Purpose

To improve how children move from hospital care to home care by creating a pilot program that speeds up pediatric hospital-to-home discharges. The bill directs funding and leadership to test a streamlined process for kids on medical assistance (including waivers such as CADI/Community Access for Disability Inclusion and other developmental disability waivers).

Main Provisions

• Establishes a single competitive grant to a home care nursing provider to develop and run the pilot, in coordination with major Minnesota pediatric partners (Fairview, Masonic Childrens Hospital, Gillette Childrens Specialty Healthcare, and Children’s Minnesota) and the Commissioner of Health.
• The pilot aims to:
  • Expedite and facilitate pediatric hospital-to-home discharges for children covered by medical assistance.
  • Address delays caused by the unavailability of home care nursing staff for complex pediatric patients.
  • Reduce avoidable rehospitalization days.
  • Decrease unnecessary pediatric emergency department visits after discharge.
  • Manage long-term nursing needs for pediatric patients.
  • Reduce missed school days for pediatric patients.
• Grant funds may be used only for administrative, training, and related auxiliary services necessary to achieve the above goals, and not to reduce (supplant) existing payment rates for services under Minnesota Statutes chapter 256B.2.

Funding, Administration, and Reporting

• Funds are provided as a single competitive grant to a home care nursing provider (noting the required coordination with the named hospitals and health agencies).
• The grant must be used to support administrative operations, training, and auxiliary services tied to reducing delayed discharge days, rehospitalization days, unnecessary ED visits, long-term nursing needs, and missed school days.
• Deadline for reporting: No later than December 15, 2026 (and a secondary date noted as October 15, 2027 in the text) the commissioner must prepare a report detailing the pilot’s impact, including:
  • Number of delayed discharge days eliminated
  • Number of rehospitalization days eliminated
  • Number of unnecessary ED admissions eliminated
  • Number of missed school days eliminated
  • An estimate of the return on investment (ROI) of the pilot
• The commissioner must submit the report to the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over health and human services finance and policy.

Changes to Existing Law

• Amends Laws 2024, chapter 125, article 1, section 47 to require the commissioner of human services to create and oversee a pediatric hospital-to-home transition pilot funded by a competitive grant to a home care nursing provider.
• Adds explicit reporting requirements and performance metrics.
• Clarifies that grant funds cannot substitute for existing payment rates under Minnesota Statutes chapter 256B.2.
• Specifies coordination with major pediatric care providers and with the Commissioner of Health.

Significance and Potential Impacts

• Aims to shorten hospital stays by enabling safer, faster transitions home for children in need of coordinated home nursing and related supports.
• Could improve health outcomes by reducing avoidable hospital readmissions and ED visits, and by keeping kids in school more consistently.
• Seeks to demonstrate financial return on investment through reduced hospital and emergency services use.

Target Population

• Pediatric patients receiving medical assistance in Minnesota, including those covered under the CADI (Community Access for Disability Inclusion) waiver and the Developmental Disabilities waiver.

Relevant Terms - pediatric hospital-to-home transition pilot program - single competitive grant - home care nursing provider - coordination with Fairview, Masonic Childrens Hospital, Gillette Childrens Specialty Healthcare, Children’s Minnesota - medical assistance - CADI waiver (Community Access for Disability Inclusion) and developmental disabilities waiver - delayed discharge days - unavailability of home care nursing staffing - avoidable rehospitalization days - unnecessary emergency department utilization - long-term nursing needs - missed school days - return on investment (ROI) - Minnesota Statutes chapter 256B.2 - report to chairs and ranking minority members of health and human services committees