By:  Nelson, Zaffirini                                 S.B. No. 283
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to special disease management programs for certain
 1-3     recipients of medical assistance under the Medicaid managed care
 1-4     program.
 1-5           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-6           SECTION 1.  Section 533.009, Government Code, is amended to
 1-7     read as follows:
 1-8           Sec. 533.009.  SPECIAL DISEASE MANAGEMENT.  (a)  The
 1-9     commission shall[, to the extent possible,] ensure that managed
1-10     care organizations under contract with the commission to provide
1-11     health care services to recipients develop and implement special
1-12     disease management programs to address chronic health conditions,
1-13     including asthma and diabetes, and use outcome measures to assess
1-14     the programs.
1-15           (b)  The commission shall [may] study[, in conjunction with
1-16     an academic center,] the benefits and costs of applying disease
1-17     management principles in the delivery of Medicaid managed care
1-18     services to recipients with chronic health conditions.  In
1-19     conducting the study, the commission shall evaluate the
1-20     effectiveness of those principles in:
1-21                 (1)  reducing long-term health care costs under the
1-22     Medicaid managed care program;
1-23                 (2)  improving patient care, including the coordination
1-24     of that care; and
1-25                 (3)  improving utilization patterns of recipients.
 2-1           (c)  The commission may conduct the study under Subsection
 2-2     (b) in conjunction with an academic center.
 2-3           SECTION 2.  If before implementing any provision of this Act
 2-4     a state agency determines that a waiver or authorization from a
 2-5     federal agency is necessary for implementation of that provision,
 2-6     the agency affected by the provision shall request the waiver or
 2-7     authorization and may delay implementing that provision until the
 2-8     waiver or authorization is granted.
 2-9           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.