(a) General criteria. For all prospective payment system hospitals in a State to be redesignated to a statewide wage index, the following conditions must be met:

(1) All prospective payment system hospitals in the State must apply as a group for reclassification to a statewide wage index through a signed single application.

(2) All prospective payment system hospitals in the State must agree to the reclassification to a statewide wage index through a signed affidavit on the application.

(3) All prospective payment system hospitals in the State must agree, through an affidavit, to withdrawal of an application or to termination of an approved statewide wage index reclassification.

(4) All hospitals in the State must waive their rights to any wage index classification that they would otherwise receive absent the statewide wage index classification, including a wage index that any of the hospitals might have received through individual geographic reclassification.

(5) New hospitals that open within the State prior to the deadline for submitting an application for a statewide wage index reclassification (September 1), regardless of whether a group application has already been filed, must agree to the use of the statewide wage index as part of the group application. New hospitals that open within the State after the deadline for submitting a statewide wage index reclassification application or during the approved reclassification period will be considered a party to the statewide wage index application and reclassification.

(b) Effect on payments. (1) An individual hospital within the State may receive a wage index that could be higher or lower under the statewide wage index reclassification in comparison to its otherwise redesignated wage index.

(2) Any new prospective payment system hospital that opens in the State during the effective period of an approved statewide wage index reclassification will be designated to receive the statewide wage index for the duration of that period.

(c) Terms of the decision. (1) A decision by the MGCRB on an application for a statewide wage index reclassification will be effective for 3 years beginning with discharges occurring on the first day (October 1) of the second Federal fiscal year following the Federal fiscal year in which the hospitals filed a complete application.

(2) The procedures and timeframes specified in § 412.273 apply to withdrawals of applications for redesignation to a statewide wage index and terminations of approved statewide wage index reclassifications, including the requirement that, to withdraw an application or terminate an approved reclassification, the request must be made in writing by all hospitals that are party to the application, except hospitals reclassified into the State for purposes of receiving the statewide wage index.