86R2158 LED-F
By: Schwertner S.B. No. 1548
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to health care data collection requirements and a
feasibility study on the use of the data to create a database of
amounts billed for certain health care services.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 108.002(10), Health and Safety Code, is
amended to read as follows:
(10) "Health care facility" means:
(A) a hospital;
(B) an ambulatory surgical center licensed under
Chapter 243;
(C) a chemical dependency treatment facility
licensed under Chapter 464;
(D) a renal dialysis facility;
(E) a birthing center;
(F) a rural health clinic;
(G) a federally qualified health center as
defined by 42 U.S.C. Section 1396d(l)(2)(B); [or]
(H) a free-standing imaging center; or
(I) a freestanding emergency medical care
facility, as defined by Section 254.001, including a freestanding
emergency medical care facility that is exempt from the licensing
requirements of Chapter 254 under Section 254.052(8).
SECTION 2. (a) In this section, "department" means the
Department of State Health Services.
(b) The department shall conduct a study on the feasibility
of using the information provided to the department under the
statewide health care data collection system developed under
Section 108.006, Health and Safety Code, for creating a database
accessible through the Texas Health Care Information Collection
website. The database must:
(1) be searchable;
(2) include the average and percentile billed charges
for health care procedures performed at inpatient care facilities,
outpatient care facilities, and hospital outpatient departments;
and
(3) categorize the information described by
Subdivision (2) of this subsection according to the American
Medical Association's Current Procedural Terminology code for the
health care procedure associated with the amount billed.
(c) In conducting the feasibility study under Subsection
(b) of this section, the department shall evaluate the cost of
making the database accessible to:
(1) the public at no cost;
(2) health care providers at a cost; and
(3) both the public at no cost and health care
providers at a cost.
(d) Not later than December 1, 2020, the department shall
report the results of the study required under this section to the
governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of
representatives, and members of the appropriate standing
committees of the senate and the house of representatives.
(e) The department may contract with a third-party entity to
conduct the study required under this section.
(f) This section expires September 1, 2021.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.