Sec. 531.02413. BILLING COORDINATION SYSTEM

(a) If cost-effective and feasible, the commission shall, on or before March 1, 2008, contract through an existing procurement process for the implementation of an acute care Medicaid billing coordination system for the fee-for-service and primary care case management delivery models that will, upon entry in the claims system, identify within 24 hours whether another entity has primary responsibility for paying the claim and submit the claim to the entity the system determines is the primary payor. The system may not increase Medicaid claims payment error rates.

(a-1) If cost-effective and feasible, the commission shall contract to expand the Medicaid billing coordination system described by Subsection (a) to process claims for all other health care services provided through the Medicaid program in the manner claims for acute care services are processed by the system under Subsection (a). This subsection does not apply to claims for health care services provided through the Medicaid program if, before September 1, 2009, those claims were being processed by an alternative billing coordination system.

(b) If cost-effective, the executive commissioner shall adopt rules for the purpose of enabling the system described by Subsection (a) to identify an entity with primary responsibility for paying a claim that is processed by the system under Subsection (a) and establish reporting requirements for any entity that may have a contractual responsibility to pay for the types of services that are provided under the Medicaid program and the claims for which are processed by the system under Subsection (a).

(c) An entity that holds a permit, license, or certificate of authority issued by a regulatory agency of the state must allow a contractor under this section access to databases to allow the contractor to carry out the purposes of this section, subject to the contractor's contract with the commission and rules adopted under this section, and is subject to an administrative penalty or other sanction as provided by the law applicable to the permit, license, or certificate of authority for a violation by the entity of a rule adopted under this section.

(d) After September 1, 2008, no public funds shall be expended on entities not in compliance with this section unless a memorandum of understanding is entered into between the entity and the executive commissioner.

(e) Information obtained under this section is confidential. The contractor may use the information only for the purposes authorized under this section. A person commits an offense if the person knowingly uses information obtained under this section for any purpose not authorized under this section. An offense under this subsection is a Class B misdemeanor and all other penalties may apply.

Added by Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 268 , Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2007. Amended by: Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 745 , Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2009.