Bill Text: FL H0935 | 2011 | Regular Session | Comm Sub

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Health Care Price Transparency

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2011-05-04 - Concurred in 1 amendment(s) (322804) -HJ 1140 [H0935 Detail]

Download: Florida-2011-H0935-Comm_Sub.html
CS/CS/HB 935

1
A bill to be entitled
2An act relating to health care price transparency;
3amending s. 381.026, F.S.; providing a definition;
4authorizing a primary care provider to publish and post a
5schedule of certain charges for medical services offered
6to patients; providing a minimum size for the posting;
7requiring a schedule of charges to include certain
8information regarding medical services offered; providing
9that the schedule may group the provider's services by
10price levels and list the services in each price level;
11providing an exemption from license fee and continuing
12education requirements for a provider who publishes and
13maintains a schedule of charges; requiring a primary care
14provider's estimates of charges for medical services to be
15consistent with the posted schedule; requiring a provider
16to post the schedule of charges for a certain time period;
17providing for repayment of license fees and compliance
18with continuing education requirements previously waived
19if the schedule of charges was not posted for a certain
20time period; amending s. 395.002, F.S.; providing a
21definition; creating s. 395.107, F.S.; requiring urgent
22care centers to publish and post a schedule of certain
23charges for medical services offered to patients;
24providing a minimum size for the posting; requiring a
25schedule of charges to include certain information
26regarding medical services offered; providing that the
27schedule may group the urgent care center's services by
28price levels and list the services in each price level;
29providing a fine for failure to publish and post a
30schedule of medical services; providing an effective date.
31
32Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
33
34     Section 1.  Subsection (2) and paragraph (c) of subsection
35(4) of section 381.026, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
36     381.026  Florida Patient's Bill of Rights and
37Responsibilities.-
38     (2)  DEFINITIONS.-As used in this section and s. 381.0261,
39the term:
40     (a)  "Department" means the Department of Health.
41     (b)  "Health care facility" means a facility licensed under
42chapter 395.
43     (c)  "Health care provider" means a physician licensed
44under chapter 458, an osteopathic physician licensed under
45chapter 459, or a podiatric physician licensed under chapter
46461.
47     (d)  "Primary care provider" means a health care provider
48licensed under chapter 458, chapter 459, or chapter 464 who
49provides medical services to patients which are commonly
50provided without referral from another health care provider,
51including family and general practice, general pediatrics, and
52general internal medicine.
53     (e)(d)  "Responsible provider" means a health care provider
54who is primarily responsible for patient care in a health care
55facility or provider's office.
56     (4)  RIGHTS OF PATIENTS.-Each health care facility or
57provider shall observe the following standards:
58     (c)  Financial information and disclosure.-     
59     1.  A patient has the right to be given, upon request, by
60the responsible provider, his or her designee, or a
61representative of the health care facility full information and
62necessary counseling on the availability of known financial
63resources for the patient's health care.
64     2.  A health care provider or a health care facility shall,
65upon request, disclose to each patient who is eligible for
66Medicare, before in advance of treatment, whether the health
67care provider or the health care facility in which the patient
68is receiving medical services accepts assignment under Medicare
69reimbursement as payment in full for medical services and
70treatment rendered in the health care provider's office or
71health care facility.
72     3.  A primary care provider may publish a schedule of
73charges for the medical services that the provider offers to
74patients. The schedule must include the prices charged to an
75uninsured person paying for such services by cash, check, credit
76card, or debit card. The schedule must be posted in a
77conspicuous place in the reception area of the provider's office
78and must include, but is not limited to, the 50 services most
79frequently provided by the primary care provider. The schedule
80may group services by three price levels, listing services in
81each price level. The posting must be at least 15 square feet in
82size. A primary care provider who publishes and maintains a
83schedule of charges for medical services is exempt from the
84license fee requirements for a single period of renewal of a
85professional license under chapter 456 for that licensure term
86and is exempt from the continuing education requirements of
87chapter 456 and the rules implementing those requirements for a
88single 2-year period.
89     4.  If a primary care provider publishes a schedule of
90charges pursuant to subparagraph 3., he or she must continually
91post it at all times for the duration of active licensure in
92this state when primary care services are provided to patients.
93If a primary care provider fails to post the schedule of charges
94in accordance with this subparagraph, the provider shall be
95required to pay any license fee and comply with any continuing
96education requirements for which an exemption was received.
97     5.3.  A health care provider or a health care facility
98shall, upon request, furnish a person, before the prior to
99provision of medical services, a reasonable estimate of charges
100for such services. The health care provider of the health care
101facility shall provide an uninsured person, before prior to the
102provision of a planned nonemergency medical service, a
103reasonable estimate of charges for such service and information
104regarding the provider's or facility's discount or charity
105policies for which the uninsured person may be eligible. Such
106estimates by a primary care provider must be consistent with the
107schedule posted under subparagraph 3. Estimates shall, to the
108extent possible, be written in a language comprehensible to an
109ordinary layperson. Such reasonable estimate does shall not
110preclude the health care provider or health care facility from
111exceeding the estimate or making additional charges based on
112changes in the patient's condition or treatment needs.
113     6.4.  Each licensed facility not operated by the state
114shall make available to the public on its Internet website or by
115other electronic means a description of and a link to the
116performance outcome and financial data that is published by the
117agency pursuant to s. 408.05(3)(k). The facility shall place a
118notice in the reception area that such information is available
119electronically and the website address. The licensed facility
120may indicate that the pricing information is based on a
121compilation of charges for the average patient and that each
122patient's bill may vary from the average depending upon the
123severity of illness and individual resources consumed. The
124licensed facility may also indicate that the price of service is
125negotiable for eligible patients based upon the patient's
126ability to pay.
127     7.5.  A patient has the right to receive a copy of an
128itemized bill upon request. A patient has a right to be given an
129explanation of charges upon request.
130     Section 2.  Subsections (30) through (32) of section
131395.002, Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (31)
132through (33), respectively, and a new subsection (30) is added
133to that section to read:
134     395.002  Definitions.-As used in this chapter:
135     (30)  "Urgent care center" means a facility or clinic,
136owned by a hospital, that provides immediate but not emergent
137ambulatory medical care to patients with or without an
138appointment. It does not include the emergency department of a
139hospital.
140     Section 3.  Section 395.107, Florida Statutes, is created
141to read:
142     395.107  Urgent care centers; publishing and posting
143schedule of charges.-An urgent care center must publish a
144schedule of charges for the medical services offered to
145patients. The schedule must include the prices charged to an
146uninsured person paying for such services by cash, check, credit
147card, or debit card. The schedule must be posted in a
148conspicuous place in the reception area of the urgent care
149center and must include, but is not limited to, the 50 services
150most frequently provided by the urgent care center. The schedule
151may group services by three price levels, listing services in
152each price level. The posting must be at least 15 square feet in
153size. The failure of an urgent care center to publish and post a
154schedule of charges as required by this section shall result in
155a fine of not more than $1,000, per day, until the schedule is
156published and posted.
157     Section 4.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2011.


CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
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