Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1511 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R2019 MPF-F
2	2	By: Hinojosa of Nueces S.B. No. 1511
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the provision of health care services by a freestanding
10	10	emergency medical care facility and the collection of fees for
11	11	providing those services.
12	12	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
13	13	SECTION 1. Section 254.001, Health and Safety Code, is
14	14	amended by adding Subdivision (5-a) to read as follows:
15	15	(5-a) "Patient" means an individual who seeks or
16	16	receives emergency care at a facility.
17	17	SECTION 2. Subchapter A, Chapter 254, Health and Safety
18	18	Code, is amended by adding Section 254.002 to read as follows:
19	19	Sec. 254.002. PURPOSE; CONSTRUCTION. (a) The purpose of
20	20	this chapter is to protect patients who may be in need of emergency
21	21	care by ensuring that a facility established, operated, or held out
22	22	to the public as a facility regulated under this chapter meets the
23	23	standards for providing emergency care required by this chapter and
24	24	rules adopted under this chapter, including the capacity to
25	25	stabilize and transfer patients.
26	26	(b) To increase access to and ensure the efficient delivery
27	27	of health care services in this state, this chapter may not be
28	28	construed to prohibit the colocation of emergency care and health
29	29	care services other than emergency care at a facility or the dual
30	30	use of a facility's personnel, equipment, supplies, furnishings,
31	31	laboratory, or other property for the provision of health care
32	32	services other than emergency care.
33	33	(c) A facility's provision of health care services other
34	34	than emergency care is governed by the law applicable to those
35	35	services.
36	36	SECTION 3. Subchapter D, Chapter 254, Health and Safety
37	37	Code, is amended by adding Section 254.152 to read as follows:
38	38	Sec. 254.152. REFERENCE TO FEE OR RATE. In this subchapter,
39	39	a reference to a fee or rate means an amount charged to a patient for
40	40	emergency care provided at a facility and includes a facility fee
41	41	related to the provision of that emergency care.
42	42	SECTION 4. Section 254.155(a), Health and Safety Code, is
43	43	amended to read as follows:
44	44	(a) A facility shall post notice that:
45	45	(1) states:
46	46	(A) the facility is a freestanding emergency
47	47	medical care facility;
48	48	(B) the facility charges rates comparable to a
49	49	hospital emergency room and may charge a facility fee only for the
50	50	provision of emergency care;
51	51	(C) a facility or a physician providing medical
52	52	care at the facility may be an out-of-network provider for the
53	53	patient's health benefit plan provider network; and
54	54	(D) a physician providing medical care at the
55	55	facility may bill separately from the facility for the medical care
56	56	provided to a patient; and
57	57	(2) either:
58	58	(A) lists the health benefit plans in which the
59	59	facility is an in-network provider in the health benefit plan's
60	60	provider network; or
61	61	(B) states the facility is an out-of-network
62	62	provider for all health benefit plans.
63	63	SECTION 5. Section 254.1555, Health and Safety Code, is
64	64	amended by adding Subsection (a-1) to read as follows:
65	65	(a-1) A facility providing health care services other than
66	66	emergency care may not charge a facility fee for the provision of
67	67	those services.
68	68	SECTION 6. Section 254.156(d), Health and Safety Code, is
69	69	amended to read as follows:
70	70	(d) The disclosure statement:
71	71	(1) must include:
72	72	(A) the name and contact information of the
73	73	facility; and
74	74	(B) a place for the patient or the patient's
75	75	legally authorized representative and an employee of the facility
76	76	to sign and date the disclosure statement;
77	77	(2) may include information on the facility's
78	78	procedures for seeking reimbursement from the patient's health
79	79	benefit plan; and
80	80	(3) must, as applicable:
81	81	(A) state "This facility charges a facility fee
82	82	for emergency care [medical treatment]" and include:
83	83	(i) the facility's median facility fee;
84	84	(ii) a range of possible facility fees; and
85	85	(iii) the facility fees for each level of
86	86	care provided at the facility; and
87	87	(B) state "This facility charges an observation
88	88	fee for medical treatment" and include:
89	89	(i) the facility's median observation fee;
90	90	(ii) a range of possible observation fees;
91	91	and
92	92	(iii) the observation fees for each level
93	93	of care provided at the facility.
94	94	SECTION 7. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.