Section 14166.24.

(a) Any determination of the amount due a designated public hospital that is based in whole or in part on costs reported to or audited by a Medicare fiscal intermediary shall not be deemed final for purposes of this article unless the hospital has received a final determination of Medicare payment for the cost reporting for Medicare purposes. Designated public hospitals shall be entitled to pursue all administrative and judicial review available under the Medicare Program and any final determination shall be incorporated into the department's final determination of payment due the hospital under this article.

(b) If as a result of an audit performed by the department or any state or federal agency, the department determines that any hospital has been overpaid under the demonstration project or the successor demonstration project, the department shall recoup the overpayment in accordance with Section 14172.5 or 14115.5. The hospital may appeal the overpayment determinations and any related audit determination in accordance with the appeal procedures set forth in Sections 51016 to 51047, inclusive, of Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations. The hospital may seek judicial review of the final administrative decision as set forth in Section 14171.

(c) The department shall promptly consult with the affected governmental entity regarding a dispute between a designated public hospital and the department regarding the validity of the hospital's certified public expenditures. If the department determines that the hospital's certification is valid, the department shall submit the claim to obtain federal reimbursement for the certified expenditure in question.

(d) (1) Upon receipt of a notice of disallowance or deferral from the federal government related to the certified public expenditures or intergovernmental transfers of any governmental entity participating in the demonstration project, the department shall promptly notify the affected governmental entity. The governmental entity that certified the public expenditure shall be the entity responsible for the federal portion of that expenditure.

(2) The department and the affected governmental entity shall promptly consult regarding the proposed disallowance or deferral.

(3) After consulting with the governmental entity, the department shall determine whether the disallowance or response to a deferral should be filed with the federal government. If the department determines the appeal or response has merit, the department shall timely appeal. If necessary, the department may request an extension of the deadline to file an appeal or response to a deferral. The affected governmental entity may provide the department with the legal and factual basis for the appeal or response.

(e) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, if the department has exercised the authority set forth in subdivision (g) of Section 14166.221 and subdivision (e) of Section 14167.5, then all of the following shall occur:

(1) (A) The state shall be solely responsible for the repayment of the federal portion of any federal disallowance associated with any certified public expenditures for the 2009, 2010, and 2011 project years through October 31, 2010, and paragraph (1) of subdivision (d) of Section 14166.24 shall be disregarded, up to the total amount of the grant funds retained by the state under subdivision (e) of Section 14167.5.

(B) If the hospitals have additional certified public expenditures for which federal funds have not been received but for which federal funds could have been received under the demonstration project had additional federal funds been available, including federal funds made available under an extension of the demonstration project, the state shall first be allowed to respond to a deferral or disallowance based on the certified public expenditures of designated public hospitals, or the governmental entities with which they are affiliated, by substituting the additional certified public expenditures for those deferred or disallowed.

(2) The department shall not recoup any overpayment from a designated public hospital, or a governmental entity with which it is affiliated, with respect to payments under this article for the 2009, 2010, and 2011 project years through October 31, 2010, until the state has repaid all federal funds due up to the amount of the grant funds retained by the state under subdivision (e) of Section 14167.5.

(Amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 86, Sec. 17. Effective July 15, 2011. Conditionally inoperative as provided in Section 14166.26 or in subd. (b) or (g) of Section 14166.2. Repealed on date prescribed in Section 14166.26 or in subd. (b) or (g) of Section 14166.2.)