86R12009 SMT-F
 
  By: Menéndez S.B. No. 1742
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to physician and health care provider directories for
  certain health benefit plans.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 1451.501, Insurance Code, is amended by
  amending Subdivision (1) and adding Subdivisions (1-a) and (1-b) to
  read as follows:
               (1)  "Facility" has the meaning assigned by Section
  324.001, Health and Safety Code.
               (1-a)  "Facility-based physician" means a radiologist,
  anesthesiologist, pathologist, emergency department physician,
  neonatologist, or assistant surgeon:
                     (A)  to whom a facility has granted clinical
  privileges; and
                     (B)  who provides services to patients of the
  facility under those clinical privileges.
               (1-b) "Health care provider" means a practitioner,
  institutional provider, or other person or organization that
  furnishes health care services and that is licensed or otherwise
  authorized to practice in this state. The term includes a
  pharmacist, pharmacy, hospital, nursing home, or other medical or
  health-related service facility that provides care for the sick or
  injured or other care. The term does not include a physician.
         SECTION 2.  Section 1451.504, Insurance Code, is amended by
  amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (c) to read as
  follows:
         (b)  The directory must include the name, street address,
  specialty, if any, and telephone number of each physician and
  health care provider described by Subsection (a) and indicate
  whether the physician or provider is accepting new patients.
         (c)  For each health care provider that is a facility
  included in the directory under this section, the directory must:
               (1)  list under the facility name separate headings for
  radiologists, anesthesiologists, pathologists, emergency
  department physicians, neonatologists, and assistant surgeons;
               (2)  list under each heading described by Subdivision
  (1) each facility-based physician described by Subsection (a)
  practicing in the specialty corresponding with that heading;
               (3)  for the facility and each facility-based physician
  described by Subdivision (2), clearly indicate each health benefit
  plan issued by the issuer that may provide coverage for the services
  provided by that facility or physician; and
               (4)  include the facility in a grid listing of all
  facilities included in the directory with separate columns
  indicating:
                     (A)  the name of the facility;
                     (B)  the municipality in which the facility is
  located or county in which the facility is located if the facility
  is in the unincorporated area of the county;
                     (C)  for each specialty of facility-based
  physician practicing at the facility, the name, street address, and
  telephone number of any facility-based physician group described by
  Subsection (a); 
                     (D)  each health benefit plan issued by the issuer
  that may provide coverage for the services provided by the
  facility; and
                     (E)  each health benefit plan issued by the issuer
  that may provide coverage for the services provided by each
  facility-based physician group.
         SECTION 3.  Section 1451.505(c), Insurance Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (c)  The directory must be:
               (1)  electronically searchable by physician or health
  care provider name, specialty, if any, and location; and
               (2)  publicly accessible without necessity of
  providing a password, a user name, or personally identifiable
  information.
         SECTION 4.  A health benefit plan issuer shall update the
  issuer's website to conform with Subchapter K, Chapter 1451,
  Insurance Code, as amended by this Act, not later than January 1,
  2020.
         SECTION 5.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.