1-1     By:  Edwards (Senate Sponsor - Moncrief)              H.B. No. 2287
 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House May 7, 2001;
 1-3     May 7, 2001, read first time and referred to Committee on Health
 1-4     and Human Services; May 11, 2001, reported favorably by the
 1-5     following vote:  Yeas 5, Nays 0; May 11, 2001, sent to printer.)
 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-7                                   AN ACT
 1-8     relating to the authority of a hospital to share with certain
 1-9     attending physicians reimbursements for services provided to
1-10     patients under the medical assistance program.
1-11           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-12           SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 531, Government Code, is
1-13     amended by adding Section 531.055 to read as follows:
1-14           Sec. 531.055.  USE OF MEDICAL ASSISTANCE REIMBURSEMENTS. The
1-15     commission by rule shall provide a method by which a hospital
1-16     designated as a disproportionate share hospital may contract with
1-17     physicians to provide medical services to indigent patients based
1-18     on the hospital's indigent care eligibility criteria.
1-19           SECTION 2. If before implementing any provision of this Act a
1-20     state agency determines that a waiver or authorization from a
1-21     federal agency is necessary for implementation of that provision,
1-22     the agency affected by the provision shall request the waiver or
1-23     authorization and may delay implementing that provision until the
1-24     waiver or authorization is granted.
1-25           SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.
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