SB 127 - This act modifies provisions of the law relating to health care providers and ambulatory medical treatment centers.
New language in sections 192.655 and 192.667, RSMo, changes "hospitals" to "health care providers". Also, Section 197.200, RSMo, renames and modifies the definition of "ambulatory surgical centers" to become "ambulatory medical treatment centers".
Section 197.205 provides that the Department of Health and Senior Services may establish subcategories of licensure for the various types of ambulatory medical treatment centers.
The annual license fee for applications is changed from two hundred dollars to a sufficient amount to be determined by the Department. All licenses fees shall be deposited in the "Ambulatory Medical Treatment Center Fund", which is created in the State Treasury (Section 197.210).
The Department shall issue licenses to ambulatory medical treatment centers if they submit a working agreement with at least one hospital in the same community regarding emergency transfers and admittance of patients. If hospitals and ambulatory medical treatment centers are unable to negotiate a working agreement, then they must enter into binding arbitration based on the American Arbitration Association (Section 197.215).
The regulations adopted by the Department of Health and Senior Services regarding ambulatory medical treatment centers must be consistent with Medicare participation and standards, which are developed by nationally recognized and accredited entities (Section 197.225).
Section 197.230 requires the Department to conduct inspections of ambulatory medical treatment centers with at least the same frequency as inspections of hospitals.
Each hospital and ambulatory medical treatment center shall submit to the Department of Health and Senior Services its Medicare net patient revenue, Medicaid net patient revenue, and the cost of the uninsured. If the sum of these three values is less than thirty percent of its total net patient service revenue for the fiscal year, then the hospital or ambulatory medical treatment center shall remit the amount of shortfall to the Department of Revenue to be deposited in the "Physician Support Fund".
Section 197.855 creates the "Physician Support Fund" in the State Treasury. The monies in this fund shall be used to improve access to care across the state by enhancing Medicaid payments to physicians.
By July 1, 2006, the State Board of Registration for the Healing Arts shall promulgate guidelines and standards for the performance of office-based surgery. By January 15, 2007, the Board shall present a report to the Governor and the General Assembly addressing patient safety, trends regarding office-based surgery, and recommendations for legislative action (Section 1).
LORIE TOWE