Connecticut 2025 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB01452 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
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3	3	LCO No. 5741 1 of 6
4	4
5	5	General Assembly Raised Bill No. 1452
6	6	January Session, 2025
7	7	LCO No. 5741
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9	9
10	10	Referred to Committee on PUBLIC HEALTH
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12	12
13	13	Introduced by:
14	14	(PH)
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19	19	AN ACT CONCERNING HOSPITAL -AFFILIATED PHYSICIANS.
20	20	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
21	21	Assembly convened:
22	22
23	23	Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2025) (a) As used in this section: 1
24	24	(1) "Attending physician" means a physician licensed pursuant to 2
25	25	chapter 370 of the general statutes who is selected by, or assigned to, the 3
26	26	patient and who has primary responsibility for the treatment and care 4
27	27	of the patient; 5
28	28	(2) "Hospital" means any short-term acute care general or children's 6
29	29	hospital licensed by the Department of Public Health, including the John 7
30	30	Dempsey Hospital of The University of Connecticut Health Center; and 8
31	31	(3) "Relative value unit" means the value assigned by the Centers for 9
32	32	Medicare and Medicaid Services to certain current procedural 10
33	33	terminology (CPT) codes and Health Care Procedure Coding System 11
34	34	(HCPCS) codes to represent the cost of providing a service and 12
35	35	comprised of physician work relative value unit, practice expense 13
36	36	relative value unit and malpractice relative value unit multiplied by 14
37	37	conversion factor and geographic practice cost indices adjustments. 15
38	38	Raised Bill No. 1452
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40	40
41	41
42	42	LCO No. 5741 2 of 6
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44	44	(b) No hospital shall assign an attending physician more than 16
45	45	eighteen patients during a twelve-hour shift unless the hospital 17
46	46	compensates such attending physician at (1) a rate equal to (A) one and 18
47	47	one-half times such attending physician's hourly rate, or (B) one and 19
48	48	one-half times an hourly rate based on such attending physician's 20
49	49	annual salary, as applicable, or (2) an amount equal to the payments 21
50	50	such hospital would receive under a relative value unit payment 22
51	51	methodology for the attending physician's treatment of patients during 23
52	52	such shift, whichever is greater. 24
53	53	Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2025) (a) As used in this section: 25
54	54	(1) "Group practice" means seven or more full-time equivalent 26
55	55	physicians, legally organized in a partnership, professional corporation, 27
56	56	limited liability company formed to render professional services, 28
57	57	medical foundation, not-for-profit corporation, faculty practice plan or 29
58	58	other similar entity (A) in which each physician who is a member of the 30
59	59	group provides substantially the full range of services that the physician 31
60	60	routinely provides, including, but not limited to, medical care, 32
61	61	consultation, diagnosis or treatment, through the joint use of shared 33
62	62	office space, facilities, equipment or personnel; (B) for which 34
63	63	substantially all of the services of the physicians who are members of 35
64	64	the group are provided through the group and are billed in the name of 36
65	65	the group practice and amounts so received are treated as receipts of the 37
66	66	group; or (C) in which the overhead expenses of, and the income from, 38
67	67	the group are distributed in accordance with methods previously 39
68	68	determined by members of the group. An entity that otherwise meets 40
69	69	the definition of group practice under this section shall be considered a 41
70	70	group practice although the shareholders, partners or owners of the 42
71	71	group practice include single-physician professional corporations, 43
72	72	limited liability companies formed to render professional services or 44
73	73	other entities in which beneficial owners are individual physicians; 45
74	74	(2) "Health system" means: (A) A parent corporation of one or more 46
75	75	hospitals and any entity affiliated with such parent corporation through 47
76	76	Raised Bill No. 1452
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78	78
79	79
80	80	LCO No. 5741 3 of 6
81	81
82	82	ownership, governance, membership or other means, or (B) a hospital 48
83	83	and any entity affiliated with such hospital through ownership, 49
84	84	governance, membership or other means; 50
85	85	(3) "Hospital" has the same meaning as provided in section 19a-490 51
86	86	of the general statutes; and 52
87	87	(4) "Staffing change" means an increase, reduction or reassignment of 53
88	88	a large group's workforce that is not a significant staffing change, as 54
89	89	defined in section 3 of this act. 55
90	90	(b) No health system shall make any staffing change to a group 56
91	91	practice without (1) consulting with and giving due consideration to the 57
92	92	physician members of such group practice, or (2) submitting such 58
93	93	staffing change for review to the Commissioner of Health Strategy, 59
94	94	pursuant to section 3 of this act, if applicable. If a health system makes 60
95	95	any such staffing change without consulting with and giving due 61
96	96	consideration to such physician members or receiving approval for such 62
97	97	staffing change from the Commissioner of Health Strategy pursuant to 63
98	98	section 3 of this act, the Commissioner of Public Health shall appoint an 64
99	99	independent monitor to oversee such group practice for a period of one 65
100	100	year starting on the date of such appointment. A monitor appointed 66
101	101	pursuant to the provisions of this section shall: (A) Evaluate the quality 67
102	102	of patient care at such group practice after the staffing change is 68
103	103	implemented and ensure that the quality of patient care is maintained; 69
104	104	(B) assess and address any challenges faced by patients due to the 70
105	105	staffing change; (C) monitor whether the staffing change has resulted in 71
106	106	any decrease in services provided by the group practice; and (D) assess 72
107	107	and address any difficulties or adverse impacts experienced by 73
108	108	displaced physicians or group practices, including, but not limited to, 74
109	109	difficulties relating to the professional, financial or personal well-being 75
110	110	of such physicians or group practices. 76
111	111	(c) If the commissioner appoints a monitor pursuant to the provisions 77
112	112	of this section, the health system that made the staffing change to the 78
113	113	Raised Bill No. 1452
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116	116
117	117	LCO No. 5741 4 of 6
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119	119	group practice without consulting with and giving due consideration to 79
120	120	the physician members of such group practice shall compensate such 80
121	121	monitor at a rate determined by the commissioner. 81
122	122	(d) No health system shall require a physician practicing in a group 82
123	123	practice to join another group practice without such physician's consent. 83
124	124	(e) The commissioner may adopt regulations, in accordance with the 84
125	125	provisions of chapter 54 of the general statutes, to implement the 85
126	126	provisions of this section. 86
127	127	Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2025) (a) As used in this section: 87
128	128	(1) "Group practice" means seven or more full-time equivalent 88
129	129	physicians, legally organized in a partnership, professional corporation, 89
130	130	limited liability company formed to render professional services, 90
131	131	medical foundation, not-for-profit corporation, faculty practice plan or 91
132	132	other similar entity (A) in which each physician who is a member of the 92
133	133	group provides substantially the full range of services that the physician 93
134	134	routinely provides, including, but not limited to, medical care, 94
135	135	consultation, diagnosis or treatment, through the joint use of shared 95
136	136	office space, facilities, equipment or personnel; (B) for which 96
137	137	substantially all of the services of the physicians who are members of 97
138	138	the group are provided through the group and are billed in the name of 98
139	139	the group practice and amounts so received are treated as receipts of the 99
140	140	group; or (C) in which the overhead expenses of, and the income from, 100
141	141	the group are distributed in accordance with methods previously 101
142	142	determined by members of the group. An entity that otherwise meets 102
143	143	the definition of group practice under this section shall be considered a 103
144	144	group practice although the shareholders, partners or owners of the 104
145	145	group practice include single-physician professional corporations, 105
146	146	limited liability companies formed to render professional services or 106
147	147	other entities in which beneficial owners are individual physicians; 107
148	148	(2) "Health system" means: (A) A parent corporation of one or more 108
149	149	hospitals and any entity affiliated with such parent corporation through 109
150	150	Raised Bill No. 1452
151	151
152	152
153	153
154	154	LCO No. 5741 5 of 6
155	155
156	156	ownership, governance, membership or other means, or (B) a hospital 110
157	157	and any entity affiliated with such hospital through ownership, 111
158	158	governance, membership or other means; 112
159	159	(3) "Hospital" has the same meaning as provided in section 19a-490 113
160	160	of the general statutes; and 114
161	161	(4) "Significant staffing change" means an increase, reduction or 115
162	162	reassignment of fifty per cent or more of a large group's workforce. 116
163	163	(b) Not less than one hundred eighty days before implementing a 117
164	164	significant staffing change, a health system shall provide notice to the 118
165	165	(1) large group practice affected by such change by first class mail or 119
166	166	electronic mail, and (2) Commissioner of Health Strategy. 120
167	167	(c) On or before the date a health system provides notice to the 121
168	168	commissioner regarding a significant staffing change pursuant to 122
169	169	subsection (b) of this section, such health system shall submit, in a form 123
170	170	and manner prescribed by the commissioner, an application review and 124
171	171	approval or disapproval of such staffing change. When evaluating such 125
172	172	application, the commissioner shall consider: (1) The extent to which the 126
173	173	significant staffing change will affect patient care at the group practice 127
174	174	or otherwise present challenges for the patients of the group practice; 128
175	175	(2) whether the significant staffing change will result in any decrease in 129
176	176	the services provided by the group practice; and (3) any difficulties or 130
177	177	adverse impacts that physicians affected by the significant staffing 131
178	178	change will experience, including, but not limited to, difficulties relating 132
179	179	to the professional, financial or personal well-being of such physicians 133
180	180	or group practices. The commissioner shall issue a decision approving 134
181	181	or disapproving an application not later than one hundred eighty days 135
182	182	after the date the commissioner receives notice pursuant to subsection 136
183	183	(b) of this section. 137
184	184	(d) No health system shall implement a significant staffing change at 138
185	185	a group practice without receiving approval pursuant to the provisions 139
186	186	of this section. 140
187	187	Raised Bill No. 1452
188	188
189	189
190	190
191	191	LCO No. 5741 6 of 6
192	192
193	193	(e) The Commissioner of Health Strategy may adopt regulations, in 141
194	194	accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 of the general statutes, to 142
195	195	implement the provisions of this section. 143
196	196	Sec. 4. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2025) On and after October 1, 2025, 144
197	197	no institution, as defined in section 19a-490 of the general statutes, shall 145
198	198	terminate a physician licensed pursuant to chapter 370 of the general 146
199	199	statutes, except for just cause, which shall be determined solely by the 147
200	200	performance or conduct of the particular physician. Any provision in a 148
201	201	physician employment contract entered into on and after October 1, 149
202	202	2025, that permits an employer to terminate a physician at will shall be 150
203	203	void. 151
204	204	This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
205	205	sections:
206	206
207	207	Section 1 October 1, 2025 New section
208	208	Sec. 2 October 1, 2025 New section
209	209	Sec. 3 October 1, 2025 New section
210	210	Sec. 4 October 1, 2025 New section
211	211
212	212	Statement of Purpose:
213	213	To establish various employment protections for hospital-affiliated
214	214	physicians.
215	215
216	216	[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
217	217	that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
218	218	underlined.]
219	219