HLS 15RS-624 ENGROSSED
2015 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 498
BY REPRESENTATIVE TALBOT
Prefiled pursuant to Article III, Section 2(A)(4)(b)(i) of the Constitution of Louisiana.
HEALTH SERVICES: Provides for transparency in health services pricing and healthcare
quality measures
1 AN ACT
2To amend and reenact R.S. 40:1300.111 and 1300.113(A)(introductory paragraph), (1), and
3 (9), and to repeal R.S. 40:1300.113(B), relative to public information concerning
4 prices and quality of health services; to provide for legislative intent; to provide for
5 duties of the Department of Health and Hospitals relative to collecting and reporting
6 of healthcare data; to require promulgation of rules; and to provide for related
7 matters.
8Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
9 Section 1. R.S. 40:1300.111 and 1300.113(A)(introductory paragraph), (1), and (9)
10are hereby amended and reenacted to read as follows:
11 §1300.111. Findings; legislative intent
12 A. The legislature hereby finds all of the following:
13 (1) As a result of rising health care healthcare costs, the shortage of health
14 professionals and health care healthcare services in many areas of the state, and the
15 concerns expressed by consumers, health care healthcare providers, third-party
16 payers, and others involved with making informed decisions regarding health care
17 healthcare services, treatment, and coverage, there is a need to have access to
18 provider specific health care healthcare cost, quality, and outcome data on health
19 care healthcare facilities, health care healthcare providers, and health plans as well
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HB NO. 498
1 as continued access to global patterns and trends in the availability, use, and charges
2 for health care healthcare services and the associated health circumstances.
3 (2) Due to the rapidly expanding availability of and access to patient
4 sensitive health care healthcare data, it is necessary to establish safeguards which
5 ensure the level of protection of patient encounter data that Louisiana citizens
6 deserve, and which protect the privacy of health information comprising data sets
7 that are reported and disseminated to improve the population health of this state.
8 B. It is the intent of the legislature to improve transparency in prices and care
9 quality measures by providing for the creation and maintenance of a useful and
10 comprehensive health service information database that can be publicly accessed in
11 a manner that ensures protection of individuals' confidential health information and
12 respects providers of care.
13 * * *
14 §1300.113. Data collection; powers and duties of the Department of Health and
15 Hospitals
16 A. The department, through the office of public health and in consultation
17 with the Health Data Panel, shall:
18 (1) Identify and define the health care healthcare cost, quality, and
19 performance data elements to be reported to the department in accordance with
20 existing national and international data standards for facilitating meaningful
21 comparison by consumers of costs for specific health care healthcare services and
22 specific quality of care measures between and among medical facilities, health care
23 healthcare providers, and health plans. Such data elements shall include, without
24 limitation, the items specified in Paragraph (9) of this Subsection.
25 * * *
26 (9)(a) Provide the process for Internet publication of provider and health plan
27 specific cost, quality, and performance data collected pursuant to this Part for access
28 and use by a consumer or requesting entity. At minimum, this data shall include all
29 of the following items:
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HB NO. 498
1 (i) Healthcare quality information that is easily understandable by the
2 average consumer and is published in a format that allows the user to compare such
3 information across providers to the extent practicable.
4 (ii) Data related to payments for health services rendered by healthcare
5 facilities and practitioners published in an interactive format from which the user can
6 generate reports of such data.
7 (iii) Data identifying at least fifteen of the most commonly used diagnosis
8 codes, at least fifteen of the most commonly used procedure codes, and any
9 emerging health trends for diagnosis and treatment related to hospitalization. The
10 department shall publish this data in a format that facilitates comparison of the data
11 from hospitals and other licensed health facilities of this state to similar data for
12 medical care rendered in other states, to the extent that such data is available.
13 (iv) A list of the hospitals and other licensed health facilities that are in
14 compliance with the reporting requirements promulgated by the department, and a
15 list of the hospitals and other licensed health facilities that are not in compliance with
16 such requirements.
17 (b) The department shall update the information provided for in this
18 Paragraph at least annually.
19 * * *
20 Section 2. R.S. 40:1300.113(B) is hereby repealed in its entirety.
21 Section 3. On or before December 1, 2015, the Department of Health and Hospitals
22shall promulgate all rules in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act as are
23necessary to provide for online publication of data related to health services as specified in
24Section 1 of this Act.
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HB NO. 498
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HB 498 Engrossed 2015 Regular Session Talbot
Abstract: Provides for transparency in health services pricing and healthcare quality
measures through requirements for the Dept. of Health and Hospitals to publish
online certain data on health services.
Present law known as the La. Health Care Consumers' Right to Know, R.S. 40:1300.111 et
seq., provides for duties of the Dept. of Health and Hospitals (DHH) relative to collecting
and maintaining healthcare cost, quality, and performance data; and provides guidelines,
requirements, and restrictions pertaining to the use of such data.
Proposed law adds a provision indicating that the intent of present law and proposed law is
to improve transparency in prices and care quality measures by providing for the creation
and maintenance of a useful and comprehensive health service information database that can
be publicly accessed in a manner that ensures protection of individuals' confidential health
information and respects providers of care.
Proposed law adds the following as specific data that DHH is required to collect and publish
online pursuant to the La. Health Care Consumers' Right to Know law:
(1)Healthcare quality information that is easily understandable and published in a
format that allows the user to compare information across providers to the extent
practicable.
(2)Data related to payments for health services rendered by healthcare facilities and
practitioners published in an interactive format from which the user can generate
reports.
(3)(a)Data identifying the following:
(i)At least 15 of the most commonly used diagnosis codes.
(ii)At least 15 of the most commonly used procedure codes.
(iii)Any emerging health trends for diagnosis and treatment related to
hospitalization.
(b)Proposed law requires DHH to publish this data in a format that facilitates
comparison of the data from hospitals and other licensed health facilities of this state
to similar data for medical care rendered in other states, to the extent that such data
is available.
(4)(a)A list of the hospitals and other licensed health facilities that are in compliance with
the reporting requirements promulgated by DHH.
(b)A list of the hospitals and other licensed health facilities that are not in compliance
with the reporting requirements promulgated by DHH.
Proposed law requires DHH to update the information it collects and publishes pursuant to
proposed law at least annually.
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HB NO. 498
Proposed law repeals present law providing that if sufficient funds are not appropriated to
implement present law, the application of present law shall be suspended pending the
appropriation of sufficient funds; and that in such case all accumulated healthcare data shall
be stored with appropriate confidentiality safeguards, destroyed, or transferred to another
agency or organization in accordance with present law.
Proposed law requires DHH to promulgate all rules as are necessary to provide for online
publication of data related to health services as specified in proposed law on or before Dec.
1, 2015.
(Amends R.S. 40:1300.111 and 1300.113(A)(intro. para.), (1), and (9); Repeals R.S.
40:1300.113(B))
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