| | | D.__"Health care practitioner" means a person licensed by | | this State to provide or otherwise lawfully providing | | health care or a partnership or corporation made up of | | those persons or an officer, employee, agent or contractor | | of that person acting in the course and scope of | | employment, agency or contract related to or supportive of | | the provision of health care to individuals. |
|
| | | E.__"Health care procedure" means the provision of health | | care including a diagnosis, test, procedure, treatment, | | operation or other health care service and the provision | | of pharmaceuticals and health care equipment required as | | part of a health care procedure provided to a patient by a | | health care practitioner or by a person or entity | | affiliated with or under a contractual agreement with the | | health care practitioner. |
|
| | | 2.__Disclosure to patient required.__Except as provided in | | subsection 6, prior to providing a health care procedure to a | | patient, a health care practitioner or facility must disclose | | in writing to the patient or to the authorized representative | | of the patient the price or prices to be charged for the | | health care procedure. |
|
| | | 3.__Billing for reimbursement prohibited.__Except as | | provided in subsection 6, a health care practitioner or | | facility who has not provided the disclosure required by | | subsection 2 for a particular health care procedure may not | | bill the patient, authorized representative of the patient, | | insurance carrier or other responsible 3rd party for the | | health care procedure. |
|
| | | 4.__Disclosure to public required.__A health care | | practitioner or facility must provide for the general public a | | list of health care procedures provided by the health care | | practitioner or facility and the price or prices charged for | | each procedure listed. |
|
| | | 5.__Disclosure to Maine Health Data Organization.__By March | | 31st of each year, a health care practitioner or facility | | shall disclose to the Maine Health Data Organization | | established under chapter 1683 the list of health care | | procedures and prices for which disclosure is required under | | subsection 4 and a list of discounts from those prices that | | were granted by the health care practitioner or facility in | | the prior calendar year. |
|
| | | 6.__Exceptions.__The provisions of subsections 2 and 3 do | | not apply in a health care emergency.__The Board of Licensure | | in Medicine and the Division of Licensure and Certification | | shall adopt rules defining the term "emergency" for the | | purposes of this section.__Rules adopted pursuant to this | | subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, | | chapter 375, subchapter 2-A. |
|
|