ASSEMBLY, No. 2703

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 3, 1997

 

 

By Assemblyman BARNES and Assemblywoman BUONO

 

 

An Act concerning billing practices of acute care hospitals and supplementing P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.).

 

    Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

    1. A patient at an acute care hospital licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.) is entitled to receive an itemized copy of the bill which details the services provided to the patient in plain language, in accordance with standards adopted by the Commissioner of Health. If the acute care hospital has forwarded the original bill to a designated third party payer, the copy of the bill provided to the patient shall include a statement in bold print at the top which notifies the patient that it is a copy of the bill for the patient's records, and that a bill has been forwarded to the third party payer designated by the patient. At the time a patient is admitted to an acute care hospital, the acute care hospital shall provide a form to the patient on which the patient may indicate that he wishes to receive a copy of the bill for services provided to him at the acute care hospital, notwithstanding any designation of a third party payer.

 

    2. The Commissioner of Health, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), shall adopt rules and regulations to effectuate the purposes of this act.

 

    3. This act shall take effect 90 days following the date of enactment.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

    The bill requires an acute care hospital to furnish each patient, upon request, with an itemized copy of the bill which details the services provided to the patient in plain language. When appropriate, the copy of the bill is to include a statement in bold print at the top which notifies the patient that it is a copy of the bill for the patient's records, and that a bill has been forwarded to the third party payer designated by the patient. The bill provides that the patient, at the time of admission, may indicate on a form that he wishes to receive a copy of the bill. This bill is intended to facilitate patients' efforts to communicate with their insurers regarding services received, as necessary.

 

 

                             

Requires acute care hospitals to provide patients with itemized bill.