| PRINTER'S NO. 2240 |
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. | 1625 | Session of 2013 |
INTRODUCED BY FRANKEL, MUNDY, SCHLOSSBERG, GROVE, HAGGERTY, KINSEY, YOUNGBLOOD, COHEN, HARPER, DeLUCA, KORTZ, M. DALEY AND D. COSTA, JULY 26, 2013
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, JULY 26, 2013
AN ACT
1Requiring provider-based clinics to disclose facility fees; and
2conferring powers on the Department of Health.
3The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
4hereby enacts as follows:
5Section 1. Short title.
6This act shall be known and may be cited as the Facility Fees
7Disclosure Act.
8Section 2. Definitions.
9The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
10have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
11context clearly indicates otherwise:
12"Facility fee." Any separate charge or billing by a provider
13based clinic in addition to a professional fee for physicians'
14services that is intended to cover building, electronic medical
15records systems, billing and other administrative and
16operational expenses.
17"Provider-based clinic." The site of an off-campus clinic or
1health care practitioner office located at least 250 yards from
2the main hospital buildings or, as determined by the centers for
3Medicare and Medicaid services, that is owned by a hospital
4licensed under the act of July 19, 1979 (P.L.130, No.48), known
5as the Health Care Facilities Act, or by any person that
6operates one or more hospitals licensed under the Health Care
7Facilities Act, and is primarily engaged in providing diagnostic
8and therapeutic care including medical history, physical
9examinations, assessment of health status and treatment
10monitoring.
11Section 3. Disclosure of facility fees.
12(a) General rule.--A provider-based clinic must prominently
13display, in locations easily accessible to and visible by
14patients, including its website, a statement detailing whether
15or not the provider-based clinic charges a facility fee which
16may result in a higher out-of-pocket expense for the patient.
17(b) Statement.--Prior to the delivery of nonemergency
18services, a provider-based clinic that charges a facility fee
19shall provide to a patient a written statement containing the
20listed facility fee charges and a list of any other
21provider-based clinic operated by the same provider that does
22not charge a facility fee.
23(c) Nonapplicability.--This section shall not apply to
24laboratory services, imaging services or other ancillary health
25services not provided by staff employed by a health care
26facility.
27Section 4. Implementation.
28The Department of Health is authorized to promulgate
29regulations to implement this act.
30Section 5. Effective date.
1This act shall take effect in 90 days.