CT SB00289

Hospitals must notify patients of cost and quality information rights when scheduling nonemergency care included in the state health information exchange report, with notification occurring 180 days after the report is publicly available rather than January 1, 2017.

Hospitals must provide written notice within three business days that includes uninsured patient charges, Medicare reimbursement amounts, out-of-pocket cost information for insured patients, and quality ratings from The Joint Commission and Medicare Hospital Compare.

Health carriers with 40,000 or more covered lives in Connecticut must maintain websites and toll-free numbers enabling consumers to request in-network and out-of-network cost information, quality data, and provider availability by January 1, 2017.

The Lieutenant Governor shall designate a Health Information Technology Officer to coordinate all state health information technology initiatives and replace the Commissioner of Social Services as the lead official for developing health information exchange standards and overseeing the State-wide Health Information Exchange.

The State Health Information Technology Advisory Council membership is expanded to include the Health Information Technology Officer and additional representatives from medical societies, hospital systems, consumer advocates, and health care analytics experts to advise on health information technology goals.