Department of Managed Health Care: review of records.

Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975 (hereafter the act) , provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care and makes a willful violation of the act a crime. Existing law requires the records, books, and papers of a health care service plan and other specified entities to be open to inspection by the director of the department during normal business hours. This bill would instead require the records, books, and papers of a health care service plan and other specified entities to be open to inspection by the director, including through electronic means. The bill would require a plan and other specified entities to furnish in electronic media records, books, and papers that are possessed in electronic media and to conduct a diligent review of records, books, and papers and make every effort to furnish those responsive to the director's request. The bill would require records, books, and papers to be furnished in a format that is digitally searchable, to the greatest extent feasible. The bill would require records, books, and papers to be preserved until furnished, if requested by the department. The bill would authorize the director to inspect and copy these records, books, and papers, and to seek relief in an administrative law proceeding if, in the director's determination, a plan or other specified entity fails to fully or timely respond to a duly authorized request for production of records, books, and papers. Because a willful violation of these requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law requires the department to conduct periodically an onsite medical survey of the health delivery system of each plan. Existing law requires the director to publicly report survey results no later than 180 days following the completion of the survey, and requires a final report to be issued after public review of the survey. Existing law requires the department to conduct a followup review to determine and report on the status of the plan's efforts to correct deficiencies no later than 18 months following release of the final report. This bill would state that nothing in those provisions prohibits the director from taking any action permitted or required under the act in response to the survey results before the followup review is initiated or completed, including, but not limited to, taking enforcement actions and opening further investigations. The bill would declare that these provisions are declaratory of and clarify existing law with regard to the director's enforcement authority. Existing law enumerates acts or omissions by a health care service plan that constitute grounds for disciplinary action by the director. This bill would add to those enumerated acts or omissions the failure by a health care service plan to respond fully or timely, or both, to a duly authorized request for production of records. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.