EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb1243*
HOUSE BILL 1243
J1 2lr3065
By: Delegate Howard
Introduced and read first time: February 11, 2022
Assigned to: Health and Government Operations
A BILL ENTITLED
AN ACT concerning 1
Public Health – Rural Nonemergency Medical Transportation Program 2
FOR the purpose of establishing the Rural Nonemergency Medical Transportation 3
Program; and generally relating to the Rural Nonemergency Medical Transportation 4
Program. 5
BY adding to 6
Article – Health – General 7
Section 13–4401 through 13–4405 to be under the new subtitle “Subtitle 44. Rural 8
Nonemergency Medical Transportation Program” 9
Annotated Code of Maryland 10
(2019 Replacement Volume and 2021 Supplement) 11
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 12
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 13
Article – Health – General 14
SUBTITLE 44. RURAL NONEMERGENCY MEDICAL TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM. 15
13–4401. 16
(A) IN THIS SUBTITLE THE FOLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE ME ANINGS 17
INDICATED. 18
(B) “ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUAL ” MEANS AN INDIVIDUAL WHO: 19
(1) DOES NOT QUALIFY TO R ECEIVE STATE OR FEDERAL FUNDING 20
FOR TRANSPORTATION R ELATED TO RECEIVING MEDICAL SERVICES BEC AUSE THE 21
INDIVIDUAL: 22 2 HOUSE BILL 1243
(I) RESIDES IN A LOC ATION THAT DISQUALIF IES THE 1
INDIVIDUAL FROM QUAL IFYING FOR THE FUNDI NG; 2
(II) OWNS A CAR; 3
(III) RECEIVED TRANSPORTATI ON FROM A VOLUNTEER , BUT 4
THE INDIVIDUAL NO LO NGER HAS ACCESS TO T HAT TRANSPORTATION ; 5
(IV) HAD A MEDICAL PROCEDU RE THAT DOES NOT QUA LIFY THE 6
INDIVIDUAL FOR THE FUNDING; 7
(V) HAS A TEMPORARY DISAB ILITY THAT DOES NOT QUALIFY 8
THE INDIVIDUAL FOR THE FUNDING; OR 9
(VI) DOES NOT LIVE WITHIN THE REQUIRED DISTANC E OF A 10
PUBLIC BUS STOP TO Q UALIFY THE INDIVIDUA L FOR THE FUNDING ; 11
(2) NEEDS TRANSPORTATION TO OR FROM MEDICAL S ERVICES 12
WHERE EACH TRIP EITH ER BEGINS OR ENDS IN A RURAL COUNTY ; AND 13
(3) A HOSPITAL CARE COORDI NATOR DETERMINES HAS A MEDICAL 14
NEED FOR WHICH THE I NDIVIDUAL REQUIRES T RANSPORTATION SERVIC ES 15
THROUGH THE PROGRAM. 16
(C) “HOSPITAL” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN § 19–301 OF THIS ARTICLE. 17
(D) “HOSPITAL CARE COORDIN ATOR” MEANS AN EMPLOYEE OF A HOSPITAL 18
WHO COOR DINATES TRANSPORTATI ON RELATED TO MEDICA L SERVICES FOR 19
ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS IN ACCORDANCE WITH T HIS SUBTITLE. 20
(E) “NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIO N” MEANS AN ORGANIZATIO N THAT: 21
(1) IS: 22
(I) DESCRIBED IN § 501(C)(3) OF THE INTERNAL REVENUE 23
CODE; AND 24
(II) EXEMPT FROM INCOME TA X UNDER § 501(A) OF THE 25
INTERNAL REVENUE CODE; AND 26
(2) PROVIDES TRANSPORTATI ON SERVICES TO ELIGI BLE 27
INDIVIDUALS THROUGH A PROGRAM ADOPTED BY A HOSPITAL. 28 HOUSE BILL 1243 3
(F) “PROGRAM” MEANS THE RURAL NONEMERGENCY MEDICAL 1
TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM. 2
(G) “RURAL COUNTY ” MEANS: 3
(1) ALLEGANY COUNTY; 4
(2) CALVERT COUNTY; 5
(3) CAROLINE COUNTY; 6
(4) CARROLL COUNTY; 7
(5) CECIL COUNTY; 8
(6) CHARLES COUNTY; 9
(7) DORCHESTER COUNTY; 10
(8) FREDERICK COUNTY; 11
(9) GARRETT COUNTY; 12
(10) HARFORD COUNTY; 13
(11) KENT COUNTY; 14
(12) QUEEN ANNE’S COUNTY; 15
(13) SOMERSET COUNTY; 16
(14) ST. MARY’S COUNTY; 17
(15) TALBOT COUNTY; 18
(16) WASHINGTON COUNTY; 19
(17) WICOMICO COUNTY; OR 20
(18) WORCESTER COUNTY. 21
13–4402. 22 4 HOUSE BILL 1243
(A) THERE IS A RURAL NONEMERGENCY MEDICAL TRANSPORTATION 1
PROGRAM. 2
(B) THE PURPOSE OF THE PROGRAM IS FOR HOSPITALS TO COORDINATE 3
TRANSPORTATION PROVIDED BY A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATI ON TO OR FROM 4
MEDICAL SERVICES FOR ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS . 5
13–4403. 6
(A) A PROGRAM ADOPTED UNDER THIS SUBTITLE SHALL : 7
(1) COORDINATE TRANSPORTA TION PROVIDED BY A NONPROFIT 8
ORGANIZATION FOR AN ELIGIBLE INDI VIDUAL TO TRAVEL TO OR FROM MEDICAL 9
SERVICES; 10
(2) INCLUDE A MONTHLY BUDGET SET B Y EACH NONPROFIT 11
ORGANIZATION PARTICIPATING IN A PROGRAM ADOPTED BY A HOSPITAL 12
ESTABLISHING THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF TRANSPORTATION SERVI CES THE 13
ORGANIZATION WILL PROVIDE TO ELIG IBLE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE PATIENTS AT 14
THE HOSPITAL THROUGH THE PROGRAM; AND 15
(3) PROVIDE INFORMATION T O A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION ABOUT 16
ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS THAT THE CARE COORDINATOR HAS SELECTED TO RECE IVE 17
TRANSPORTATION SERVI CES THROUGH THE PROGRAM IN A MANNER THAT 18
COMPLIES WITH STATE AND FEDERAL PRI VACY LAWS. 19
(B) A PROGRAM MAY NOT PROVIDE TRAN SPORTATION: 20
(1) TO AN ELIGIBLE INDIVI DUAL FOR MORE THAN 120 DAYS AT A 21
TIME; OR 22
(2) TO AN INDIVIDUAL WHO REQUESTS TRANSPORTAT ION BUT DOES 23
NOT USE THE TRANSPORTATION PROVI DED ON MORE THAN ONE OCC ASION. 24
13–4404. 25
(A) A HOSPITAL MAY ADOPT A PROGRAM IN ACCORDANCE WITH T HIS 26
SUBTITLE. 27
(B) IF A HOSPITAL ADOPTS A PROGRAM, THE HOSPITAL SHALL: 28
HOUSE BILL 1243 5
(1) CONTRACT WITH A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATI ON TO PROVIDE 1
TRANSPORTATION TO ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE PATIENTS AT THE HOSPITAL 2
IN ACCORDANCE WITH T HIS SUBTITLE; AND 3
(2) ESTABLISH AND ADOPT A PROCESS OF NOTIFYING PATIENTS AT 4
THE HOSPITAL ABOUT S ERVICES AVAILABLE TH ROUGH THE PROGRAM. 5
(C) A HOSPITAL CARE COORDI NATOR SHALL: 6
(1) DETERMINE WHICH PATIE NTS OF THE HOSPITAL WHO ARE 7
INTERESTED IN RECEIV ING TRANSPORTATION S ERVICES THROUGH THE PROGRAM 8
ARE ELIGIBLE INDIVID UALS; 9
(2) DETERMINE WHICH ELIGI BLE INDIVIDUALS WILL RECEIVE 10
TRANSPORTATION THROU GH THE PROGRAM IN ACCORDANCE WITH T HE BUDGET 11
PROVIDED BY THE NONP ROFIT ORGANI ZATION; AND 12
(3) COORDINATE TRANSPORTA TION FOR AN ELIGIBLE INDI VIDUAL 13
WHO THE HOSPITAL CAR E COORDINATOR SELECT S TO RECEIVE TRANSPORTATION 14
TO TRAVEL TO AND FRO M RECEIVING MEDICAL SERVICES IN ACCORDANCE WITH 15
THIS SUBTITLE. 16
(D) IF A HOSPITAL ENTERS INTO A CONTRACT WITH A NONPROFIT 17
ORGANIZATION FOR THE PURPOSES OF PROVIDING TRANSPORTA TION THROUGH 18
THE PROGRAM, A HOSPITAL SHALL REPOR T THE NAME AND CONTACT INFORMAT ION 19
OF THE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATI ON TO THE DEPARTMENT WITHIN 30 DAYS AFTER 20
THE DATE ON WHICH TH E CONTRACT IS SIGNED . 21
13–4405. 22
(A) IN FISCAL YEAR 2024 AND EACH FISCAL YEAR THEREAFTER , THE 23
GOVERNOR SHALL INCLUD E IN THE ANNUAL BUDG ET BILL AN APPROPRIA TION OF 24
AT LEAST $1,000,000 TO THE DEPARTMENT FOR THE PU RPOSES OF CARRYING OUT 25
THIS SUBTITLE. 26
(B) EACH FISCAL YEAR , THE DEPARTMENT SHALL DIST RIBUTE THE FUND S 27
APPROPRIATED UNDER S UBSECTION (A) OF THIS SECTION: 28
(1) TO EACH NONPROFIT ORGANIZATI ON THAT PROVIDES SERVICES 29
THROUGH THE PROGRAM, AS REPORTED UNDER § 13–4404(D) OF THIS SUBTITLE; 30
AND 31
6 HOUSE BILL 1243
(2) IN AN AMOUNT PROPORTI ONAL TO THE NONPROFIT 1
ORGANIZATION ’S ESTIMATED ANNUAL BUDGET FOR PROVIDING TRANSPORTATION 2
UNDER THE PROGRAM. 3
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 4
October 1, 2022. 5