1 Tex. Admin. Code § 371.1 - Definitions

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The following words and terms, when used in this chapter, have the following meanings unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

(1) Abuse--A practice by a provider that is inconsistent with sound fiscal, business, or medical practices and that results in an unnecessary cost to the Medicaid program; the reimbursement for services that are not medically necessary or that fail to meet professionally recognized standards for health care; or a practice by a recipient that results in an unnecessary cost to the Medicaid program.

(2) Address of record--

(A) An HHS provider's current mailing or physical address, including a working fax number, as provided to the appropriate HHS program's claims administrator or as required by contract, statute, or regulation; or

(B) a non-HHS provider's last known address as reflected by the records of the United States Postal Service or the Texas Secretary of State's records for business organizations, if applicable.

(3) Affiliate; affiliate relationship--A person who:

(A) has a direct or indirect ownership interest (or any combination thereof) of five percent or more in the person;

(B) is the owner of a whole or part interest in any mortgage, deed of trust, note or other obligation secured (in whole or in part) by the entity whose interest is equal to or exceeds five percent of the value of the property or assets of the person;

(D) is a partner of the person, if the person is organized as a partnership;

(E) is an agent or consultant of the person;

(F) is a consultant of the person and can control or be controlled by the person or a third party can control both the person and the consultant;

(G) is a managing employee of the person, that is, a person (including a general manager, business manager, administrator or director) who exercises operational or managerial control over a person or part thereof, or directly or indirectly conducts the day-to-day operations of the person or part thereof;

(H) has financial, managerial, or administrative influence over the operational decisions of a person;

(I) shares any identifying information with another person, including tax identification numbers, social security numbers, bank accounts, telephone numbers, business addresses, national provider numbers, Texas provider numbers, and corporate or franchise names; or

(J) has a former relationship with another person as described in subparagraphs (A) - (I) of this definition, but is no longer described, because of a transfer of ownership or control interest to an immediate family member or a member of the person's household of this section within the previous five years if the transfer occurred after the affiliate received notice of an audit, review, investigation, or potential adverse action, sanction, board order, or other civil, criminal, or administrative liability.

(4) Agent--Any person, company, firm, corporation, employee, independent contractor, or other entity or association legally acting for or in the place of another person or entity.

(5) Allegation of fraud--Allegation of Medicaid fraud received by HHSC from any source that has not been verified by the state, including an allegation based on:

(A) a fraud hotline complaint;

(B) claims data mining;

(D) a pattern identified through provider audits, civil false claims cases, or law enforcement investigations.

(6) Applicant--An individual or an entity that has filed an enrollment application to become a provider, re-enroll as a provider, or enroll a new practice location in a Medicaid program or the Children's Health Insurance Program as described in paragraph (23) of this subsection.

(7) At the time of the request--Immediately upon request and without delay.

(8) Audit--A financial audit, attestation engagement, performance audit, compliance audit, economy and efficiency audit, effectiveness audit, special audit, agreed-upon procedure, nonaudit service, or review conducted by or on behalf of the state or federal government. An audit may or may not include site visits to the provider's place of business.

(9) Auditor--The qualified person, persons, or entity performing the audit on behalf of the state or federal government.

(10) Business day--A day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or state legal holiday. In computing a period of business days, the first day is excluded and the last day is included. If the last day of any period is a Saturday, Sunday, or state legal holiday, the period is extended to include the next day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or state legal holiday.

(11) C.F.R.--The Code of Federal Regulations.

(12) CHIP--The Texas Children's Health Insurance Program or its successor, established under Title XXI of the federal Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. §§ 1397aa et seq.) and Chapter 62 of the Texas Health and Safety Code.

(13) Claim--

(A) A written or electronic application, request, or demand for payment by the Medicaid or other HHS program for health care services or items; or

(B) A submitted request, demand, or representation that states the income earned or expense incurred by a provider in providing a product or a service and that is used to determine a rate of payment under the Medicaid or other HHS program.

(14) Claims administrator--The entity an operating agency has designated to process and pay Medicaid or HHS program provider claims.

(15) Closed-end contract--A contract or provider agreement for a specific period of time. It may include any specific requirements or provisions deemed necessary by the OIG to ensure the protection of the program. It must be renewed for the provider to continue to participate in the Medicaid or other HHS program.

(16) CMS--The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services or its successor. CMS is the federal agency responsible for administering Medicare and overseeing state administration of Medicaid and CHIP.

(17) Complete Application--A provider enrollment application that contains all the required information, including:

(A) all questions answered completely, including correct dates of birth, social security numbers, license numbers, and all requirements per provider type defined in the Texas Medicaid Provider Procedures Manual;

(B) IRS Form W-9, if required;

(D) Provider Information Form (PIF-1);

(E) Principal Information Forms (PIF-2) on all persons required to be disclosed, if required;

(F) full disclosure of all criminal history, including copies of complete dispositions on all criminal history;

(G) full disclosure of all board or licensing orders, including documentation of compliance with current board orders;

(H) full disclosure of all corporate compliance agreements, settlement agreements, state or federal debt, and sanctions;

(I) documentation of an active license that is not subject to expiration within 30 days of submission of the enrollment application, if required;

(J) completion of a pre-enrollment site visit by HHSC, if required, and all required current documentation (e.g., liability insurance);

(K) documentation of fingerprints of a provider or any person with a five percent or more direct or indirect ownership in the provider, if required; and

(L) any additional documentation related to the addition of a practice location, if required or requested by HHSC.

(18) Conviction or convicted--Means that:

(A) a judgment of conviction has been entered against an individual or entity by a federal, state, or local court, regardless of whether:

(i) there is a post-trial motion or an appeal pending; or

(ii) the judgment of conviction or other record relating to the criminal conduct has been expunged or otherwise removed;

(B) a federal, state, or local court has made a finding of guilt against an individual or entity;

(D) an individual or entity has entered into participation in a first offender, deferred adjudication, pre-trial diversion, or other program or arrangement where judgment of conviction has been withheld.

(19) Credible allegation of fraud--An allegation of fraud that has been verified by the state. An allegation is considered to be credible when HHSC has carefully reviewed all allegations, facts, and evidence and has verified that the allegation has indicia of reliability. HHSC acts judiciously on a case-by-case basis.

(20) DADS--The Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services, its successor, or designee; the state agency responsible for administering long-term services and support for people who are aging and people with intellectual and physical disabilities.

(21) Day--A calendar day.

(22) Delivery of a health care item or service--Providing any item or service to an individual to meet his or her physical, mental or emotional needs or well-being, whether or not reimbursed under Medicare, Medicaid, or any federal health care program.

(23) Enrollment--The HHSC process that a provider or applicant follows to enroll or re-enroll as a provider or enroll a new practice location.

(24) Enrollment application--Documentation required by HHSC that an applicant submits to HHSC to enroll or re-enroll as a provider or to add a practice location. An enrollment application includes any supplemental forms used to add practice locations for Medicare-enrolled or limited-risk providers, as determined by HHSC.

(25) Exclusion--The suspension of a provider or any person from being authorized under the Medicaid program to request reimbursement of items or services furnished by that specific provider.

(26) Executive Commissioner--The HHSC Executive Commissioner.

(27) False statement or misrepresentation--Any statement or representation that is inaccurate, incomplete, or untrue.

(28) Federal health care program--Any plan or program that provides health benefits, whether directly, through insurance, or otherwise, which is funded directly, in whole or in part, by the United States government (other than the federal employee health insurance program under Chapter 89 of Title 5, U.S.C.).

(29) Fraud--Any intentional deception or misrepresentation made by a person with the knowledge that the deception could result in some unauthorized benefit to that person or some other person. The term does not include unintentional technical, clerical, or administrative errors.

(30) Full investigation--Review and development of evidence to support an allegation or complaint to resolution through dismissal, settlement, or formal hearing.

(31) Furnished--Items or services provided or supplied, directly or indirectly, by any person. This includes items and services manufactured, distributed, or otherwise provided by persons that do not directly submit claims to Medicare, Medicaid, or any federal health care program, but that supply items or services to providers, practitioners, or suppliers who submit claims to these programs for such items or services. This term does not include persons that submit claims directly to these programs for items and services ordered or prescribed by another person.

(A) Directly--The provision of items and services by individuals or entities (including items and services provided by them, but manufactured, ordered, or prescribed by another individual or entity) who submit claims to Medicare, Medicaid, or any federal health care program.

(B) Indirectly--The provision of items and services manufactured, distributed, or otherwise supplied by individuals or entities who do not directly submit claims to Medicare, Medicaid, or other federal health care programs, but that provide items and services to providers, practitioners, or suppliers who submit claims to these programs for such items and services.

(32) Health information--Any information, whether oral or recorded in any form or medium, that is created or received by a health care provider, health plan, public health authority, employer, life insurer, school or university, or health care clearinghouse, and that relates to:

(A) the past, present, or future physical or mental health or condition of an individual;

(B) the provision of health care to an individual; or

(33) HHS--Health and human services. Means:

(A) a health and human services agency under the umbrella of HHSC, including HHSC;

(B) a program or service provided under the authority of HHSC, including Medicaid and CHIP; or

(34) HHSC--The Texas Health and Human Services Commission, its successor, or designee.

(35) HIPAA--Collectively, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, 42 U.S.C. §§ 1320d et seq., and regulations adopted under that act, as modified by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) (P.L. 111-105), and regulations adopted under that act at 45 C.F.R. Parts 160 and 164.

(36) Immediate family member--An individual's spouse (husband or wife); natural or adoptive parent; child or sibling; stepparent, stepchild, stepbrother or stepsister; father-, mother-, daughter-, son-, brother- or sister-in-law; grandparent or grandchild; or spouse of a grandparent or grandchild.

(37) Indirect ownership interest--Any ownership interest in an entity that has an ownership interest in another entity. The term includes an ownership interest in any entity that has an indirect ownership interest in the entity at issue.

(38) Inducement--An attempt to entice or lure an action on the part of another in exchange for, without limitation, cash in any amount, entertainment, any item of value, a promise, specific performance, or other consideration.

(39) Inspector General--The individual appointed to be the director of the OIG by the Texas Governor in accordance with Texas Government Code § 544.0101.

(40) "Item" or "service" means--

(A) Any item, device, medical supply or service provided to a patient:

(i) that is listed in an itemized claim for program payment or a request for payment; or

(ii) for which payment is included in other federal or state health care reimbursement methods, such as a prospective payment system; and

(B) In the case of a claim based on costs, any entry or omission in a cost report, books of account, or other documents supporting the claim.

(41) Jurisdiction--An issue or matter that the OIG has authority to investigate and act upon.

(42) Knew or should have known--A person, with respect to information, knew or should have known when the person had or should have had actual knowledge of information, acted in deliberate ignorance of the truth or falsity of the information, or acted in reckless disregard of the truth or falsity of the information. Proof of a person's specific intent to commit a program violation is not required in an administrative proceeding to show that a person acted knowingly.

(43) Managed care plan--A plan under which a person undertakes to provide, arrange for, pay for, or reimburse, in whole or in part, the cost of any health care service. A part of the plan must consist of arranging for or providing health care services as distinguished from indemnification against the cost of those services on a prepaid basis through insurance or otherwise. The term does not include an insurance plan that indemnifies an individual for the cost of health care services.

(44) Managing employee--An individual, regardless of the person's title, including a general manager, business manager, administrator, officer, or director, who exercises operational or managerial control over the employing entity, or who directly or indirectly conducts the day-to-day operations of the entity.

(45) MCO--Managed care organization. Has the meaning described in § 353.2 of this title (relating to Definitions) and for purposes of this chapter includes an MCO's special investigative unit under Texas Government Code § 544.0352(a)(1), and any entity with which the MCO contracts for investigative services under Texas Government Code § 544.0352(a)(2).

(46) MCO provider--An association, group, or individual health care provider furnishing services to MCO members under contract with an MCO.

(47) Medicaid or Medicaid program--The Texas medical assistance program established under Texas Human Resources Code Chapter 32 and regulated in part under Title 42 C.F.R. Part 400 or its successor.

(48) Medicaid-related funds--Any funds that:

(A) a provider obtains or has access to by virtue of participation in Medicaid; or

(B) a person obtains through embezzlement, misuse, misapplication, improper withholding, conversion, or misappropriation of funds that had been obtained by virtue of participation in Medicaid.

(49) Medical assistance--Includes all of the health care and related services and benefits authorized or provided under state or federal law for eligible individuals of this state.

(50) Member of household--An individual who is sharing a common abode as part of a single-family unit, including domestic employees, partners, and others who live together as a family unit.

(51) OAG--Office of the Attorney General of Texas or its successor.

(52) OIG--HHSC Office of the Inspector General, its successor, or designee.

(53) OIG's method of finance--The sources and amounts authorized for financing certain expenditures or appropriations made in the General Appropriations Act.

(54) Operating agency--A state agency that operates any part of the Medicaid or other HHS program.

(55) Overpayment--The amount paid by Medicaid or other HHS program or the amount collected or received by a person by virtue of the provider's participation in Medicaid or other HHS program that exceeds the amount to which the provider or person is entitled under §1902 of the Social Security Act or other state or federal statutes for a service or item furnished within the Medicaid or other HHS programs. This includes:

(A) any funds collected or received in excess of the amount to which the provider is entitled, whether obtained through error, misunderstanding, abuse, misapplication, misuse, embezzlement, improper retention, or fraud;

(B) recipient trust funds and funds collected by a person from recipients if collection was not allowed by Medicaid or other HHS program policy; or

(C) questioned costs identified in a final audit report that found that claims or cost reports submitted in error resulted in money paid in excess of what the provider is entitled to under an HHS program, contract, or grant.

(56) Ownership interest--A direct or indirect ownership interest (or any combination thereof) of five percent or more in the equity in the capital, stock, profits, or other assets of a person or any mortgage, deed, trust, note, or other obligation secured in whole or in part by the person's property or assets.

(57) Payment hold (suspension of payments)--An administrative sanction that withholds all or any portion of payments due a provider until the matter in dispute, including all investigation and legal proceedings, between the provider and HHSC or an operating agency are resolved. This is a temporary denial of reimbursement under Medicaid for items or services furnished by a specified provider.

(58) Person--Any legally cognizable entity, including an individual, firm, association, partnership, limited partnership, corporation, agency, institution, MCO, Special Investigative Unit, CHIP participant, trust, non-profit organization, special-purpose corporation, limited liability company, professional entity, professional association, professional corporation, accountable care organization, or other organization or legal entity.

(59) Person with a disability--An individual with a mental, physical, or developmental disability that substantially impairs the individual's ability to provide adequately for the person's care or his or her own protection, and:

(A) who is 18 years of age or older; or

(B) who is under 18 years of age and who has had the disabilities of minority removed.

(60) Physician--An individual licensed to practice medicine in this state, a professional association composed solely of physicians, a partnership composed solely of physicians, a single legal entity authorized to practice medicine owned by two or more physicians, or a nonprofit health corporation certified by the Texas Medical Board under Chapter 162, Texas Occupations Code.

(61) Practitioner--An individual licensed or certified under state law to practice the individual's profession.

(62) Preliminary investigation--A review by the OIG undertaken to verify the merits of a complaint/allegation of fraud, waste, or abuse from any source. The preliminary investigation determines whether there is sufficient basis to warrant a full investigation.

(63) Prima facie--Sufficient to establish a fact or raise a presumption unless disproved.

(64) Professionally recognized standards of health care--Statewide or national standards of care, whether in writing or not, that professional peers of the individual or entity whose provision of care is an issue, recognize as applying to those peers practicing or providing care within the state of Texas.

(65) Program violation--A failure to comply with a Medicaid or other HHS provider contract or agreement, the Texas Medicaid Provider Procedures Manual or other official program publications, or any state or federal statute, rule, or regulation applicable to the Medicaid or other HHS program, including any action that constitutes grounds for enforcement as delineated in this subchapter.

(66) Provider--Any person, including an MCO and its subcontractors, that:

(A) is furnishing Medicaid or other HHS services under a provider agreement or contract with a Medicaid or other HHS operating agency;

(B) has a provider or contract number issued by HHSC or by any HHS agency or program or its designee to provide medical assistance, Medicaid, or any other HHS service in any HHS program, including CHIP, under contract or provider agreement with HHSC or an HHS agency; or

(67) Provider agreement--A contract, including any and all amendments and updates, with Medicaid or other HHS program to subcontract services, or with an MCO to provide services.

(68) Provider screening process--The process in which a person participates to become eligible to participate and enroll as a provider in Medicaid or other HHS program. This process includes enrollment under this chapter or Chapter 352 of this title (relating to Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program Provider Enrollment), 42 C.F.R Part 1001, or other processes delineated by statute, rule, or regulation.

(69) Reasonable request--Request for access, records, documentation, or other items deemed necessary or appropriate by the OIG or a requesting agency to perform an official function, and made by a properly identified agent of the OIG or a requesting agency during hours that a person, business, or premises is open for business.

(70) Recipient--A person eligible for and covered by the Medicaid or any other HHS program.

(71) Records and documentation--Records and documents in any form, including electronic form, which include:

(A) medical records, charting, other records pertaining to a patient, radiographs, laboratory and test results, molds, models, photographs, hospital and surgical records, prescriptions, patient or client assessment forms, and other documents related to diagnosis, treatment, or service of patients;

(B) billing and claims records, supporting documentation such as Title XIX forms, delivery receipts, and any other records of services provided to recipients and payments made for those services;

(D) managed care encounter data and financial data necessary to demonstrate solvency of risk-bearing providers;

(E) ownership disclosure statements, articles of incorporation, bylaws, corporate minutes, and other documentation demonstrating ownership of corporate entities;

(F) business and accounting records and support documentation;

(G) statistical documentation, computer records, and data;

(H) clinical practice records, including patient sign-in sheets, employee sign-in sheets, office calendars, daily or other periodic logs, employment records, and payroll documentation related to items or services rendered under an HHS program; and

(I) records affidavits, business records affidavits, evidence receipts, and schedules.

(72) Recoupment of overpayment--A sanction imposed to recover funds paid to a provider or person to which the provider or person was not entitled.

(73) Requesting agency--The OIG; the OAG's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit or Civil Medicaid Fraud Division; any other state or federal agency authorized to conduct compliance, regulatory, or program integrity functions on a provider, a person, or the services rendered by the provider or person.

(74) Risk analysis--The process of defining and analyzing the dangers to individuals, businesses, and governmental entities posed by potential natural and human-caused adverse events. A risk analysis can be either quantitative, which involves numerical probabilities, or qualitative, which involves observations that are not numerical in nature.

(75) Sanction--Any administrative enforcement measure imposed by the OIG pursuant to this subchapter other than administrative actions defined in § 371.1701 of this chapter (relating to Administrative Actions).

(76) Sanctioned entity--An entity that has been convicted of any offense described in 42 C.F.R §§ 1001.101- 1001.401 or has been terminated or excluded from participation in Medicare, Medicaid in Texas, or any other state or federal health care program.

(77) Services--The types of medical assistance specified in §1905(a) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. § 1396d(a)) and other HHS program services authorized under federal and state statutes that are administered by HHSC and other HHS agencies.

(78) SIU--A Special Investigative Unit of an MCO as defined under Texas Government Code § 544.0352(a)(1).

(79) Social Security Act--Legislation passed by Congress in 1965 that established the Medicaid program under Title XIX of the Act and created the Medicare program under Title XVIII of the Act.

(80) Solicitation--Offering to pay or agreeing to accept, directly or indirectly, overtly or covertly, any remuneration in cash or in kind to or from another for securing a patient or patronage for or from a person licensed, certified, or registered or enrolled as a provider or otherwise by a state health care regulatory or HHS agency.

(81) State health care program--A State plan approved under Title XIX, any program receiving funds under Title V or from an allotment to a State under such Title, any program receiving funds under Subtitle I of Title XX or from an allotment to a State under Subtitle I of Title XX, or any State child health plan approved under Title XXI.

(82) Substantial contractual relationship--A relationship in which a person has direct or indirect business transactions with an entity that, in any fiscal year, amounts to more than $25,000 or five percent of the entity's total operating expenses, whichever is less.

(83) Suspension of payments (payment hold)--An administrative sanction that withholds all or any portion of payments due a provider until the matter in dispute, including all investigation and legal proceedings, between the provider and HHSC or an operating agency or its agent(s) are resolved. This is a temporary denial of reimbursement under the Medicaid or other HHS program for items or services furnished by a specified provider.

(84) System recoupment--Any action to recover funds paid to a provider or other person to which they were not entitled, by means other than the imposition of a sanction under these rules. It may include any routine payment correction by an agency or an agency's fiscal agent to correct an overpayment that resulted without any alleged wrongdoing.

(85) TEFRA--The Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act (TEFRA) of 1982, a federal law that allows states to make medical assistance available to certain children with disabilities without counting their parent's income.

(86) Terminated--Means:

(A) with respect to a Medicaid or CHIP provider, the revocation of the billing provider's Medicaid or CHIP billing privileges after the provider has exhausted all applicable appeal rights or the timeline for appeal has expired; and

(B) with respect to a Medicare provider, supplier, or eligible professional, the revocation of the provider's, supplier's, or eligible professional's Medicare billing privileges after the provider, supplier, or eligible professional has exhausted all applicable appeal rights or the timeline for appeal has expired.

(87) Terminated for cause--Termination based on allegations related to fraud, program violations, integrity, or improper quality of care.

(88) Title V--Title V (Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant) of the Social Security Act, codified at 42 U.S.C. §§ 701 et seq.

(89) Title XVIII--Title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, codified at 42 U.S.C. §§ 1395 et seq.

(90) Title XIX--Title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act, codified at 42 U.S.C. §§ 1396-1 et seq.

(91) Title XX--Title XX (Social Services Block Grant) of the Social Security Act, codified at 42 U.S.C. §§ 1397 et seq.

(92) Title XXI--Title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)) of the Social Security Act, codified at 42 U.S.C. §§ 1397aa et seq.

(93) TMRP--The Texas Medical Review Program, which is the inpatient hospital utilization review process HHSC uses for hospitals reimbursed under HHSC's prospective payment system.

(94) U.S.C.--United States Code.

(95) Vendor hold--Any legally authorized hold or lien by any state or federal governmental unit against future payments to a person. Vendor holds may include tax liens, state or federal program holds, liens established by the OAG Collections Division, and State Comptroller voucher holds.

(96) Waste--Practices that a reasonably prudent person would deem careless or that would allow inefficient use of resources, items, or services.

Notes

1 Tex. Admin. Code § 371.1

Former section 371.1 repealed and new section adopted by Texas Register, Volume 41, Number 17, April 22, 2016, TexReg 2942, eff. 5/1/2016; Amended by Texas Register, Volume 42, Number 05, February 3, 2017, TexReg 418, eff. 2/12/2017; Amended by Texas Register, Volume 50, Number 10, March 7, 2025, TexReg 1801, eff. 4/1/2025

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