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S.J.R. 16

             1     

HEALTH CARE FACILITY DISCLOSURE JOINT

             2     
RESOLUTION

             3     
2010 GENERAL SESSION

             4     
STATE OF UTAH

             5     
Chief Sponsor: Peter C. Knudson

             6     
House Sponsor: Evan J. Vickers

             7     
             8      LONG TITLE
             9      General Description:
             10          This joint resolution of the Legislature urges health care facilities to adopt, implement,
             11      publish, and inform patients of certain policies, and urges the Utah Department of
             12      Health to publish a list of the procedures for which health care facilities most frequently
             13      bill patients.
             14      Highlighted Provisions:
             15          This resolution:
             16          .    urges health care facilities to demonstrate to the Utah Department of Health that
             17      they have adopted and implemented written policies that specify the methods used
             18      by the facilities to calculate individual procedure charges and other charges;
             19          .    urges health care facilities to have written policies that specify any discounts
             20      provided for prompt payment of a bill and the procedures used by the facilities for
             21      collecting amounts owing on unpaid bills;
             22          .    urges health care facilities that provide financial assistance to patients to specify in
             23      their written policies criteria for financial assistance eligibility and limits, if any, on
             24      the total charges and the percentage of individual procedure charges billed to a
             25      patient eligible for financial assistance;
             26          .    urges health care facilities that provide financial assistance to patients to publish
             27      their policies on the Internet for use by the general public, to inform each patient at


             28      the time the patient is admitted at the facility that the financial assistance policies are available
             29      on the Internet, and to inform each patient of any obligation the facility may have, under the
             30      federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, to provide care to the patient
             31      without regard for the patient's source of payment or ability to pay;
             32          .    urges the Utah Department of Health to publish, by administrative rule before
             33      September 1, 2010, a list of the procedures for which health care facilities in the
             34      state most frequently bill patients, and to include on the list those procedures
             35      represented by at least 25%, but no more than 50%, of total procedure billings; and
             36          .    urges health care facilities to publish, beginning January 1, 2011, the amount the
             37      facilities charge to perform a procedure and the amount the facilities are paid for the
             38      procedure by both Medicaid and Medicare; and
             39          .    urges each health care facility to annually update the information it publishes.
             40      Special Clauses:
             41          None
             42     
             43      Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
             44          WHEREAS, each health care facility should be able to demonstrate to the Utah
             45      Department of Health that it has adopted and implemented written policies that specify the
             46      methods used by the facility to calculate individual procedure charges and other charges;
             47          WHEREAS, health care facilities should also have written policies that specify any
             48      discounts provided for prompt payment of a bill and the procedures used by the facilities for
             49      collecting amounts owing on unpaid bills;
             50          WHEREAS, health care facilities that provide financial assistance to patients, including
             51      free care or discounted care, should be able to specify in their written policies the criteria for
             52      financial assistance eligibility and limits, if any, on the total charges and the percentage of
             53      individual procedure charges billed to a patient eligible for financial assistance;
             54          WHEREAS, health care facilities that provide financial assistance to patients should
             55      also be able to publish their policies on the Internet for use by the general public, inform each
             56      patient at the time the patient is admitted at the facility that the financial assistance policies are
             57      available on the Internet, and further inform each patient of any obligation the facility may have
             58      under the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act to provide care to the


             59      patient without regard for the patient's source of payment or ability to pay;
             60          WHEREAS, before September 1, 2010, the Utah Department of Health should be able
             61      to publish, by administrative rule, a list of the procedures for which health care facilities in the
             62      state most frequently bill patients, and the list should include those procedures represented by
             63      at least 25%, but no more than 50%, of total procedure billings;
             64          WHEREAS, by January 1, 2011, each health care facility should be able to publish the
             65      amount the facility charges to perform each procedure on the list created by the Utah
             66      Department of Health and how much of the procedure is paid for by Medicaid and by
             67      Medicare;
             68          WHEREAS, the Utah Department of Health should be able to annually update the list
             69      of procedures; and
             70          WHEREAS, each health care facility should have the ability to regularly update the
             71      information it publishes in accordance with administrative rules adopted by the Utah
             72      Department of Health:
             73          NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah
             74      urges each health care facility in the state to demonstrate to the Utah Department of Health that
             75      it has adopted and implemented written policies that specify the methods used by the facility to
             76      calculate individual procedure charges and other charges.
             77          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature urges health care facilities to have
             78      written policies specifying any discounts provided for prompt payment of a bill and the
             79      procedures used by the facilities for collecting amounts owing on unpaid bills.
             80          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature urges health care facilities that
             81      provide financial assistance to patients, including free care or discounted care, to specify in
             82      their written policies criteria for financial assistance eligibility and limits, if any, on the total
             83      charges and the percentage of individual procedure charges billed to a patient eligible for
             84      financial assistance.
             85          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature urges health care facilities that
             86      provide financial assistance to patients to publish their policies on the Internet for use by the
             87      general public, to inform each patient at the time the patient is admitted at the facility that the
             88      financial assistance policies are available on the Internet, and to further inform each patient of
             89      any obligation the facilities may have, under the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and


             90      Active Labor Act, to provide care to the patient without regard for the patient's source of
             91      payment or ability to pay.
             92          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature urges the Utah Department of
             93      Health to publish, by administrative rule before September 1, 2010, a list of the procedures for
             94      which health care facilities in the state most frequently bill patients, and that the list should
             95      include those procedures represented by at least 25%, but no more than 50%, of total procedure
             96      billings.
             97          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature urges each health care facility,
             98      beginning January 1, 2011, to publish, for each procedure in the Utah Department of Health's
             99      published list, the amount the facility charges to perform the procedure and the amount the
             100      facility is paid for the procedure by Medicaid and by Medicare.
             101          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature urges the Utah Department of
             102      Health to annually update the list of procedures.
             103          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature urges each health care facility to
             104      regularly update the information it publishes in accordance with rules made by the department.
             105          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Utah
             106      Hospital Association, the Utah Medical Association, the Utah Nurses Association, and the
             107      Utah Department of Health.




Legislative Review Note
    as of 2-26-10 5:55 PM


Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel


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