Bill Text: NY A02691 | 2013-2014 | General Assembly | Amended


Bill Title: Regulates the scope, manner and performance of review of claims by utilization review agents.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-1)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2013-06-21 - substituted by s5834 [A02691 Detail]

Download: New_York-2013-A02691-Amended.html
                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                        2691--B
                                                                Cal. No. 20
                              2013-2014 Regular Sessions
                                 I N  A S S E M B L Y
                                   January 17, 2013
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  M. of A. GOTTFRIED, COLTON, JAFFEE -- Multi-Sponsored by
         -- M. of A.   KELLNER, MONTESANO -- read  once  and  referred  to  the
         Committee on Health -- passed by Assembly and delivered to the Senate,
         recalled  from  the  Senate,  vote reconsidered, bill amended, ordered
         reprinted, retaining its place on the order of third reading -- passed
         by Assembly and delivered to the Senate,  recalled  from  the  Senate,
         vote  reconsidered,  bill  amended,  ordered  reprinted, retaining its
         place on the order of third reading
       AN ACT to amend the public health law and the insurance law, in relation
         to approvals by a utilization review agent
         THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section 1.  Subdivision 2 of section 4903 of the public health law, as
    2  added by chapter 705 of the laws of 1996, is amended to read as follows:
    3    2. A utilization review agent shall make a utilization review determi-
    4  nation  involving  health  care services which require pre-authorization
    5  and provide notice of a determination  to  the  enrollee  or  enrollee's
    6  designee  and  the  enrollee's  health care provider by telephone and in
    7  writing within three business days of receipt of the necessary  informa-
    8  tion.    TO  THE  EXTENT  PRACTICABLE,  SUCH WRITTEN NOTIFICATION TO THE
    9  ENROLLEE'S HEALTH CARE PROVIDER SHALL BE TRANSMITTED ELECTRONICALLY,  IN
   10  A MANNER AND IN A FORM AGREED UPON BY THE PARTIES.
   11    S  2.  Paragraph  (a)  of  subdivision 2 of section 4914 of the public
   12  health law, as amended by chapter 219 of the laws of 2011, is amended to
   13  read as follows:
   14    (a) The enrollee shall have four months to initiate an external appeal
   15  after the enrollee receives notice from the health care  plan,  or  such
   16  plan's utilization review agent if applicable, of a final adverse deter-
   17  mination  or denial or after both the plan and the enrollee have jointly
   18  agreed to waive any internal appeal, or after the enrollee is deemed  to
   19  have exhausted or is not required to complete any internal appeal pursu-
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD01431-05-3
       A. 2691--B                          2
    1  ant  to  section  2719  of  the  Public  Health Service Act, 42 U.S.C. S
    2  300gg-19. Where applicable, the enrollee's health  care  provider  shall
    3  have  [forty-five]  SIXTY  days to initiate an external appeal after the
    4  enrollee or the enrollee's health care provider, as applicable, receives
    5  notice  from  the  health  care  plan, or such plan's utilization review
    6  agent if applicable, of a final adverse determination or denial or after
    7  both the plan and the enrollee have jointly agreed to waive any internal
    8  appeal. Such  request  shall  be  in  writing  in  accordance  with  the
    9  instructions  and  in  such  form prescribed by subdivision five of this
   10  section. The enrollee, and the enrollee's  health  care  provider  where
   11  applicable,  shall  have the opportunity to submit additional documenta-
   12  tion with respect to such appeal to the external appeal agent within the
   13  applicable time period above; provided however that when such documenta-
   14  tion represents a material change from the documentation upon which  the
   15  utilization  review  agent based its adverse determination or upon which
   16  the health plan based its denial, the health plan shall have three busi-
   17  ness days to consider such  documentation  and  amend  or  confirm  such
   18  adverse determination.
   19    S 3.  Subsection (b) of section 4903 of the insurance law, as added by
   20  chapter 705 of the laws of 1996, is amended to read as follows:
   21    (b)  A utilization review agent shall make a utilization review deter-
   22  mination involving health care services which require  pre-authorization
   23  and provide notice of a determination to the insured or insured's desig-
   24  nee  and  the insured's health care provider by telephone and in writing
   25  within three business days of receipt of the necessary information.   TO
   26  THE  EXTENT  PRACTICABLE,  SUCH  WRITTEN  NOTIFICATION TO THE ENROLLEE'S
   27  HEALTH CARE PROVIDER SHALL BE TRANSMITTED ELECTRONICALLY,  IN  A  MANNER
   28  AND IN A FORM AGREED UPON BY THE PARTIES.
   29    S  4.  Paragraph  1 of subsection (b) of section 4914 of the insurance
   30  law, as amended by chapter 219 of the laws of 2011, is amended  to  read
   31  as follows:
   32    (1)  The insured shall have four months to initiate an external appeal
   33  after the insured receives notice from the health  care  plan,  or  such
   34  plan's utilization review agent if applicable, of a final adverse deter-
   35  mination  or denial, or after both the plan and the insured have jointly
   36  agreed to waive any internal appeal, or after the insured is  deemed  to
   37  have exhausted or is not required to complete any internal appeal pursu-
   38  ant  to  section  2719  of  the  Public  Health Service Act, 42 U.S.C. S
   39  300gg-19. Where applicable, the insured's  health  care  provider  shall
   40  have  [forty-five]  SIXTY  days to initiate an external appeal after the
   41  insured or the insured's health care provider, as  applicable,  receives
   42  notice  from  the  health  care  plan, or such plan's utilization review
   43  agent if applicable, of a final adverse determination or denial or after
   44  both the plan and the insured have jointly agreed to waive any  internal
   45  appeal.  Such  request  shall  be  in  writing  in  accordance  with the
   46  instructions and in such form  prescribed  by  subsection  (e)  of  this
   47  section.  The  insured,  and  the  insured's  health care provider where
   48  applicable, shall have the opportunity to submit  additional  documenta-
   49  tion with respect to such appeal to the external appeal agent within the
   50  applicable time period above; provided however that when such documenta-
   51  tion  represents a material change from the documentation upon which the
   52  utilization review agent based its adverse determination or  upon  which
   53  the health plan based its denial, the health plan shall have three busi-
   54  ness  days  to  consider  such  documentation  and amend or confirm such
   55  adverse determination.
   56    S 5.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2014.
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