Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 39, September 25, 2024
(a)
(1) Emergency services. A health care plan, a
non-participating physician, a non-participating hospital, or a patient who is
not an insured may submit a dispute regarding emergency services, including
inpatient services that follow an emergency room visit, to the superintendent
for review by an IDRE.
(2) Surprise
bills. A health care plan, a non-participating physician, a non-participating
referred health care provider, an insured who does not assign benefits, or a
patient who is not an insured may submit a dispute regarding a surprise bill to
the superintendent for review by an IDRE.
(b) The dispute shall be submitted by
completing an application in a form and manner prescribed by the
superintendent.
(c) A health care
plan shall provide the following information:
(1) the name and contact information of the
health care plan;
(2) the name and
contact information of the non-participating physician, non-participating
hospital, or non-participating referred health care provider;
(3) the fee charged by the non-participating
physician, non-participating hospital, or non-participating referred health
care provider for the service that is the subject of the dispute, and provide a
copy of the bill;
(4) the fee paid
to the non-participating physician, non-participating hospital, or
non-participating referred health care provider for the service that is the
subject of the dispute;
(5) at
least three fees paid in the last 24 months by the health care plan to
reimburse similarly qualified non-participating physicians, non-participating
hospitals, or non-participating referred health care providers for the same
services in the same region that reflect the final and full payment to the
non-participating physician, non-participating hospital, or the
non-participating referred health care provider, if available;
(6) an explanation of the circumstances and
complexity of the particular case, including time and place of the service, if
available;
(7) individual patient
characteristics, if available;
(8)
for a dispute involving a non-participating physician, the usual and customary
cost for the service, when the benchmarking database contains the usual and
customary cost for the service subject to the dispute;
(9) for a dispute involving a
non-participating hospital that had previously entered into a participating
provider agreement with the health care plan, for emergency services, including
inpatient services that follow an emergency room visit, the health care plan's
best and final offer, if different from the payment made pursuant to
subparagraph (ii) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of section
400.5 of this Part, and the
non-participating hospital's best and final offer, if any;
(10) any other information the health care
plan deems relevant;
(11) the
patient's coverage type;
(12) an
attestation affirming that the information provided by the health care plan is
true and accurate; and
(13) any
information requested by the IDRE.
(d) A non-participating physician,
non-participating hospital, or non-participating referred health care provider
shall provide the following information:
(1)
the name and contact information of the physician, hospital, or
non-participating referred health care provider;
(2) the name and contact information of the
health care plan;
(3) the fee
charged by the physician, hospital, or non-participating referred health care
provider for the service that is the subject of the dispute and a copy of the
bill;
(4) the fee paid to the
physician, hospital, or non-participating referred health care provider for the
service that is the subject of the dispute;
(5) at least three fees paid to the
physician, hospital, or ] nonparticipating referred health care provider, in
the last 24 months for the same services rendered by the physician, hospital,
or non-participating referred health care provider to other patients in health
care plans in which the physician, hospital, or non-participating referred
health care provider is not participating that reflect the final and full
payment to the non-participating physician, non-participating hospital, or the
non-participating health care provider, if available;
(6) the physician's, hospital's, or
non-participating referred health care provider's usual charge for comparable
services rendered to other patients in health care plans in which the
physician, hospital, or nonparticipating referred health care provider is not
participating;
(7) the physician's
or non-participating referred health care provider's level of training,
education and experience;
(8) for a
dispute involving a non-participating hospital, the non-participating
hospital's teaching status, scope of services, and case mix;
(9) an explanation of the circumstances and
complexity of the particular case, including time and place of the
service;
(10) individual patient
characteristics;
(11) any other
information the physician, hospital, or non-participating referred health care
provider deems relevant;
(12) an
attestation affirming that the information provided by the physician, hospital,
or nonparticipating referred health care provider is true and accurate;
and
(13) any information requested
by the IDRE.
(e)
Patients submitting the dispute shall provide the following information:
(1) the name and contact information of the
patient;
(2) the name and contact
information of the physician, hospital, or non-participating referred health
care provider;
(3) the name and
contact information of the health care plan, if the patient is an
insured;
(4) the fee charged by the
physician, hospital, or non-participating referred health care provider for the
service that is the subject of the dispute and a copy of the bill;
(5) an explanation of the circumstances and
complexity of the particular case, including time and place of the
service;
(6) individual patient
characteristics, if available;
(7)
any other information the patient deems relevant;
(8) a consent to the release of medical
information;
(9) with respect to a
patient who is not an insured and who requests a waiver of the fee based on
hardship, information to demonstrate that the patient is eligible for a
hardship exemption;
(10) with
respect to a patient who is not an insured and who submits a dispute for a
surprise bill, a statement that the required disclosures have not been
provided;
(11) an attestation
affirming that the information provided by the patient is true and accurate;
and
(12) any information requested
by the IDRE.
(f) A
patient shall not be required to pay the physician's, hospital's, or
non-participating referred health care provider's fee in order to be eligible
to submit the dispute for review to an IDRE.
(g) A health care plan, physician, hospital,
non-participating referred health care provider or patient shall provide any
information requested by an IDRE as soon as possible, but no later than the
timeframe requested by the IDRE, as provided under 400.8 of this
Part.