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TITLE 28INSURANCE
PART 1TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF INSURANCE
CHAPTER 11HEALTH MAINTENANCE ORGANIZATIONS
SUBCHAPTER QOTHER REQUIREMENTS
RULE §11.1612Mandatory Disclosure Requirements

    (A) create separate headings under the facility name for radiologists, anesthesiologists, pathologists, emergency department physicians, neonatologists, and assistant surgeons;

    (B) under each heading described by subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, list each preferred facility-based physician practicing in the specialty corresponding with that heading;

    (C) for the facility and each facility-based physician described by subparagraph (B), clearly indicate each health benefit plan issued by the HMO that may provide coverage for the services provided by that facility, physician, or facility-based physician group;

    (D) for each facility-based physician described by subparagraph (B) of this paragraph, include the name, street address, telephone number, and any physician group in which the facility-based physician practices; and

    (E) include the facility in a listing of all facilities and indicate:

      (i) the name of the facility;

      (ii) the municipality in which the facility is located or county in which the facility is located if the facility is in the unincorporated area of the county; and

      (iii) each health benefit plan issued by the HMO that may provide coverage for the services provided by the facility; and

  (11) the listing must list each facility-based physician individually and, if a physician belongs to a physician group, also as part of the physician group.

(i) Annual enrollee notice concerning use of an access plan. An HMO operating a plan that relies on an access plan as specified in §11.1600 of this title (relating to Information to Prospective and Current Contract Holders and Enrollees) and §11.1607 of this title must provide notice of this fact to each enrollee participating in the plan at issuance and at least 30 days before renewal. The notice must include:

  (1) a link to any webpage listing of regions, counties, or ZIP codes made available under subsection (e)(2) of this section; and

  (2) information on how to obtain or view any access plan or plans the HMO uses.

(j) Disclosure of substantial decrease in the availability of certain contracted physicians. An HMO is required to provide notice as specified in this subsection of a substantial decrease in the availability of contracted facility-based physicians at a contracted facility.

  (1) A decrease is substantial if:

    (A) the contract between the HMO and any facility-based physician group that comprises 75% or more of the contracted physicians for that specialty at the facility terminates; or

    (B) the contract between the facility and any facility-based physician group that comprises 75% or more of the contracted physicians for that specialty at the facility terminates, and the HMO receives notice as required under §11.901 of this title (relating to Required and Prohibited Provisions).

  (2) Despite paragraph (1) of this subsection, no notice of a substantial decrease is required if:

    (A) alternative contracted physicians or providers of the same specialty as the physician group that terminates a contract as specified in paragraph (1) of this subsection are made available to enrollees at the facility so the percentage level of contracted physicians of that specialty at the facility is returned to a level equal to or greater than the percentage level that was available before the substantial decrease; or

    (B) the HMO certifies to the department, by email to mcqa@tdi.texas.gov, that the HMO's determination that the termination of the physician contract has not caused the contracted physician service delivery network for any plan supported by the network to be noncompliant with the adequacy standards specified in §11.1607 of this title, as those standards apply to the applicable physician specialty.

  (3) An HMO must prominently post notice of any contract termination specified in paragraph (1)(A) or (B) of this subsection and the resulting decrease in availability of contracted physicians on the portion of the HMO's website where its physician and provider listing is available to enrollees.

  (4) Notice of any contract termination specified in paragraph (1)(A) or (B) of this subsection and of the decrease in availability of physicians must be maintained on the HMO's website until the earlier of:

    (A) the date on which adequate contracted physicians of the same specialty become available to enrollees at the facility at the percentage level specified in paragraph (2)(A) of this subsection;

    (B) six months from the date that the HMO initially posts the notice; or

    (C) the date on which the HMO provides to the department, by email to mcqa@tdi.texas.gov, the certification specified in paragraph (2)(B) of this subsection.

  (5) An HMO must post notice as specified in paragraph (3) of this subsection and update its web-based contracted physician and provider listing as soon as practicable and in no case later than two business days after:

    (A) the effective date of the contract termination as specified in paragraph (1)(A) of this subsection; or

    (B) the later of:

      (i) the date on which an HMO receives notice of a contract termination as specified in paragraph (1)(B) of this subsection; or

      (ii) the effective date of the contract termination as specified in paragraph (1)(B) of this subsection.


Source Note: The provisions of this §11.1612 adopted to be effective August 1, 2017, 42 TexReg 2169; amended to be effective March 30, 2021, 46 TexReg 2036

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