Existing federal regulations require a hospital to publish: (1) a list of standard charges for all items and services provided by the hospital; and (2) a consumer-friendly list of standard charges for a limited set of shoppable services, which are services provided by a hospital that can be scheduled by a consumer in advance. (45 C.F.R. §§ 180.20, 180.40-180.60) Sections 13-15 of this bill codify similar requirements into Nevada law. Specifically, section 13 requires a hospital to compile, publish and update annually a list of standard charges for all items and services provided by the hospital. Section 14 requires a hospital to maintain an online price-estimator tool or compile, publish and update annually: (1) a list of shoppable services provided by the hospital; and (2) a list of the shoppable services that appear on a list of certain shoppable services specified by the Federal Government and that the hospital does not provide. Section 15 requires a hospital to publish the most current version of each list required by sections 13 and 14 on the most prominent publicly available Internet website maintained by the hospital. Section 15 prescribes certain requirements governing the manner in which those lists must be published. Section 16 of this bill requires a hospital to annually report to the Department of Health and Human Services concerning facility fees for outpatient services provided in off-campus facilities. Section 16 requires the Department to publish those reports on a publicly available Internet website. Section 17 of this bill prohibits a hospital from taking certain actions to collect a medical debt for goods or services provided to a patient while the hospital is not in compliance with the requirements of sections 13-15 or the corresponding federal requirements. Section 17 provides that such prohibited actions, when taken knowingly, constitute deceptive trade practices, thereby subjecting a hospital that commits such a violation to the civil and criminal penalties that may be imposed for deceptive trade practices generally. (Chapter 598 of NRS) Section 17 also authorizes a medical debtor who is aggrieved by such a prohibited action to file a claim with the Bureau of Consumer Protection in the Office of the Attorney General. Section 24.5 of this bill requires the Governor's Consumer Health Advocate to assist patients with the filing of such claims. If the Bureau determines that a hospital has taken an action prohibited by section 17 to collect a medical debt, section 17 requires the hospital to cancel the debt and refund any portion of the debt that has been paid. Sections 18-21 of this bill provide for the administrative enforcement of sections 2-21. Specifically, section 18: (1) authorizes any person or entity to file a complaint against a hospital that fails to comply with sections 2-21; and (2) requires the Department to monitor the compliance of hospitals with sections 2-21. Section 19 prescribes a procedure for the correction of a violation of sections 2-21, and section 20 requires the Department to impose administrative penalties against a hospital that commits such a violation. Section 21 provides for the publication of certain documents relating to violations of sections 2-21. Sections 21 and 25 of this bill provide that a complaint alleging such a violation and certain initial investigatory documents are confidential. Section 22 of this bill requires certain health care entities, before taking any action to collect a medical debt, to provide: (1) the patient with an itemized statement of the medical debt and certain other information; and (2) the medical debtor with a receipt for each payment made on the debt. Section 22 authorizes a patient or medical debtor who is aggrieved by a violation of those requirements to file a claim with the Bureau of Consumer Protection in the Office of the Attorney General. Section 24.5 requires the Governor's Consumer Health Advocate to assist patients with the filing of such claims. If the Bureau determines that a health care entity has taken an action to collect a medical debt where prohibited by section 22, section 22 requires the health care entity to cancel the debt and refund any portion of the debt that has been paid. Section 22 also provides that attempting to collect a debt under such prohibited circumstances constitutes a deceptive trade practice. Sections 3-12 of this bill define certain terms, and section 2 of this bill establishes the applicability of those definitions. Sections 23 and 27 of this bill make conforming changes to clarify the applicability of an existing definition.

Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 439B.320, 449.160, 239.010, 439B.140
Reprint 1: 439B.320, 232.459, 239.010, 439B.140
Reprint 2: 439B.320, 232.459, 239.010, 439B.140
As Enrolled: 439B.320, 232.459, 239.010, 439B.140
BDR: 439B.320, 449.160, 239.010, 439B.140