(1) Effective for dates of service July 1, 2013, through December 31, 2014, the agency is authorized by the legislature to increase reimbursement rates to medicare levels for independent ARNPs who provide qualified primary care services to eligible medicaid clients.

(2) For the purpose of this section, the following definitions apply:

(a) Independent ARNP – Means a health care practitioner who is not supervised by an eligible primary care physician and not already receiving increased rates for evaluation and management services and vaccine administration services as provided under the Affordable Care Act, section 1202.

(b) Qualified primary care services – Means evaluation and management services and vaccine administration services provided to eligible medicaid clients.

(3) The agency calculates the enhanced rate for independent ARNPs using medicare's payment methodology.

(a) ARNP services are paid at eighty percent of the lesser of the actual charge or eighty-five percent of what a physician is paid under the medicare physician fee schedule.

(b) For the purpose of this enhanced rate calculation, the amount payable to a physician is determined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as authorized by C.F.R. 447.405 for qualified services in calendar years 2013 and 2014.

(4) If the enhanced rate is less than the agency's published fee schedule rate, the agency's payment will equal the published rate.

(5) This rate increase does not apply to either of the following:

(a) Federally qualified health center services and rural health clinic services reimbursed as part of the encounter rate.

(b) Services provided under state-only funded programs.

(c) Services paid at an enhanced or supplemental rate through a separate provision or regulation.