Bill Summary: HB 5487

• Hospitals and health systems must provide written notice to patients before services when a facility fee will be charged, including estimated costs, explanation that liability may be higher than at non-hospital facilities, and a phone number for additional information.

• All billing statements that include a facility fee must clearly identify it as separate from professional fees, provide Medicare reimbursement rates for comparison, and inform patients of their right to request a fee reduction without regard to qualification.

• Hospitals and health systems cannot collect facility fees for outpatient evaluation and management services provided at off-campus facilities, or for uninsured patients at more than the Medicare rate.

• When a hospital acquires an existing health care facility, it must notify all patients served in the prior three years within 30 days and cannot collect facility fees for 30 days after notice is provided or filed with the Office of Health Strategy, whichever is later.

• Hospitals must annually report facility fee data to the Office of Health Strategy beginning July 1, 2016, including patient visit numbers, fee amounts disaggregated by payer mix, revenue by procedure, and beginning July 1, 2022, data on patient requests for fee reductions.