SB 668 caps fees that health care staffing agencies can charge when placing workers who previously worked at a hospital or nursing facility. Specifically, the fee cannot exceed 105% of the worker’s highest hourly wage paid by that facility within the past two years. Covered facilities (hospitals or licensed nursing/specialized facilities) can sue agencies for violations if they fail to correct excessive fees after being notified with payroll records. If found liable, agencies must pay damages, attorney fees, and other remedies. The law takes effect November 1, 2025.
HB 2754 establishes the Oklahoma Rural Hospitals Funding Assistance Grant Program to provide financial support to qualifying rural hospitals. It directly affects publicly owned hospitals in towns with fewer than 5,000 residents that meet federal critical access hospital standards. The program creates a revolving fund in the state treasury, administered by the State Department of Health, to award grants prioritizing areas with significant healthcare access barriers due to distance. Grants are limited to the total funds available in the revolving fund, and the program becomes effective July 1, 2025.
SB 206 amends Oklahoma law to classify emergency medical services (EMS) provided by public entities - such as municipal, county, or district ambulance services - as "essential services" **solely for eligibility for federal funding**. This change directly affects public EMS providers seeking federal grants, ensuring they meet the federal definition of "essential services" under current funding criteria. The bill does not alter EMS operations or create new requirements but adjusts the legal classification to align with federal funding rules. It was introduced as an emergency measure to take immediate effect upon approval.
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SB 519 prohibits Oklahoma hospitals from using certain debt collection tactics against patients for services provided when the hospital was not following price transparency laws. Specifically, it bans hospitals from referring debts to third-party collectors, suing patients, or reporting debts to credit bureaus during those non-compliant periods. The bill directly affects patients who received care from hospitals not meeting transparency requirements, while allowing hospitals to continue normal billing practices. It becomes effective November 1, 2025, and does not require refunds for past payments.
SB 1005 requires Oklahoma hospitals to provide patients with a detailed, itemized billing statement within 30 business days after discharge. The statement must include specific details like service dates, medical procedure codes, charges, insurance payments, patient payments, and final payment amounts. Hospitals must also provide similar itemized statements to insurance companies upon request within one year of receiving a claim. The Oklahoma State Department of Health can enforce this by imposing fines or suspending hospital licenses for noncompliance.
SB 203 requires Oklahoma's Medicaid program to reimburse hospitals 100% of the statewide average nursing facility per diem rate for Medicaid patients who no longer need acute hospital care but require nursing facility-level care upon discharge. This applies specifically when patients cannot be transferred to a nursing facility due to bed shortages or because a court-appointed guardian is pending. The Oklahoma Health Care Authority must seek federal approval to implement this reimbursement, and the bill takes effect July 1, 2025. It directly affects Medicaid-enrolled patients needing nursing care transitions and the hospitals treating them.
HB 1576 requires Oklahoma Medicaid to cover rapid whole genome sequencing (RWGS) for eligible beneficiaries under age 21 with complex or acute illnesses of unknown cause while receiving critical care in a hospital. It mandates coverage only when specific medical criteria are met, such as symptoms suggesting broad genetic testing needs, timely diagnosis being critical for treatment, and conditions like congenital anomalies or abnormal test results. The bill also ensures genetic data used for diagnosis is protected under HIPAA, allows research use only with explicit patient or guardian consent (with opt-out rights), and requires the Oklahoma Health Care Authority to implement rules and seek federal approval for coverage. This policy directly affects Medicaid-covered children and teens in intensive care with undiagnosed conditions.
SB 789, now effective as of May 28, 2025, restricts how pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) can audit pharmacies. It requires PBMs to give pharmacies 14 days' notice (30 days for wholesale audits), prohibits recouping funds for simple errors like typos, and allows pharmacies to use hospital/physician records or any drug purchase records (without date/source limits) to validate claims. The law also caps audits at 50 prescriptions per pharmacy annually and mandates that any recouped funds first be refunded to the patient. This directly affects pharmacies, PBMs, and patients by standardizing audit practices and protecting against unfair financial penalties.
SB 226 changes how Oklahoma reimburses hospitals under its Medicaid program. It requires the Oklahoma Health Care Authority to pay rural emergency hospitals more for services to Medicaid patients and to pay 25% more for obstetrical care at hospitals certified as "Baby-Friendly" by Baby-Friendly USA. The bill mandates seeking federal approval for the obstetrics reimbursement change and takes effect July 1, 2025. These adjustments directly affect rural emergency hospitals and Baby-Friendly designated hospitals providing maternity care.
SB 889 requires Oklahoma hospitals to publicly post detailed pricing information online in an accessible, machine-readable format. It directly affects licensed hospitals and state-owned hospital facilities by mandating they publish a digital list of standard charges for all services, including gross charges, discounted cash prices, and negotiated rates with insurers. The bill specifies that hospitals must display this information free of charge, without requiring user accounts, and update it annually on their public website. This transparency measure aims to help patients compare costs for services like procedures, room fees, and supplies before receiving care.
