Connecticut 2019 2019 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB00038 Comm Sub / Bill

Filed 04/03/2019

                     
 
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General Assembly  Committee Bill No.  38  
January Session, 2019  
LCO No. 5468 
 
 
Referred to Committee on INSURANCE AND REAL ESTATE 
 
 
Introduced by:  
(INS)  
 
 
 
AN ACT REDUCING THE TIME FRAME FOR URGEN T CARE 
ADVERSE DETERMINATIO N REVIEW REQUESTS AN D EXPEDITED 
EXTERNAL REVIEWS.  
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General 
Assembly convened: 
 
Section 1. Subdivision (1) of subsection (c) of section 38a-591d of the 1 
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 2 
thereof (Effective January 1, 2020): 3 
(1) (A) Unless the covered person or the covered person's 4 
authorized representative has failed to provide information necessary 5 
for the health carrier to make a determination and except as specified 6 
under subparagraph (B) of this subdivision, the health carrier shall 7 
make a determination as soon as possible, taking into account the 8 
covered person's medical condition, but not later than [seventy-two] 9 
forty-eight hours after the health carrier receives such request, 10 
provided, if the urgent care request is a concurrent review request to 11 
extend a course of treatment beyond the initial period of time or the 12 
number of treatments, such request is made at least twenty-four hours 13 
prior to the expiration of the prescribed period of time or number of 14 
treatments. 15  Committee Bill No. 38 
 
 
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(B) Unless the covered person or the covered person's authorized 16 
representative has failed to provide information necessary for the 17 
health carrier to make a determination, for an urgent care request 18 
specified under subparagraph (B) or (C) of subdivision (38) of section 19 
38a-591a, the health carrier shall make a determination as soon as 20 
possible, taking into account the covered person's medical condition, 21 
but not later than twenty-four hours after the health carrier receives 22 
such request, provided, if the urgent care request is a concurrent 23 
review request to extend a course of treatment beyond the initial 24 
period of time or the number of treatments, such request is made at 25 
least twenty-four hours prior to the expiration of the prescribed period 26 
of time or number of treatments. 27 
Sec. 2. Subdivision (1) of subsection (d) of section 38a-591e of the 28 
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 29 
thereof (Effective January 1, 2020): 30 
(d) (1) The health carrier shall notify the covered person and, if 31 
applicable, the covered person's authorized representative, in writing 32 
or by electronic means, of its decision within a reasonable period of 33 
time appropriate to the covered person's medical condition, but not 34 
later than: 35 
(A) For prospective review and concurrent review requests, thirty 36 
calendar days after the health carrier receives the grievance; 37 
(B) For retrospective review requests, sixty calendar days after the 38 
health carrier receives the grievance;  39 
(C) For expedited review requests, except as specified under 40 
subparagraph (D) of this subdivision, [seventy-two] forty-eight hours 41 
after the health carrier receives the grievance; and 42 
(D) For expedited review requests of a health care service or course 43 
of treatment specified under subparagraph (B) or (C) of subdivision 44 
(38) of section 38a-591a, twenty-four hours after the health carrier 45 
receives the grievance. 46  Committee Bill No. 38 
 
 
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Sec. 3. Subdivision (1) of subsection (i) of section 38a-591g of the 47 
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 48 
thereof (Effective January 1, 2020): 49 
(i) (1) The independent review organization shall notify the 50 
commissioner, the health carrier, the covered person and, if applicable, 51 
the covered person's authorized representative in writing of its 52 
decision to uphold, reverse or revise the adverse determination or the 53 
final adverse determination, not later than: 54 
(A) For external reviews, forty-five calendar days after such 55 
organization receives the assignment from the commissioner to 56 
conduct such review; 57 
(B) For external reviews involving a determination that the 58 
recommended or requested health care service or treatment is 59 
experimental or investigational, twenty calendar days after such 60 
organization receives the assignment from the commissioner to 61 
conduct such review; 62 
(C) For expedited external reviews, except as specified under 63 
subparagraph (D) of this subdivision, as expeditiously as the covered 64 
person's medical condition requires, but not later than [seventy-two] 65 
forty-eight hours after such organization receives the assignment from 66 
the commissioner to conduct such review;  67 
(D) For expedited external reviews involving a health care service or 68 
course of treatment specified under subparagraph (B) or (C) of 69 
subdivision (38) of section 38a-591a, as expeditiously as the covered 70 
person's medical condition requires, but not later than twenty-four 71 
hours after such organization receives the assignment from the 72 
commissioner to conduct such review; and 73 
(E) For expedited external reviews involving a determination that 74 
the recommended or requested health care service or treatment is 75 
experimental or investigational, as expeditiously as the covered 76 
person's medical condition requires, but not later than five calendar 77  Committee Bill No. 38 
 
 
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days after such organization receives the assignment from the 78 
commissioner to conduct such review. 79 
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following 
sections: 
 
Section 1 January 1, 2020 38a-591d(c)(1) 
Sec. 2 January 1, 2020 38a-591e(d)(1) 
Sec. 3 January 1, 2020 38a-591g(i)(1) 
 
INS Joint Favorable