A.
Adjudication services.
1. Expert
witness testimony performed by HETL staff
......................................... $100/hour
2. Discovery requests: When HETL receives a
discovery request, HETL will assess an administrative fee of $50 for compiling
the material and providing requested documents. Requests that require lengthy
or complex responses may result in additional charges based upon the required
expenditure of HETL resources, including staff time. If it is anticipated that
the fee will exceed $50, HETL will inform the requester of the estimated
additional charges and obtain the requester's permission before preparing the
response to the request.
B.
Administrative fees. HETL may
impose charges for administrative services to license applicants and collect
unpaid HETL services as set forth below.
1.
Licensing. HETL assesses a fee for processing initial applications and license
renewals to ensure laboratories conducting testing of employees and applicants
for substances of use are compliant.
a.
Initial Application Fee
.......................................................... $600
b. Annual License Renewal Fee
................................................... $400
2. Collection of overdue payment. Accounts
with outstanding balances are subject to service charges. HETL assesses a
payment collection service charge that is a percentage of the overdue balance.
This charge reflects the expenditure of HETL resources, including staff time,
required to collect the overdue payment(s).
a. 30 days late
....................................................... 1%
b. 60 days late
......................................................... 2%
c. 90 days late
..........................................................
5%
C.
Other service charges.
1.
One-time project fee for environmental monitoring. HETL will assess a charge
for providing assistance to those entities requesting an environmental
monitoring project. Charges will be based on the hourly rate for HETL staff
time and in accordance with the setting methodology specified in Section 3(F)
of this rule. HETL will inform the client of the projected cost and obtain the
client's permission before performing these services.
2. Analytical data package/research. HETL
will assess a fee for fulfilling requests for analytical data packages and
related research
.............................................................................
$100/hour
D.
Fee for lab orders.
Any human clinical
tests submitted by a licensed laboratory on or after January 1, 2022 must be
sent electronically to HETL through HL7 messaging in accordance with the
standards set forth in the current Public Health Information Network (PHIN)
guide accessed at
https://www.cdc.gov/phin/resources/standards/index.html.
This submission must be completed using a bidirectional interface between the
licensed laboratory and HETL.
1.
Laboratories that submit a limited number of orders may submit a written
request to waive this HL7 messaging requirement. HETL may review requests from
laboratories with low volume of monthly samples and approve direct entry into
STARLIMS through a provider portal.
2. HETL will assess an administrative fee for
all clinical submissions requiring manual entry, unless the Department has
granted the laboratory a waiver ........................ $25/submission
3. Bidirectional messaging
failure. A fee will not be charged, if the failure to submit using
bidirectional messaging is due to a HETL system
malfunction.
E.
Private well water test fee collection. Pursuant to
22 MRS
§2660-U, HETL collects a separate fee
for a water test ordered for residential private drinking water wells and
deposits this amount into the Private Well Safe Drinking Water Fund. HETL will
collect a fee equal to $2 for a water test ordered for a residential private
drinking water well. This mandated fee is in addition to charges for the total
cost of the test(s).
F.
Rate
setting methodology. For tests not listed in Section 2, or for services
not listed in this section, HETL will charge at a rate consistent with the cost
of the test or service. Charges are based on test methods, calibration, quality
control, and proficiency testing materials, along with the level of scientific
and technical knowledge, and reflective of one or more of the following
factors:
1. Test complexity. Test systems are
assigned a moderate or high complexity category based on the test
categorization criteria set forth at
42 C.F.R. §
493.17. The categorization contributes to the
price, with higher complexity tests contributing to a higher price.
a. Highly complex test requires multiple
and/or significant steps in preparation, processing, and interpretation.
b. Moderately complex test
requires basic laboratory knowledge and training of personnel performing the
tests. Moderately Complex Tests (MCT's) may require reagent preparation,
limited pretreatment of specimens, quality control, calibration, proficiency
testing, some skill in troubleshooting and maintaining equipment, and some
skill or judgement in interpretation of results.
2. HETL's hourly rates are calculated based
on the compensation of HETL staff appropriate to perform the test or
service.
3. Instrumentation. Test
method is manual or automatic, along with the level of required decision-making
and direct intervention to interpret results.
4. Reagents. Stability, reliability,
preparation, and whether there is a requirement for special handling,
precautions or storage conditions.
5. Supplies. Whether the supplies are
prepared in the lab or prepackaged, or premeasured, or there is a requirement
for special handling, precautions or storage conditions.
6. Comparable test. The rate of a closely
related existing test available through another laboratory.
When the cost of the test or service is not listed, HETL
will inform the client of the total estimated cost based on the methodology
described in this rule and obtain the client's permission prior to accepting
the sample from the client or beginning the requested services. Prices for
tests conducted by HETL and not listed in this rule will be subject to future
rulemaking.
