Purpose

• Create a pediatric hospital-to-home transition pilot program to speed and smooth discharges for children on Medical Assistance (MA) in Minnesota.
• The program is to be developed and run by a single home care nursing provider, in coordination with major pediatric hospitals and health systems, to support earlier, safer moves from hospital to home.

Main Provisions

• Award of funds: A single competitive grant will be given to one home care nursing provider to develop and implement the pilot program.
• Collaborating hospitals and providers: The project must be done in coordination with Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital, Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare, and Children’s Minnesota (st. Paul and Minneapolis).
• Target population: Pediatric patients covered by MA, including those covered under the Community Alternative Care Waiver, Disability Inclusion Waiver, and Developmental Disabilities Waiver.
• Use of grant funds: Money must be used for administrative, training, and auxiliary services needed to address:
  • Delayed discharge days caused by lack of available home care nursing staff for complex pediatric patients
  • Avoidable rehospitalization days after discharge
  • Unnecessary emergency department visits after discharge
  • Long-term nursing needs for pediatric patients
  • Missed school days
• Funding limitation: Grant funds may not be used to supplant existing payment rates for services covered under Minnesota Statutes chapter 256B.2 (Medical Assistance).
• Reporting timeline: The commissioner must prepare a report on the pilot’s impact no later than:
  • December 15, 2026, or
  • October 15, 2027 (as specified in the bill text) The report must cover:
  • 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)
• Legislative reporting: 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.

Significant Changes to Law

• Amends existing law to direct the Department of Human Services to establish and fund a pediatric hospital-to-home transition pilot program via a single competitive grant.
• Specifies collaboration with named pediatric hospitals and health systems.
• Adds explicit performance metrics and reporting requirements tied to the pilot.
• Clarifies that grant funds cannot replace existing MA payment rates.

Timeline and Oversight

• Implementation timeline is tied to the grant and the pilot’s activities, with a formal impact report due by the specified date(s) and shared with legislative committee leadership.

Effective Provisions and Implementation Notes

• The bill authorizes a focused, time-bound pilot intended to reduce hospital stay delays, avoid readmissions and ED visits, and minimize missed school days through better home care nursing support.
• It emphasizes coordination among state agencies, hospitals, and home care providers to improve pediatric discharge processes within the MA system.

Relevant Terms - pediatric hospital-to-home transition pilot program - home care nursing provider - Medical Assistance (MA) - Community Alternative Care Waiver (CAC) - Disability Inclusion Waiver - Developmental Disabilities Waiver - delayed discharge - rehospitalization - unnecessary emergency department utilization - long-term nursing needs - missed school days - return on investment (ROI) - not supplant payment rates - Minnesota Statutes chapter 256B.2 - Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital - Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare - Children’s Minnesota (St. Paul and Minneapolis)