(a) A health care service plan contract that is issued, renewed, or amended on or after July 1, 2017, shall provide information to an enrollee regarding the standards for timely access to care adopted pursuant to Section 1367.03 and the information required by this section, including information related to receipt of interpreter services in a timely manner, no less than annually.
(b) A health care service plan at a minimum shall provide information regarding appointment wait times for urgent care, nonurgent primary care, nonurgent specialty care, and telephone screening established pursuant to Section 1367.03 to enrollees and contracting providers. The information shall also include notice of the availability of interpreter services at the time of the appointment pursuant to Section 1367.04. A health care service plan may indicate that exceptions to appointment wait times may apply if the department has found exceptions to be permissible.
(c) The information required to be provided pursuant to this section shall be provided to an enrollee with individual coverage upon initial enrollment and annually thereafter upon renewal, and to enrollees and subscribers with group coverage upon initial enrollment and annually thereafter upon renewal. A health care service plan may include this information with other materials sent to the enrollee. The information shall also be provided in the following manner:
(1) In a separate section of the evidence of coverage titled “Timely Access to Care.”
(2) At least annually, in or with newsletters, outreach, or other materials that are routinely disseminated to the plan’s enrollees.
(3) Commencing January 1, 2018, in a separate section of the provider directory published and maintained by the health care service plan pursuant to Section 1367.27. The separate section shall be titled “Timely Access to Care.”
(4) On the Internet Web site published and maintained by the health care service plan, in a manner that allows enrollees and prospective enrollees to easily locate the information.
(d) (1) A health care service plan shall provide the information required by this section to contracting providers on no less than an annual basis.
(2) A health care service plan shall also inform a contracting provider of all of the following:
(A) Information about a health care service plan’s obligation under California law to provide or arrange for timely access to care.
(B) How a contracting provider or enrollee can contact the health care service plan to obtain assistance if a patient is unable to obtain a timely referral to an appropriate provider.
(C) The toll-free telephone number for the Department of Managed Health Care where providers and enrollees can file a complaint if they are unable to obtain a timely referral to an appropriate provider.
(3) A health care service plan may comply with this subdivision by including the information with an existing communication with a contracting provider.
(e) This section shall apply to Medi-Cal managed care plan contracts entered into with the State Department of Health Care Services pursuant to Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 14000) or Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 14200) of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.
(Added by Stats. 2016, Ch. 500, Sec. 1. (SB 1135) Effective January 1, 2017.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018