Health facilities: emergency physicians: emergency medical care: billing.

Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of health facilities by the State Department of Public Health. Existing law requires each hospital, as a condition of licensure, to maintain written policies about discount payment and charity care for financially qualified patients, as defined. These policies are required to include, among other things, a section addressing eligibility criteria, as prescribed. Existing law requires each hospital to perform various functions in connection with the hospital charity care and discount pay policies, including providing patients with notice that contains information about the hospital's discount payment and charity care policies, including information about eligibility and attempting to determine the availability of private or public health insurance coverage for each patient. Existing law also specifies billing and collection procedures to be followed by a hospital, its assignee, collection agency, or billing service. This bill would provide that uninsured patients or patients with high medical costs who are at or below 350% of the federal poverty level are eligible to apply to the emergency physician, as defined, who provides emergency medical services in a general acute care hospital for a discount payment pursuant to a discount payment policy. The bill would require the emergency physician to limit expected payment for services provided to a patient at or below 350% of the federal poverty level and who is eligible under the emergency physician's discount payment policy, as specified. The bill would require the above-described written notice that hospitals are required to provide patients regarding the hospital's charity care and discount pay policies to include a statement that the emergency physician who provides emergency medical care in a hospital that provides emergency care is also required by law to provide discounts to uninsured patients or patients with high medical costs who are at or below 350% of the federal poverty level. The bill would also specify billing and collection procedures to be followed by the emergency physician, its assignee, collection agency, or billing service. This bill would provide that a violation of the above provisions shall not constitute a violation of the terms of a physician and surgeon's licensure.