State of Illinois
91st General Assembly
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[ Introduced ][ Engrossed ][ House Amendment 001 ]
[ Senate Amendment 001 ]

91_HB0161ham002

 










                                           LRB9100274JSpcam04

 1                     AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 161

 2        AMENDMENT NO.     .  Amend House Bill 161, AS AMENDED, by
 3    replacing the title with the following:
 4        "AN ACT concerning health care services."; and

 5    by replacing everything after the enacting  clause  with  the
 6    following:

 7        "Section  1.   Short Title.  This Act may be cited as the
 8    Health Services Act.

 9        Section 5.  Definitions:
10        "Emergency medical condition" means a  medical  condition
11    manifesting  itself  by acute symptoms of sufficient severity
12    (including severe pain) such that a  prudent  layperson,  who
13    possesses  an average knowledge of health and medicine, could
14    reasonably expect the absence of immediate medical  attention
15    to result in:
16             (1)  placing  the health of the individual (or, with
17        respect to a pregnant woman, the health of the  woman  or
18        her unborn child) in serious jeopardy;
19             (2)  serious impairment to bodily functions; or
20             (3)  serious  dysfunction  of  any  bodily  organ or
21        part.
 
                            -2-            LRB9100274JSpcam04
 1        "Emergency services" means, with respect to  an  enrollee
 2    of   a  health  plan,  transportation  services  and  covered
 3    inpatient and outpatient hospital  services  furnished  by  a
 4    provider  qualified to furnish those services that are needed
 5    to evaluate or  stabilize  an  emergency  medical  condition.
 6    "Emergency  services"  does  not  refer to post-stabilization
 7    medical services.
 8        "Enrollee" means any person and  his  or  her  dependents
 9    enrolled in or covered by a health care plan.
10        "Health   care  plan"  means  a  plan  that  establishes,
11    operates, or maintains a network  of  health  care  providers
12    that  have  entered  into agreements with the plan to provide
13    health care services to enrollees to whom the  plan  has  the
14    obligation  to  arrange  for  the provision of or payment for
15    services  through  organizational  arrangements  for  ongoing
16    quality assurance, utilization review  programs,  or  dispute
17    resolution.
18        For purposes of this definition, "health care plan" shall
19    not include the following:
20             (1)  indemnity  health  insurance policies including
21        those using a contracted provider network;
22             (2)  health care plans that  offer  only  dental  or
23        only vision coverage;
24             (3)  preferred  provider  administrators, as defined
25        in Section 370g(g) of the Illinois Insurance Code;
26             (4)  employee  or   employer   self-insured   health
27        benefit  plans  under  the  federal  Employee  Retirement
28        Income Security Act of 1974; and
29             (5)  health  care  provided pursuant to the Workers'
30        Compensation Act or the  Workers'  Occupational  Diseases
31        Act.
32        "Health  care  provider"  means  any  physician, hospital
33    facility, or other  person  that  is  licensed  or  otherwise
34    authorized to deliver health care services.
 
                            -3-            LRB9100274JSpcam04
 1        "Medical  director"  means  a  physician  licensed in any
 2    state to practice medicine in all its branches appointed by a
 3    health care plan.
 4        "Post-stabilization medical services" means  health  care
 5    services  provided  to  an  enrollee  that are furnished in a
 6    licensed hospital by a provider that is qualified to  furnish
 7    such  services,  and determined to be medically necessary and
 8    directly related to the emergency medical condition following
 9    stabilization.
10        "Stabilization"  means,  with  respect  to  an  emergency
11    medical condition, to provide such medical treatment  of  the
12    condition  as  may  be necessary to assure, within reasonable
13    medical probability, that no material  deterioration  of  the
14    condition is likely to result.
15        "Utilization  review" means the evaluation of the medical
16    necessity, appropriateness, and  efficiency  of  the  use  of
17    health care services, procedures, and facilities.
18        "Utilization  review program" means a program established
19    by a person to perform utilization review.

20        Section 10. Emergency services prior to stabilization.
21        (a)  A health care plan that provides or that is required
22    by law to  provide  coverage  for  emergency  services  shall
23    provide coverage such that payment under this coverage is not
24    dependent  upon  whether the services are performed by a plan
25    or non-plan health care provider and without regard to  prior
26    authorization.  This  coverage  shall  be at the same benefit
27    level as if the services or treatment had  been  rendered  by
28    the health care plan provider.
29        (b)  Prior  authorization  or  approval by the plan shall
30    not be required for emergency services.
31        (c)  Payment shall not be  retrospectively  denied,  with
32    the following exceptions:
33             (1)  upon    reasonable   determination   that   the
 
                            -4-            LRB9100274JSpcam04
 1        emergency services claimed were never performed;
 2             (2)  upon   determination   that    the    emergency
 3        evaluation and treatment were rendered to an enrollee who
 4        sought  emergency services and whose circumstance did not
 5        meet the definition of emergency medical condition;
 6             (3)  upon determination that the  patient  receiving
 7        such  services  was  not  an  enrollee of the health care
 8        plan; or
 9             (4)  upon material misrepresentation by the enrollee
10        or health care  provider;  "material"  means  a  fact  or
11        situation  that  is  not  merely  technical in nature and
12        results or could result in a substantial  change  in  the
13        situation.
14        (d)  When  an  enrollee  presents  to  a hospital seeking
15    emergency services, the determination as to whether the  need
16    for  those  services  exists  shall  be  made for purposes of
17    treatment by a physician  or,  to  the  extent  permitted  by
18    applicable  law,  by  other  appropriately licensed personnel
19    under the supervision of a physician. The physician or  other
20    appropriate  personnel  shall indicate in the patient's chart
21    the results of the emergency medical screening examination.
22        (e)  The appropriate use of the 911  emergency  telephone
23    system  or  its  local equivalent shall not be discouraged or
24    penalized by the health care plan when an  emergency  medical
25    condition exists. This provision shall not imply that the use
26    of 911 or its local equivalent is a factor in determining the
27    existence of an emergency medical condition.
28        (f)  The  medical  director's  or  his  or her designee's
29    determination of whether the enrollee meets the  standard  of
30    an emergency medical condition shall be based solely upon the
31    presenting  symptoms  documented in the medical record at the
32    time care was sought.
33        (g)  Nothing  in  this   Section   shall   prohibit   the
34    imposition of deductibles, co-payments, and co-insurance.
 
                            -5-            LRB9100274JSpcam04
 1        Section 15.  Utilization review program registration.
 2        (a)  No  person  may conduct a utilization review program
 3    in this State unless once every 2 years the person  registers
 4    the   utilization  review  program  with  the  Department  of
 5    Insurance and certifies compliance with  all  of  the  Health
 6    Utilization    Management    Standards    of   the   American
 7    Accreditation  Healthcare  Commission   (URAC)   or   submits
 8    evidence  of  accreditation  by  the  American  Accreditation
 9    Healthcare  Commission  (URAC)  for  its  Health  Utilization
10    Management Standards.
11        (b)  In  addition,  the  Director  of  the  Department of
12    Insurance,  in  consultation  with  the   Director   of   the
13    Department   of   Public   Health,  may  certify  alternative
14    utilization  review  standards  of   national   accreditation
15    organizations  or  entities in order for plans to comply with
16    this Section.  Any alternative utilization  review  standards
17    shall   meet   or   exceed  those  standards  required  under
18    subsection (a).
19        (c)  The provisions of this Section do not apply to:
20             (1)  persons providing  utilization  review  program
21        services only to the federal government;
22             (2)  self-insured  health  plans  under  the federal
23        Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, however,
24        this  Section  does  apply  to   persons   conducting   a
25        utilization  review  program  on  behalf  of these health
26        plans;
27             (3)  hospitals   and   medical   groups   performing
28        utilization  review  activities  for  internal   purposes
29        unless the utilization on review program is conducted for
30        another person.
31        Nothing in this Act prohibits a health care plan or other
32    entity  from  contractually requiring an entity designated in
33    item (3) of this subsection  to  adhere  to  the  utilization
34    review program requirements of this Act.
 
                            -6-            LRB9100274JSpcam04
 1        (d)  This registration shall include submission of all of
 2    the   following   information  regarding  utilization  review
 3    program activities:
 4             (1)  The  name,  address,  and  telephone   of   the
 5        utilization review programs.
 6             (2)  The organization and governing structure of the
 7        utilization review programs.
 8             (3)  The  number  of  lives  for  which  utilization
 9        review is conducted by each utilization review program.
10             (4)  Hours  of  operation of each utilization review
11        program.
12             (5)  Description of the grievance process  for  each
13        utilization review program.
14             (6)  Number  of  covered lives for which utilization
15        review was conducted for the previous calendar  year  for
16        each utilization review program.
17             (7)  Written  policies and procedures for protecting
18        confidential information according  to  applicable  State
19        and federal laws for each utilization review program.
20        (e)  If   the   Department  of  Insurance  finds  that  a
21    utilization review program is not  in  compliance  with  this
22    Section,  the Department shall issue a corrective action plan
23    and allow a reasonable amount of time for compliance with the
24    plan.  If the utilization review program does not  come  into
25    compliance,  the  Department  may  issue  a  cease and desist
26    order.  Before issuing a cease and desist  order  under  this
27    Section,  the Department shall provide the utilization review
28    program with a written notice of the reasons  for  the  order
29    and  allow  a  reasonable amount of time to supply additional
30    information demonstrating  compliance  with  requirements  of
31    this  Section  and  to request a hearing.  The hearing notice
32    shall be sent by certified mail,  return  receipt  requested,
33    and  the  hearing  shall  be conducted in accordance with the
34    Illinois Administrative Procedure Act.
 
                            -7-            LRB9100274JSpcam04
 1        (f)  A utilization review program subject to a corrective
 2    action  may  continue  to  conduct  business  until  a  final
 3    decision has been issued by the Department.".

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