Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §1718, as corrected by RR 2003, c. 1, §16, is amended by adding at the end a new paragraph to read:

The department shall adopt rules to standardize the reporting of information on the pricing of the most common inpatient and emergency services and outpatient procedures under this section.__ The information must be reported in a manner that uses standardized formats for listing services and procedures and prices charged, fosters understanding by the consumer and enables comparison of prices among hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers.__Rules adopted pursuant to this section are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2- A.

Sec. 2. 22 MRSA §8754, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 2001, c. 678, §1 and affected by §3, is repealed.

SUMMARY

This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services to adopt rules to standardize the reporting of pricing information on the most common inpatient and emergency services and outpatient procedures by hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers. It also repeals the confidentiality provision in the laws covering mandatory reporting of sentinel events.