Source: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=70.170&full=true
Timestamp: 2018-02-24 16:17:08
Document Index: 157641211

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 501', '§ 505', '§ 118', '§ 506', '§ 507', '§ 27', '§ 12', '§ 925', '§ 71', '§ 508', '§ 10', '§ 509']

Chapter 70.170 RCW: HEALTH DATA AND CHARITY CARE
RCWs > Title 70 > Chapter 70.170
HEALTH DATA AND CHARITY CARE
70.170.010
70.170.020
70.170.050
Requested studies—Costs.
70.170.060
Charity care—Prohibited and required hospital practices and policies—Rules—Department to monitor and report.
70.170.070
70.170.080
Assessments—Costs.
70.170.090
Hospital financial and patient discharge data: RCW 43.70.052.
(1) The legislature finds and declares that there is a need for health care information that helps the general public understand health care issues and how they can be better consumers and that is useful to purchasers, payers, and providers in making health care choices and negotiating payments. It is the purpose and intent of this chapter to establish a hospital data collection, storage, and retrieval system which supports these data needs and which also provides public officials and others engaged in the development of state health policy the information necessary for the analysis of health care issues.
(2) The legislature finds that rising health care costs and access to health care services are of vital concern to the people of this state. It is, therefore, essential that strategies be explored that moderate health care costs and promote access to health care services.
(3) The legislature further finds that access to health care is among the state's goals and the provision of such care should be among the purposes of health care providers and facilities. Therefore, the legislature intends that charity care requirements and related enforcement provisions for hospitals be explicitly established.
(4) The lack of reliable statistical information about the delivery of charity care is a particular concern that should be addressed. It is the purpose and intent of this chapter to require hospitals to provide, and report to the state, charity care to persons with acute care needs, and to have a state agency both monitor and report on the relative commitment of hospitals to the delivery of charity care services, as well as the relative commitment of public and private purchasers or payers to charity care funding.
[ 1989 1st ex.s. c 9 § 501.]
The department shall have the authority to respond to requests of others for special studies or analysis. The department may require such sponsors to pay any or all of the reasonable costs associated with such requests that might be approved, but in no event may costs directly associated with any such special study be charged against the funds generated by the assessment authorized under RCW 70.170.080.
[ 1989 1st ex.s. c 9 § 505.]
(1) No hospital or its medical staff shall adopt or maintain admission practices or policies which result in:
(a) A significant reduction in the proportion of patients who have no third-party coverage and who are unable to pay for hospital services;
(b) A significant reduction in the proportion of individuals admitted for inpatient hospital services for which payment is, or is likely to be, less than the anticipated charges for or costs of such services; or
(c) The refusal to admit patients who would be expected to require unusually costly or prolonged treatment for reasons other than those related to the appropriateness of the care available at the hospital.
(2) No hospital shall adopt or maintain practices or policies which would deny access to emergency care based on ability to pay. No hospital which maintains an emergency department shall transfer a patient with an emergency medical condition or who is in active labor unless the transfer is performed at the request of the patient or is due to the limited medical resources of the transferring hospital. Hospitals must follow reasonable procedures in making transfers to other hospitals including confirmation of acceptance of the transfer by the receiving hospital.
(3) The department shall develop definitions by rule, as appropriate, for subsection (1) of this section and, with reference to federal requirements, subsection (2) of this section. The department shall monitor hospital compliance with subsections (1) and (2) of this section. The department shall report individual instances of possible noncompliance to the state attorney general or the appropriate federal agency.
(4) The department shall establish and maintain by rule, consistent with the definition of charity care in RCW 70.170.020, the following:
(a) Uniform procedures, data requirements, and criteria for identifying patients receiving charity care;
(b) A definition of residual bad debt including reasonable and uniform standards for collection procedures to be used in efforts to collect the unpaid portions of hospital charges that are the patient's responsibility.
(5) For the purpose of providing charity care, each hospital shall develop, implement, and maintain a charity care policy which, consistent with subsection (1) of this section, shall enable people below the federal poverty level access to appropriate hospital-based medical services, and a sliding fee schedule for determination of discounts from charges for persons who qualify for such discounts by January 1, 1990. The department shall develop specific guidelines to assist hospitals in setting sliding fee schedules required by this section. All persons with family income below one hundred percent of the federal poverty standard shall be deemed charity care patients for the full amount of hospital charges, provided that such persons are not eligible for other private or public health coverage sponsorship. Persons who may be eligible for charity care shall be notified by the hospital.
(6) Each hospital shall make every reasonable effort to determine the existence or nonexistence of private or public sponsorship which might cover in full or part the charges for care rendered by the hospital to a patient; the family income of the patient as classified under federal poverty income guidelines; and the eligibility of the patient for charity care as defined in this chapter and in accordance with hospital policy. An initial determination of sponsorship status shall precede collection efforts directed at the patient.
(7) The department shall monitor the distribution of charity care among hospitals, with reference to factors such as relative need for charity care in hospital service areas and trends in private and public health coverage. The department shall prepare reports that identify any problems in distribution which are in contradiction of the intent of this chapter. The report shall include an assessment of the effects of the provisions of this chapter on access to hospital and health care services, as well as an evaluation of the contribution of all purchasers of care to hospital charity care.
(8) The department shall issue a report on the subjects addressed in this section at least annually, with the first report due on July 1, 1990.
[ 1998 c 245 § 118; 1989 1st ex.s. c 9 § 506.]
(1) Every person who shall violate or knowingly aid and abet the violation of RCW 70.170.060 (5) or (6), 70.170.080, or * 70.170.100, or any valid orders or rules adopted pursuant to these sections, or who fails to perform any act which it is herein made his or her duty to perform, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. Following official notice to the accused by the department of the existence of an alleged violation, each day of noncompliance upon which a violation occurs shall constitute a separate violation. Any person violating the provisions of this chapter may be enjoined from continuing such violation. The department has authority to levy civil penalties not exceeding one thousand dollars for violations of this chapter and determined pursuant to this section.
(2) Every person who shall violate or knowingly aid and abet the violation of RCW 70.170.060 (1) or (2), or any valid orders or rules adopted pursuant to such section, or who fails to perform any act which it is herein made his or her duty to perform, shall be subject to the following criminal and civil penalties:
(a) For any initial violations: The violating person shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and the department may impose a civil penalty not to exceed one thousand dollars as determined pursuant to this section.
(b) For a subsequent violation of RCW 70.170.060 (1) or (2) within five years following a conviction: The violating person shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and the department may impose a penalty not to exceed three thousand dollars as determined pursuant to this section.
(c) For a subsequent violation with intent to violate RCW 70.170.060 (1) or (2) within five years following a conviction: The criminal and civil penalties enumerated in (a) of this subsection; plus up to a three-year prohibition against the issuance of tax exempt bonds under the authority of the Washington health care facilities authority; and up to a three-year prohibition from applying for and receiving a certificate of need.
(d) For a violation of RCW 70.170.060 (1) or (2) within five years of a conviction under (c) of this subsection: The criminal and civil penalties and prohibition enumerated in (a) and (b) of this subsection; plus up to a one-year prohibition from participation in the state medical assistance or medical care services authorized under chapter 74.09 RCW.
(3) The provisions of chapter 34.05 RCW shall apply to all noncriminal actions undertaken by the department of health, the department of social and health services, and the Washington health care facilities authority pursuant to chapter 9, Laws of 1989 1st ex. sess.
[ 1989 1st ex.s. c 9 § 507.]
*Reviser's note: RCW 70.170.100 was repealed by 1995 c 265 § 27 and by 1995 c 267 § 12, effective July 1, 1995.
The basic expenses for the hospital data collection and reporting activities of this chapter shall be financed by an assessment against hospitals of no more than four one-hundredths of one percent of each hospital's gross operating costs, to be levied and collected from and after that date, upon which the similar assessment levied under *chapter 70.39 RCW is terminated, for the provision of hospital services for its last fiscal year ending on or before June 30th of the preceding calendar year. Budgetary requirements in excess of that limit must be financed by a general fund appropriation by the legislature. All moneys collected under this section shall be deposited by the state treasurer in the hospital data collection account which is hereby created in the state treasury. The department may also charge, receive, and dispense funds or authorize any contractor or outside sponsor to charge for and reimburse the costs associated with special studies as specified in RCW 70.170.050.
During the 1993-1995 fiscal biennium, moneys in the hospital data collection account may be expended, pursuant to appropriation, for hospital data analysis and the administration of the health information program.
Any amounts raised by the collection of assessments from hospitals provided for in this section which are not required to meet appropriations in the budget act for the current fiscal year shall be available to the department in succeeding years.
[ 1993 sp.s. c 24 § 925; 1991 sp.s. c 13 § 71; 1989 1st ex.s. c 9 § 508.]
*Reviser's note: Chapter 70.39 RCW was repealed by 1982 c 223 § 10, effective June 30, 1990.
The department and any of its contractors or agents shall maintain the confidentiality of any information which may, in any manner, identify individual patients.
[ 1989 1st ex.s. c 9 § 509.]