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SB 149 - This act enacts provisions relating to health care technology. TRANSPARENCY OF HEALTH CARE SERVICES This act establishes guidelines for transparency in pricing and quality of health care services. Criteria is established for insurers to use in programs that publicly assess and compare the quality and cost efficiency of health care providers. A provider cannot decline to enter into a provider contract with an insurer solely because the insurer uses quality and cost efficiency of health care data programs. A person who sells or distributes health care quality and cost efficiency data in a comparative format to the public is required to identify the source used to confirm the validity of the data and its analysis as an objective indicator of health care quality. This provision does not apply to articles or research studies that are published in peer-reviewed academic journals, nonprofit community-based organizations, or by state or local governments. The Department of Health and Senior Services is required to investigate complaints of alleged violations and is authorized to impose a penalty of up to $1,000. Alleged violations by health insurers will be investigated and enforced by the Department of Insurance, Financial Institutions, and Professional Registration. SECTIONS 191.1005 to 191.1010 INTERNET WEB-BASED PRIMARY CARE ACCESS PILOT PROJECT This act requires the general assembly to appropriate 400,000 dollars from the health care technology fund to the department of social services to award a grant to implement an internet web-based primary care access pilot project designed as a collaboration between private and public sectors to connect, where appropriate, a patient with a primary care medical home, and schedule patients into available community-based appointments as an alternative to non-emergency use of the hospital emergency room as consistent with federal law and regulations. The criteria for the grant are specified in the act. SECTION 191.1200 TELEHEALTH This act expresses the state's recognition of the delivery of health care via telehealth as a safe, practical and necessary practice in the state. By January 1, 2010, the Department of Health and Senior Services shall promulgate quality control rules to be used in removing and improving the service of telehealth practitioners. SECTIONS 191.1250 to 191.1277 This act is similar to portions of SS/SCS/SB 1283 (2008). ADRIANE CROUSE
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