An Act To Improve the Quality of Health Care in Maine
Maine Legislature, Session 123, LD 1843
Committee Amendment CA_A_S435 (Senate)

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" 11-" to S.P. 660, L.D. 1843, Bill, "An Act To 
Improve the Quality of Health Care in Maine" 
Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following: 
'Resolve, To Eliminate or Reduce the Health Care Data Collection Problems 
Associated with Global Claims' 
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the title and before the summary and 
inserting the following: 
'Emergency preamble. Whereas, acts and resolves of the Legislature do not 
become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted as emergencies; and 
Whereas, the existence of global claims is creating serious problems with the 
identification of practitioners and the computation of payments in the data currently 
collected by the Maine Health Data Organization and used by the Maine Quality Forum 
and the Governor's Office of Health Care Policy and Finance and must be addressed; and 
Whereas, the solution to the problem will be complex, involve a number of entities 
and take a number of months to achieve; and 
Whereas, emergency enactment is required to enable the interested parties time to 
work together and to take action prior to the report due to the joint standing committee of 
the Legislature having jurisdiction over health and human services matters by January 15, 
2009; and 
Whereas, in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts create an emergency within 
the meaning of the Constitution of Maine and require the following legislation as 
immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety; now, 
therefore, be it 
Sec. 1. Study. 
Resolved: 
That representatives of health insurance carriers 
licensed in the State, 3rd-party administrators and hospitals licensed in the State, with 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A "to S.P. 660, L.D. 1843 
representatives of the Maine Association of Health Plans, the Maine Hospital Association 
and the Maine Health Data Organization, all of whom are referred to in this resolve as 
"the work group," shall meet to evaluate the Maine combined bill demonstration project, 
as proposed by the National Uniform BiIling Committee. The work group may identity 
and propose an alternative that will solve the data collection problems associated with 
global claims; and be it further 
Sec. 2. Report. Resolved: That the work group shall report the findings of the 
study under section 1 to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having 
jurisdiction over health and human services matters by January 15,2009. 
Emergency clause. 
In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this 
legislation takes effect when approved.' 
SUMMARY 
This amendment changes the bill to a resolve, changes the title and inserts an 
emergency preamble and emergency clause. This amendment directs representatives of 
health insurance carriers licensed in the State, 3rd-party administrators, hospitals licensed 
in the State and representatives of the Maine Association of Health Plans, the Maine 
Hospital Association and the Maine Health Data Organization to evaluate the Maine 
combined bill demonstration project, as proposed by the National Uniform Billing 
Committee. The amendment directs the work group to report the findings of the study to 
the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over health and human 
services matters by January 15,2009. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Approved: 02119/08 ;:!;Pac:.. 
LD 1843 
LR 1044(02) 
An Act To Improve the Quality of Health Care in Maine 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment "A" 
Committee: Health and Human Services 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
Minor cost increase - Other Special Revenue Funds 
Any additional costs to the Maine Health Data Organization can be absorbed by the organization utilizing existing 
budgeted resources. 
LRI044(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1