Opinion

Lee Memorial Health System etc. v. State of Florida, Agency For Agency For Health etc.

  • 272 So. 3d 431
Court
District Court of Appeal of Florida
Filed
Feb 27, 2019
Status
Published
Cited by
4 cases
Authority
More cited than 76.7%

The opinion

FIRST DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL

STATE OF FLORIDA

_____________________________

No. 1D16-1969

_____________________________

LEE MEMORIAL HEALTH SYSTEM

GULF COAST MEDICAL CENTER,

Appellant,

v.

STATE OF FLORIDA, AGENCY FOR

HEALTH CARE ADMINISTRATION,

Appellee.

_____________________________

On appeal from a Final Order of the Agency for Health Care

Administration.

Elizabeth Dudek, Secretary.

February 27, 2019

M.K. THOMAS, J.

Lee Memorial Health System Gulf Coast Medical Center

(“Gulf Coast”) challenges a final order of the Agency for Health

Care Administration (“the Agency”), which found it was overpaid

with Medicaid funds for in-patient emergency services rendered to

Medicaid eligible undocumented aliens. Gulf Coast argues the

Agency was without authority to order reimbursement as it was

barred from conducting retrospective audits on claims for

emergency in-patient services that were pre-authorized and paid.

We agree and reverse.

I. FACTS

In 2002, exercising authority under section 409.905(5)(a),

Florida Statutes, the Agency implemented a mandatory pre-

authorization program regarding Medicaid hospital in-patient

services, including emergency services provided to undocumented

alien recipients. The new program required medical providers to

acquire authorization either during or before provision of the

emergency medical services. Only those claims for hospital in-

patient services that had received pre-authorization with a pre-

authorization verification number could be submitted to the

Agency for payment. 1

In 2006, Gulf Coast entered into a Medicaid Provider

Agreement (“the Agreement”) with the Agency to participate in the

Florida Medicaid program. Gulf Coast billed Medicaid in 2007 for

emergency in-patient services provided to undocumented aliens.

Gulf Coast followed the required procedures, inclusive of

acquisition of pre-authorization for the medical services

subsequently provided and billed to Medicaid. As part of the pre-

authorization process, the Department of Children and Families

(“DCF”) provided Gulf Coast with a pre-authorization number

signifying each undocumented alien was qualified and eligible for

Medicaid, suffered from an emergency medical condition, and

approved the estimated duration of emergent care. The Agency

reviewed the claims submitted by Gulf Coast and issued payment.

In 2009, under its compliance and monitoring authority, the

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”), a federal

agency within the Department of Health and Human Services

1 Prior to 2002, medical providers were not required to obtain

pre-authorization of emergency in-patient hospital services in

order to ensure payment. Following provision of medical services,

but before making any payments to medical providers, the Agency

would review submitted claims to ensure, (1) the recipient was

Medicaid eligible per Florida’s Department of Children and

Families (“DCF”); (2) the services were medically necessary; and

(3) the services were for treatment of the emergency medical

condition previously approved by DCF.

2

(“HHS”), conducted a review of Florida’s Medicaid expense reports.

CMS concluded Florida was claiming federal funding for

emergency medical services “beyond what federal regulations

defined to be an emergency.” Specifically, the standard utilized by

the federal government to determine what constitutes an

“emergency medical condition” requiring “emergency medical

services” was more restrictive than that used by DCF. CMS

recommended the Agency review and re-determine the

allowability of claims for all emergency services for undocumented

aliens during fiscal years 2005, 2006, and 2007. Further, based on

this review and redetermination, CMS recommended the Agency

revise previous amounts claimed to reflect only emergency services

to undocumented aliens “to the point of stabilization.”

In response to the CMS federal audit, the Agency initiated the

Undocumented Alien Project (“the Project”). Under the flag of the

Project, the Agency began audits of all paid in-patient hospital

claims for emergency services provided to alien recipients in

Florida between July 2005 and June 2010.

In 2011, Gulf Coast received notice from the Agency, through

its Bureau of Medicaid Program Integrity (“MPI”), it would audited

regarding claims for in-patient hospital services provided to

undocumented aliens and billed to Medicaid in 2007. The purpose

of the audit, according to the Agency, was to determine whether

the claims were billed and paid in accordance “with Medicaid

policy.” Following review of the claims, the Agency issued a Final

Audit Report holding Gulf Coast was overpaid by $46,901.85 for

in-patient services rendered to Medicaid eligible undocumented

aliens post alleviation of an emergency medical condition and

found the overpayment to be subject to recoupment. 2

In response, Gulf Coast filed a petition for formal

administrative hearing to challenge the finding of overpayment.

2 The Agency first notified Gulf Coast of its preliminary audit

results estimating an overpayment amount of $100,588.07. This

was later amended to $79,917.50 inclusive of fines and costs. At

the time of hearing, the Agency asserted an overpayment amount

of $46,901.85.

3

Following the hearing, the administrative law judge (“ALJ”)

determined the Agency had exceeded the scope of its authority as

there was no provision in chapter 409, Florida Statutes, granting

the Agency the authority to decide whether the recipient had an

emergency medical condition – a decision exclusively within the

authority of DCF and which had been previously reviewed and

authorized. However, the Agency rejected the findings and

conclusions of the ALJ. The Agency held that overpayments in the

audit report, which were based on its determination of the

existence and duration of an emergency medical condition, were

recoverable pursuant to its Coverage and Limitations Handbook,

which limited eligibility to only duration of the emergency until it

was “alleviated.” The Agency ordered reimbursement by Gulf

Coast, plus interest. Gulf Coast appealed.

II. FEDERAL AND STATE

ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE

“Medicaid is a jointly financed federal-state cooperative

program . . . States devise and fund their own medical assistance

programs, subject to the requirements of the Medicaid Act, and the

federal government provides partial reimbursement.” Moore ex rel.

Moore v. Reese, 637 F.3d 1220, 1232 (11th Cir. 2011) (citing 42

U.S.C. §§ 1396b(a), 1396d(b)). CMS is responsible for

administering the Medicaid Act, including setting state guidelines

and monitoring state compliance. Moore, 637 F.3d at 1235-36

(citing 42 U.S.C. § 1396a(b), 42 C.F.R. §§ 430.10, 430.15). CMS

may recoup from the state any overpayments that were made, even

if the state is unable to recover that amount from the provider. 42

C.F.R. § 433.300.

The U.S. government pays federal financial participation

(“FFP”) to participating states on a quarterly basis. For their part,

the states must submit quarterly expense reports to the U.S.

government, in effect claiming FFP or, more loosely, "billing" the

federal government for Medicaid costs. If the federal government

believes it has overpaid a state, it may disallow claims for FFP and

recover the amount of overpayment from the state. The state is

entitled to pursue an administrative appeal, before the

appropriate federal agency, of any disallowance it disputes. See 42

4

U.S.C. § 1316(e). Florida receives FFP funding to cover a

percentage of its Medicaid program expenditures.

Federal law broadly prohibits compensating a state through

FFP under the Medicaid program "for medical assistance

furnished to an alien who is not lawfully admitted for permanent

residence or otherwise permanently residing in the United States

under color of law." 42 U.S.C. § 1396b(v)(1). However, it permits

FFP for services provided undocumented aliens that "are

necessary to treat an emergency medical condition" if the

individual otherwise meets the conditions for participation in the

Medicaid program. 42 C.F.R. § 40.255(a); see also 42 U.S.C. §

1396b(v)(2). In fact, federal law mandates that state Medicaid

programs provide services necessary to treat an undocumented

alien’s emergency medical condition. 42 U.S.C. § 1396(b)v.

Florida enacted legislation consistent with federal law. See §§

409.902(2)(b), 409.904(4), Fla. Stat. Florida statutes and rules,

with minor variations, incorporate the federal standards limiting

the eligibility of undocumented aliens to treatment for emergency

medical conditions. Florida law sets forth “Provider Requirements”

and establishes that all Medicaid providers enrolled in the

Medicaid program and billing agents who submit claims to

Medicaid on behalf of an enrolled Medicaid provider must comply

with the provisions of the Florida Medicaid Provider General

Handbook. Fla. Admin. Code R. 59G-4.150. The “Handbook”

contains a section entitled “Emergencies: Medicaid for Aliens,” also

known as the “Statement on the Eligibility of Aliens for Services”

or “SEAS,” which provides, in pertinent part:

The Medicaid Hospital Services Program reimburses for

emergency services provided to aliens who meet all

Medicaid eligibility requirements except for citizenship

or alien status. Eligibility can be authorized only for the

duration of the emergency. Medicaid will not pay for

continuous or episodic services after the emergency has

been alleviated. (emphasis added).

Florida law designates DCF as responsible for determining

eligibility for Medicaid. § 409.902(1), Fla. Stat. The Agency “is

designated as the single state agency authorized to make

5

payments” under Medicaid. § 409.902(1), Fla. Stat. Participating

medical providers seek reimbursement from the Agency for

services provided to Medicaid eligible patients. Id. Florida law

permits the Agency to review these claims two ways: by conducting

pre-payment reviews of provider claims before paying the provider;

and/or, by conducting post-payment reviews/audits to identify any

overpayments. § 409.13(3), (5), Fla. Stat. The latter method is

routinely referred to as the “pay and chase” method in which the

Agency reviews claims after payment using “peer reviews” by

medical professionals to determine whether the services provided

were medically necessary and otherwise permitted by Medicaid. §§

409.913(1)(d)-(e), (2), (5), (7); 409.9131(2)(b), (2)(d), Fla. Stat. As a

result of this pay and chase option, medical providers must

maintain records for a period of five years for the Agency to audit

for overpayment and seek reimbursement from medical providers.

§ 409.913(9), Fla. Stat.

Before and after the prior authorization program was

implemented in 2002, DCF has been responsible for making

Medicaid eligibility determinations based on information

submitted by providers. Conversely, the Agency’s assigned

Medicaid role is to determine the medical necessity of the services

rendered to treat the emergency medical condition. § 409.902, Fla.

Stat. Prior to 2002, if the Agency regarded the treatment as

medically necessary, the claims were approved and paid by the

Agency. In 2002, as required by statute, the Agency began a prior

authorization program for Medicaid inpatient hospital services.

The purpose was to determine, before payment, if services were

medically necessary. DCF assigned the limited eligibility period

for the duration of the emergency, which was the date of

admittance through the date of discharge. Until 2010, the Agency

accepted DCF's determination of the emergency medical condition

and the period of eligibility or duration of that emergency medical

condition. However, as a result of the CMS review and audit in

2009, the Agency changed its procedures. After July 1, 2010, the

Agency announced it would begin applying a new standard to

claims for undocumented aliens. Instead of reviewing solely for

“medical necessity,” the Agency would only reimburse for services

up to the patient reaching the point of “stabilization.” In essence,

the Agency announced it was expanding its evaluation to also

6

address duration of the emergency medical condition – a

determination historically made solely by DCF.

The Agency began audits and applied this new “stabilization

standard” retroactively to claims that had already been paid prior

to July 1, 2010, seeking to recoup money from the hospitals. In

response, the medical providers initiated litigation, arguing the

Agency was improperly operating under an unpromulgated rule by

applying a “stabilization standard.” See Bayfront v. AHCA, Case

No. 12-2757RU (Fla. DOAH Dec. 21, 2012), appeal dismissed,

AHCA v. Bayfront Medical Ctr., 145 So. 3d 888 (Fla. 1st DCA 2014)

(“Bayfront I”). The Agency defended by arguing the stabilization

standard was not new, but it simply began enforcing, at the

direction of the federal government, a reasonable interpretation of

existing law, which permits payment only for the “duration” of the

emergency and not past the point of “alleviation.” The Agency

asserted that until July 1, 2010, there was no system, procedure,

or practice for determining when the duration of an undocumented

alien's emergency ended or when the emergency was alleviated,

other than the initial determination of eligibility.

The Final Order in Bayfront I determined the Agency’s

application of the "stabilization standard" was an unadopted rule

and prohibited its further use. 3 The issue of jurisdictional confines

of DCF versus the Agency regarding the determination of

“duration” of the emergency medical condition was not specifically

addressed.

After Bayfront I, the Agency embarked upon a course of action

to conduct retrospective and prospective reviews of hospital in-

patient claims for Medicaid payments relying only on existing

statutes and rules. The Agency developed new guidelines for peer

reviewers. It provided peer reviewers with provisions of the

Florida Medicaid Handbooks that have been incorporated by

reference into the Agency's rules. The Agency expected the

3 The Agency appealed the determination; however,

ultimately voluntarily dismissed the appeal after oral argument,

but before an opinion was released. Bayfront Medical Ctr., Inc.,

145 So. 3d 888.

7

reviewers to apply their “education, clinical expertise, and

experience to determine if services provided were ‘emergency

services or treatment,’” as defined in section 409.901(11) for an

“emergency medical condition,” as defined in section 409.901(10).

The Agency’s amended guidelines for peer reviewers lead to

the inevitable sequel to Bayfront I. Bayfront Medical Ctr., et al. v.

AHCA, DOAH Case No. 14-4758RU (Fla. DOAH June 28, 2016),

aff’d, Bayfront v. AHCA, 192 So. 3d 472 (Fla. 1st DCA 2016)

(“Bayfront II”). In Bayfront II, the medical providers again

challenged the Agency’s methods as unpromulgated rules.

However, the ALJ found that the use of an “alleviation standard”

by peer reviewers was discernably different from the prior

“stabilization standard,” in that it was not treated as an unadopted

rule throughout the Agency. The new alleviation standard was

allowed where it was applied in a plain and ordinary sense and

was not enforced by the Agency as a hardline standard.

In this case, we further analyze the scope of Agency authority,

albeit limited in context to Agency review of claims for emergency

inpatient hospital services that were pre-authorized and paid.

III. ANALYSIS

On January 8, 2019, the newly enacted article V, section 21,

of the Florida Constitution took effect. According to the

amendment, “[i]n interpreting a state statute or rule, a state court

or an officer hearing an administrative action pursuant to general

law may not defer to an administrative agency’s interpretation of

such statute or rule, and must instead interpret such statute or

rule de novo.” Art. V, § 21, Fla. Const. (2019). Prior to the passage

of article V, section 21, administrative agencies were afforded wide

discretion in the interpretation of a statute, and an agency’s

interpretation of a statute it has authority to administer was not

overturned on appeal unless clearly erroneous. Amerisure Mut.

Ins. Co. v. Fla. Dep’t of Fin. Servs., 156 So. 3d 520, 529 (Fla. 1st

DCA 2015); Sullivan v. Fla. Dep’t of Envtl. Prot., 890 So. 2d 417,

420 (Fla. 1st DCA 2004). We recognize that questions may arise

as to whether the newly enacted amendment should be

retroactively applied. Here, we decline to address the question as

it is not necessary to our legal analysis, because even if deference

8

were provided to the Agency’s interpretation of the statute,

“judicial adherence to the Agency’s view is not demanded when it

is contrary to the statute’s plain meaning,” as is the case here.

PAC for Equality v. Dep’t of State, Fla. Elections Comm’n, 542 So.

2d 459, 460 (Fla. 2d DCA 1989), quoted in Werner v. Dep’t of Ins.

& Treasurer, 689 So. 2d 1211, 1214 (Fla. 1st DCA 1997); see also

Kessler v. Dep’t of Mgmt. Servs., Div. of State Grp. Ins., 17 So. 3d

759, 762 (Fla. 1st DCA 2009) (“Judicial deference never requires

that courts adopt an agency’s interpretation of a statute or rule

when the agency’s interpretation cannot be reconciled with the

plain language of the statute. . .”).

A. Retrospective Review is Contrary to the Plain Language of

Section 409.905(5)(a), Florida Statutes.

Section 409.905 was amended to provide the Agency, for the

first time, the authority to condition payment for inpatient

hospital services upon a pre-payment review, which was referred

to as prior authorization. The statute, as amended, specifically

provides:

The agency shall pay for all covered services provided for

the medical care and treatment of a recipient who is

admitted as an inpatient by a licensed physician or

dentist to a hospital licensed under part I of chapter 395.

However, the agency shall limit the payment for

inpatient hospital services for a Medicaid recipient 21

years of age or older to 45 days or the number of days

necessary to comply with the General Appropriations Act.

(a) The agency may implement reimbursement and

utilization management reforms to comply with any

limitations or directions in the General Appropriations

Act . . . Upon implementing the prior authorization

program for hospital inpatient services, the agency shall

discontinue its hospital retrospective review program.

§ 409.905(5), Fla. Stat. (emphasis added). Prior to this grant of

authority, the Agency paid claims prior to any review; however, it

later conducted a retrospective review on a percentage of all claims

to determine if they had been properly paid. If upon retrospective

9

review the Agency suspected fraud or abuse, the claim was

referred to its MPI office, which only conducted reviews on claims

that appeared to be outliers or had abnormal billing patterns.

MPI’s function was to investigate possible Medicaid abuse; MPI

did not conduct general retrospective reviews.

Section 409.905, clearly advises that for hospital inpatient

services, upon implementing the new authorization program, “the

agency shall discontinue its hospital retrospective review program.”

§ 409.905(5)(a), Fla. Stat. (emphasis added). 4 Pursuant to the new

statutory bar to retrospective reviews, the Agency stopped

conducting general retrospective reviews of hospital in-patient

claims in 2002, but continued to permit MPI to conduct limited

retrospective reviews where fraud or abuse was suspected. It is

clear that in 2002, the Agency understood that general

retrospective reviews were prohibited under the amended statute

when it advised all providers, “[t]he new inpatient prior

authorization program will involve concurrent review . . . thus

rendering obsolete the retrospective reviews.” The Project, however,

was a review of “all the alien . . . claims for all hospital providers

during this time period” not specifically targeted to fraud or abuse

and contrary to the plain reading of the statute.

Thus, the ALJ’s conclusion that the Agency’s retrospective

audit on claims for emergency in-patient services provided to

undocumented aliens was the type of review prohibited by section

409.905(5)(a) is not only supported by a plain reading of the

statute, but is also supported by the record evidence of the

Agency’s claim review history. The Agency acknowledges that the

Project was a review of all inpatient claims for undocumented

aliens, but it opines section 409.905(5)(a) is not controlling because

the retrospective review was conducted by MPI. Yet, the statute

does not distinguish among the Agency’s different offices nor does

4 Of note, the prohibition of section 409.905(5)(a) applies only

to claims for in-patient hospital services. Ex post facto audits of

paid Medicaid claims are commonplace but unlike the typical

retrospective review, the Project involves the attempted re-

adjudication of claims that were previously authorized on a

prospective basis.

10

the office that conducts the review necessarily dictate the type of

audit being conducted. Here, the plain reading of the statute

makes clear that the Agency is barred from conducting general

retrospective reviews of claims, which the Project commanded. 5

We find no ambiguity in the prohibition on retrospective review in

section 409.905(5)(a).

B. Section 409.913, Florida Statutes, Does not Provide the Agency

Authority to Conduct General Retrospective Reviews.

The Agency also argues on appeal it had authority to conduct

the retrospective audit pursuant to section 409.913. 6 The Agency

interprets section 409.913 as requiring it to seek reimbursement

of any overpayment to providers, and this can only be

accomplished via retrospective audits. However, overpayment is

defined as “any amount not authorized to be paid by the Medicaid

program, whether paid as a result of inaccurate or improper cost

reporting, improper claiming, unacceptable practices, fraud, abuse

or mistake.” § 409.913(1)(e), Fla. Stat. (emphasis added). Post

2002, the amended statute required medical providers to obtain

pre-authorization from the Agency before the inpatient medical

services were provided to undocumented aliens. Following

treatment, the medical provider sent the Agency the bill for the

pre-approved services. The Agency then reviewed the bill and

issued payment. Essentially, the Agency now argues another

5 We note that it is appropriate for the Agency to determine

whether, for example, the services for which payment is sought is

medically necessary to treat the emergency medical condition.

However, the Agency must accept DCF’s finding that the

recipient’s condition was an emergency medical condition, as well

as all other findings in support of eligibility, including the duration

of the emergency medical condition.

6 Section 409.913 provides in pertinent part: “The Agency

shall operate a program to oversee the activities of Florida

Medicaid recipients, and providers and their representatives, to

ensure that fraudulent and abusive behavior and neglect of

recipients occur to the minimum extent possible, and to recover

overpayments and impose sanctions as appropriate.” Section

409.913, Fla. Stat.

11

review or repetitive audits are allowable under 409.913. While we

agree section 409.913 does allow retrospective audits, it is only in

the context of claims not previously reviewed and where

fraudulent acts are suspected.

Although we recognize section 409.913 provides the Agency

the authority to audit claims under certain circumstances, it does

not provide the Agency the authority to implement a sweeping

retrospective review plan inclusive of hospital inpatient services to

undocumented aliens. See Diaz v. State of Fla., Agency for Health

Care Admin., 65 So. 3d 78, 82 (Fla. 3d DCA 2011) (holding that to

further the objectives of 409.913 the Legislature requires agencies

to respond when a provider engages in fraudulent or abusive

practices). We do not address what factors trigger an audit under

section 409.913 as that is not necessary for our analysis or

conclusion given no allegations of fraud or abuse were raised. 7

We reject the Agency’s argument that its duty to maintain

Medicaid program integrity would be seriously undermined if

administrative finality prevented it from auditing paid claims.

Administrative finality should not bar the retrospective review of

all paid claims; rather, in the absence of fraud or abuse, it bars the

reopening of all adjudicated paid claims, which were previously

determined on the merits to be compensable. When the Agency

determines compensability for prior authorization, it is not

expected to simultaneously investigate the provider for possible

wrongdoing, such as fraud or misrepresentation. These matters

are clearly distinguishable, and such matters may be explored by

the Agency retrospectively in connection with adjudicated claims.

In that section 409.905’s prohibition only applies to hospital

inpatient services that are subject to prior authorization review,

the ALJ’s interpretation leaves intact the Agency’s authority to

conduct retrospective reviews for all other matters, including

reviews of prior authorized claims to determine if the claim for

prior authorization was materially false. § 409.913(15)(i), (16)(c),

7The Agency did not argue the audit was conducted on a

random basis pursuant to section 409.913(2), Florida Statutes.

12

Fla. Stat. As such, the ALJ’s interpretation does not render the

review function meaningless and preserves both statutes. 8

C. Statute of Limitations.

Gulf Coast argues the audits for overpayment are barred by

Chapter 95, Florida Statutes, which requires an action arising out

of statutory liability to be brought within four years of the date the

cause of action accrues. § 95.11(3)(f), Fla. Stat. A cause of action

accrues when the last element of the action has been met. §

95.031(1), Fla. Stat. Here, Gulf Coast’s final bill for the claims at

issue was submitted approximately eight years prior to the

Agency’s retrospective determination it had overpaid. The Agency

defends that Chapter 95 does not apply to administrative

proceedings unless the action is a direct substitute for a civil

action. That exception does not apply here. There is no federal or

state statute that requires Medicaid overpayments to be audited

within a certain period of time. See Horta v. Dep’t of Children

Families, 911 So. 2d 139, 140 (Fla. 3d DCA 2005). We hold the

statute of limitations does not apply, because the instant case is a

quasi-judicial administrative proceeding. The case is similar to

Horta, in that an overpayment of federal funds was alleged, and

the recovering entity sought recovery of the overpayment. Further,

applying a statute of limitations to review of claims allowed under

section 409.913 would be inequitable. Actual instances of fraud or

abuse of the Medicaid system could take significant amounts of

time to discover and allege, and federal Medicaid funds could

reasonably go unrecovered as a result.

8 The Agency also argues it has the ability to conduct

retrospective reviews pursuant to SEAS to evaluate “alleviation”

of an emergency medical condition and deny payment for medical

services falling outside its determined timeline – a determination

not usurping that of DCF under “eligibility” review. This issue

need not be addressed as it is rendered moot by section

409.905(5)(a), which clearly forbids retrospective reviews of paid

inpatient hospital claims for undocumented aliens. The validity of

the Agency’s retrospective audit of paid claims in cases not

involving inpatient hospital services to undocumented aliens is not

before us.

13

Notwithstanding the foregoing, even if Chapter 95’s statute of

limitations were applicable, the audit would not be time-barred.

The cause of action does not accrue until the last element

constituting the cause of action occurs. In overpayment actions,

the final element is the identification of the overpayment amount,

which occurs with the initiation of the Final Audit Report. In the

instant case, the statute of limitations never actually began

running because the last element and the initiation of the action

occurred simultaneously.

IV. CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the Agency erroneously relied upon section

409.913 as providing it authority to conduct general retrospective

reviews of claims for emergency in-patient services provided to

undocumented aliens that had previously been authorized and

paid. The plain language of section 409.905(5)(a), as well as the

Agency’s claim review history, specifically bars such retrospective

reviews. Thus, the Agency was without authority to conduct the

retrospective review and to order Gulf Coast to reimburse what the

Agency considered to be overpayment. Accordingly, we reverse the

order on appeal.

REVERSED and REMANDED for entry of an order consistent

with this opinion.

B.L. THOMAS, C.J., and JAY, J., concur.

_____________________________

Not final until disposition of any timely and

authorized motion under Fla. R. App. P. 9.330 or

9.331.

_____________________________

Joanne B. Erde and Donna Holshouser Stinson of Duane Morris

LLP, Miami, for Appellant.

Tracy Cooper George of the Agency for Health Care

Administration, Tallahassee, for Appellee.

14

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

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