency or unit of government, including, without limitation, an authority or a hospital owned by a state agency or a state university or a hospital created pursuant to Chapter 17A of Title 16.

(19) STATE PLAN AMENDMENT. A change or update to the state Medicaid plan that is approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

(20) UPPER PAYMENT LIMIT. The maximum ceiling imposed by federal regulation on Medicaid reimbursement for inpatient hospital services under 42 C.F.R. §447.272 and outpatient hospital services under 42 C.F.R. §447.321.

a. The upper payment limit shall be calculated separately for hospital inpatient and outpatient services.

b. Medicaid disproportionate share payments shall be excluded from the calculation of the upper payment limit.

(21) UNCOMPENSATED CARE SURVEY. A survey of hospitals conducted by the Medicaid program to determine the amount of uncompensated care provided by a particular hospital in a particular fiscal year.