Chapter 3963 | Health Care Contracts

Section 3963.01 | Health care contracts definitions.

• Effective: April 5, 2019
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 265 (GA 132), House Bill 156 (GA 132)

As used in this chapter:

(A) "Affiliate" means any person or entity that has ownership or control of a contracting entity, is owned or controlled by a contracting entity, or is under common ownership or control with a contracting entity.

(B) "Basic health care services" has the same meaning as in division (A) of section 1751.01 of the Revised Code, except that it does not include any services listed in that division that are provided by a pharmacist or nursing home.

(C) "Covered vision services" means vision care services or vision care materials for which a reimbursement is available under an enrollee's health care contract, or for which a reimbursement would be available but for the application of contractual limitations such as a deductible, copayment, coinsurance, waiting period, annual or lifetime maximum, frequency limitation, alternative benefit payment, or any other limitation.

(D) "Contracting entity" means any person that has a primary business purpose of contracting with participating providers for the delivery of health care services.

(E) "Credentialing" means the process of assessing and validating the qualifications of a provider applying to be approved by a contracting entity to provide basic health care services, specialty health care services, or supplemental health care services to enrollees.

(F) "Edit" means adjusting one or more procedure codes billed by a participating provider on a claim for payment or a practice that results in any of the following:

(1) Payment for some, but not all of the procedure codes originally billed by a participating provider;

(2) Payment for a different procedure code than the procedure code originally billed by a participating provider;

(3) A reduced payment as a result of services provided to an enrollee that are claimed under more than one procedure code on the same service date.

(G) "Electronic claims transport" means to accept and digitize claims or to accept claims already digitized, to place those claims into a format that complies with the electronic transaction standards issued by the United States department of health and human services pursuant to the "Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996," 110 Stat. 1955, 42 U.S.C. 1320d, et seq., as those electronic standards are applicable to the parties and as those electronic standards are updated from time to time, and to electronically transmit those claims to the appropriate contracting entity, payer, or third-party administrator.

(H) "Enrollee" means any person eligible for health care benefits under a health benefit plan, including an eligible recipient of medicaid, and includes all of the following terms:

(1) "Enrollee" and "subscriber" as defined by section 1751.01 of the Revised Code;

(2) "Member" as defined by section 1739.01 of the Revised Code;

(3) "Insured" and "plan member" pursuant to Chapter 3923. of the Revised Code;

(4) "Beneficiary" as defined by section 3901.38 of the Revised Code.

(I) "Health care contract" means a contract entered into, materially amended, or renewed between a contracting entity and a participating provider for the delivery of basic health care services, specialty health care services, or supplemental health care services to enrollees.

(J) "Health care services" means basic health care services, specialty health care services, and supplemental health care services.

(K) "Material amendment" means an amendment to a health care contract that decreases the participating provider's payment or compensation, changes the administrative procedures in a way that may reasonably be expected to significantly increase the provider's administrative expenses, or adds a new product. A material amendment does not include any of the following:

(1) A decrease in payment or compensation resulting solely from a change in a published fee schedule upon which the payment or compensation is based and the date of applicability is clearly identified in the contract;

(2) A decrease in payment or compensation that was anticipated under the terms of the contract, if the amount and date of applicability of the decrease is clearly identified in the contract;

(3) An administrative change that may significantly increase the provider's administrative expense, the specific applicability of which is clearly identified in the contract;

(4) Changes to an existing prior authorization, precertification, notification, or referral program that do not substantially increase the provider's administrative expense;

(5) Changes to an edit program or to specific edits if the participating provider is provided notice of the changes pursuant to division (A)(1) of section 3963.04 of the Revised Code and the notice includes information sufficient for the provider to determine the effect of the change;

(6) Changes to a health care contract described in division (B) of section 3963.04 of the Revised Code.

(L) "Participating provider" means a provider that has a health care contract with a contracting entity and is entitled to reimbursement for health care services rendered to an enrollee under the health care contract.

(M) "Payer" means any person that assumes the financial risk for the payment of claims under a health care contract or the reimbursement for health care services provided to enrollees by participating providers pursuant to a health care contract.

(N) "Primary enrollee" means a person who is responsible for making payments for participation in a health care plan or an enrollee whose employment or other status is the basis of eligibility for enrollment in a health care plan.

(O) "Procedure codes" includes the American medical association's current procedural terminology code, the American dental association's current dental terminology, and the centers for medicare and medicaid services health care common procedure coding system.

(P) "Product" means one of the following types of categories of coverage for which a participating provider may be obligated to provide health care services pursuant to a health care contract:

(1) A health maintenance organization or other product provided by a health insuring corporation;

(2) A preferred provider organization;

(3) Medicare;

(4) Medicaid;

(5) Workers' compensation.

(Q) "Provider" means a physician, podiatrist, pharmacist, dentist, chiropractor, optometrist, psychologist, physician assistant, advanced practice registered nurse, occupational therapist, massage therapist, physical therapist, licensed professional counselor, licensed professional clinical counselor, hearing aid dealer, orthotist, prosthetist, home health agency, hospice care program, pediatric respite care program, or hospital, or a provider organization or physician-hospital organization that is acting exclusively as an administrator on behalf of a provider to facilitate the provider's participation in health care contracts.

"Provider" does not mean either of the following:

(1) A nursing home;

(2) A provider organization or physician-hospital organization that leases the provider organization's or physician-hospital organization's network to a third party or contracts directly with employers or health and welfare funds.

(R) "Specialty health care services" has the same meaning as in section 1751.01 of the Revised Code, except that it does not include any services listed in division (B) of section 1751.01 of the Revised Code that are provided by a pharmacist or a nursing home.

(S) "Supplemental health care services" has the same meaning as in division (B) of section 1751.01 of the Revised Code, except that it does not include any services listed in that division that are provided by a pharmacist or nursing home.

(T) "Vision care materials" includes lenses, devices containing lenses, prisms, lens treatments and coatings, contact lenses, orthopics, vision training, and any prosthetic device necessary to correct, relieve, or treat any defect or abnormal condition of the human eye or its adnexa.

(U) "Vision care provider" means either of the following:

(1) An optometrist licensed under Chapter 4725. of the Revised Code;

(2) A physician authorized under Chapter 4731. of the Revised Code to practice medicine and surgery or osteopathic medicine and surgery.

The Legislative Service Commission presents the text of this section as a composite of the section as amended by multiple acts of the General Assembly. This presentation recognizes the principle stated in R.C. 1.52(B) that amendments are to be harmonized if reasonably capable of simultaneous operation.

Last updated February 23, 2022 at 3:21 PM

Section 3963.02 | Assignment of right under health care contracts.

• Effective: March 20, 2019
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 156, Senate Bill 273 - 132nd General Assembly

(A)(1) No contracting entity shall sell, rent, or give a third party the contracting entity's rights to a participating provider's services pursuant to the contracting entity's health care contract with the participating provider unless one of the following applies:

(a) The third party accessing the participating provider's services under the health care contract is an employer or other entity providing coverage for health care services to its employees or members, and that employer or entity has a contract with the contracting entity or its affiliate for the administration or processing of claims for payment for services provided pursuant to the health care contract with the participating provider.

(b) The third party accessing the participating provider's services under the health care contract either is an affiliate or subsidiary of the contracting entity or is providing administrative services to, or receiving administrative services from, the contracting entity or an affiliate or subsidiary of the contracting entity.

(c) The health care contract specifically provides that it applies to network rental arrangements and states that one purpose of the contract is selling, renting, or giving the contracting entity's rights to the services of the participating provider, including other preferred provider organizations, and the third party accessing the participating provider's services is any of the following:

(i) A payer or a third-party administrator or other entity responsible for administering claims on behalf of the payer;

(ii) A preferred provider organization or preferred provider network that receives access to the participating provider's services pursuant to an arrangement with the preferred provider organization or preferred provider network in a contract with the participating provider that is in compliance with division (A)(1)(c) of this section, and is required to comply with all of the terms, conditions, and affirmative obligations to which the originally contracted primary participating provider network is bound under its contract with the participating provider, including, but not limited to, obligations concerning patient steerage and the timeliness and manner of reimbursement.

(iii) An entity that is engaged in the business of providing electronic claims transport between the contracting entity and the payer or third-party administrator and complies with all of the applicable terms, conditions, and affirmative obligations of the contracting entity's contract with the participating provider including, but not limited to, obligations concerning patient steerage and the timeliness and manner of reimbursement.

(2) The contracting entity that sells, rents, or gives the contracting entity's rights to the participating provider's services pursuant to the contracting entity's health care contract with the participating provider as provided in division (A)(1) of this section shall do both of the following:

(a) Maintain a web page that contains a listing of third parties described in divisions (A)(1)(b) and (c) of this section with whom a contracting entity contracts for the purpose of selling, renting, or giving the contracting entity's rights to the services of participating providers that is updated at least every six months and is accessible to all participating providers, or maintain a toll-free telephone number accessible to all participating providers by means of which participating providers may access the same listing of third parties;

(b) Require that the third party accessing the participating provider's services through the participating provider's health care contract is obligated to comply with all of the applicable terms and conditions of the contract, including, but not limited to, the products for which the participating provider has agreed to provide services, except that a payer receiving administrative services from the contracting entity or its affiliate shall be solely responsible for payment to the participating provider.

(3) Any information disclosed to a participating provider under this section shall be considered proprietary and shall not be distributed by the participating provider.

(4) Except as provided in division (A)(1) of this section, no entity shall sell, rent, or give a contracting entity's rights to the participating provider's services pursuant to a health care contract.

(B)(1) No contracting entity shall require, as a condition of contracting with the contracting entity, that a participating provider provide services for all of the products offered by the contracting entity.

(2) Division (B)(1) of this section shall not be construed to do any of the following:

(a) Prohibit any participating provider from voluntarily accepting an offer by a contracting entity to provide health care services under all of the contracting entity's products;

(b) Prohibit any contracting entity from offering any financial incentive or other form of consideration specified in the health care contract for a participating provider to provide health care services under all of the contracting entity's products;

(c) Require any contracting entity to contract with a participating provider to provide health care services for less than all of the contracting entity's products if the contracting entity does not wish to do so.

(3)(a) Notwithstanding division (B)(2) of this section, no contracting entity shall require, as a condition of contracting with the contracting entity, that the participating provider accept any future product offering that the contracting entity makes.

(b) If a participating provider refuses to accept any future product offering that the contracting entity makes, the contracting entity may terminate the health care contract based on the participating provider's refusal upon written notice to the participating provider no sooner than one hundred eighty days after the refusal.

(4) Once the contracting entity and the participating provider have signed the health care contract, it is presumed that the financial incentive or other form of consideration that is specified in the health care contract pursuant to division (B)(2)(b) of this section is the financial incentive or other form of consideration that was offered by the contracting entity to induce the participating provider to enter into the contract.

(C) No contracting entity shall require, as a condition of contracting with the contracting entity, that a participating provider waive or forgo any right or benefit expressly conferred upon a participating provider by state or federal law. However, this division does not prohibit a contracting entity from restricting a participating provider's scope of practice for the services to be provided under the contract.

(D) No health care contract shall do any of the following:

(1) Prohibit any participating provider from entering into a health care contract with any other contracting entity;

(2) Prohibit any contracting entity from entering into a health care contract with any other provider;

(3) Preclude its use or disclosure for the purpose of enforcing this chapter or other state or federal law, except that a health care contract may require that appropriate measures be taken to preserve the confidentiality of any proprietary or trade-secret information.

(E)(1) No contract or agreement between a contracting entity and a vision care provider shall do any of the following:

(a) Require that a vision care provider accept as payment an amount set by the contracting entity for vision care services or vision care materials provided to an enrollee unless the services or materials are covered vision services.

(i) Notwithstanding division (E)(1)(a) of this section, a vision care provider may, in a contract with a contracting entity, choose to accept as payment an amount set by the contracting entity for vision care services or vision care materials provided to an enrollee that are not covered vision services.

(ii) No contract between a vision care provider and a contracting entity to provide covered vision services or vision care materials shall be contingent on whether the vision care provider has entered into an agreement addressing noncovered vision services pursuant to division (E)(1)(a)(i) of this section.

(iii) A contracting entity may communicate to its enrollees which vision care providers choose to accept as payment an amount set by the contracting entity for vision care services or vision care materials provided to an enrollee that are not covered vision services pursuant to division (E)(1)(a)(i) of this section. Any communication to this effect shall treat all vision care providers equally in provider directories, provider locators, and other marketing materials as participating, in-network providers, annotated only as to their decision to accept payment pursuant to division (E)(1)(a)(i) of this section.

(b) Require that a vision care provider contract with a plan offering supplemental or specialty health care services as a condition of contracting with a plan offering basic health care services;

(c) Directly limit a vision care provider's choice of sources and suppliers of vision care materials;

(d) Include a provision that prohibits a vision care provider from describing out-of-network options to an enrollee in accordance with division (E)(2) of this section.

The provisions of divisions (E)(1)(a) to (d) of this section shall be effective for contracts entered into, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2019.

(2) A vision care provider recommending an out-of-network source or supplier of vision care materials to an enrollee shall notify the enrollee in writing that the source or supplier is out-of-network and shall inform the enrollee of the cost of those materials. The vision care provider shall also disclose in writing to an enrollee any business interest the provider has in a recommended out-of-network source or supplier utilized by the enrollee.

(3) A vision care provider who chooses not to accept as payment an amount set by a contracting entity for vision care services or vision care materials that are not covered vision services shall do both of the following:

(a) Upon the request of an enrollee seeking vision care services or vision care materials that are not covered vision services, provide to the enrollee pricing and reimbursement information, including all of the following:

(i) The estimated fee or discounted price suggested by the contracting entity for the noncovered service or material;

(ii) The estimated fee charged by the vision care provider for the noncovered service or material;

(iii) The amount the vision care provider expects to be reimbursed by the contracting entity for the noncovered service or material;

(iv) The estimated pricing and reimbursement information for any covered services or materials that are also expected to be provided during the enrollee's visit.

(b) Post, in a conspicuous place, a notice stating the following:

"IMPORTANT: This vision care provider does not accept the fee schedule set by your insurer for vision care services and vision care materials that are not covered benefits under your plan and instead charges his or her normal fee for those services and materials. This vision care provider will provide you with an estimated cost for each non-covered service or material upon your request."

(4) Nothing in division (E) of this section shall do any of the following:

(a) Restrict or limit a contracting entity's determination of specific amounts of coverage or reimbursement for the use of network or out-of-network sources or suppliers of vision care materials as set forth in an enrollee's benefit plan;

(b) Restrict or limit a contracting entity's ability to enter into an agreement with another contracting entity or an affiliate of another contracting entity;

(c) Restrict or limit a health care plan's ability to enter into an agreement with a vision care plan to deliver routine vision care services that are covered under an enrollee's plan;

(d) Restrict or limit a vision care plan network from acting as a network for a health care plan;

(e) Prohibit a contracting entity from requiring participating vision care providers to offer network sources or suppliers of vision care materials to enrollees;

(f) Prohibit an enrollee from utilizing a network source or supplier of vision care materials as set forth in an enrollee's plan;

(g) Prohibit a participating vision care provider from accepting as payment an amount that is the same as the amount set by the contracting entity for vision care services or vision care materials that are not covered vision services.

(F)(1) In addition to any other lawful reasons for terminating a health care contract, a health care contract may only be terminated under the circumstances described in division (A)(3) of section 3963.04 of the Revised Code.

(2) If the health care contract provides for termination for cause by either party, the health care contract shall state the reasons that may be used for termination for cause, which terms shall be reasonable. Once the contracting entity and the participating provider have signed the health care contract, it is presumed that the reasons stated in the health care contract for termination for cause by either party are reasonable. Subject to division (F)(3) of this section, the health care contract shall state the time by which the parties must provide notice of termination for cause and to whom the parties shall give the notice.

(3) Nothing in divisions (F)(1) and (2) of this section shall be construed as prohibiting any health insuring corporation from terminating a participating provider's contract for any of the causes described in divisions (A), (D), and (F)(1) and (2) of section 1753.09 of the Revised Code. Notwithstanding any provision in a health care contract pursuant to division (F)(2) of this section, section 1753.09 of the Revised Code applies to the termination of a participating provider's contract for any of the causes described in divisions (A), (D), and (F)(1) and (2) of section 1753.09 of the Revised Code.

(4) Subject to sections 3963.01 to 3963.11 of the Revised Code, nothing in this section prohibits the termination of a health care contract without cause if the health care contract otherwise provides for termination without cause.

(5) Nothing in division (F) of this section shall be construed to expand the regulatory authority of the superintendent to vision care providers.

(G)(1) Disputes among parties to a health care contract that only concern the enforcement of the contract rights conferred by section 3963.02, divisions (A) and (D) of section 3963.03, and section 3963.04 of the Revised Code are subject to a mutually agreed upon arbitration mechanism that is binding on all parties. The arbitrator may award reasonable attorney's fees and costs for arbitration relating to the enforcement of this section to the prevailing party.

(2) The arbitrator shall make the arbitrator's decision in an arbitration proceeding having due regard for any applicable rules, bulletins, rulings, or decisions issued by the department of insurance or any court concerning the enforcement of the contract rights conferred by section 3963.02, divisions (A) and (D) of section 3963.03, and section 3963.04 of the Revised Code.

(3) A party shall not simultaneously maintain an arbitration proceeding as described in division (G)(1) of this section and pursue a complaint with the superintendent of insurance to investigate the subject matter of the arbitration proceeding. However, if a complaint is filed with the department of insurance, the superintendent may choose to investigate the complaint or, after reviewing the complaint, advise the complainant to proceed with arbitration to resolve the complaint. The superintendent may request to receive a copy of the results of the arbitration. If the superintendent of insurance notifies an insurer or a health insuring corporation in writing that the superintendent has initiated a market conduct examination into the specific subject matter of the arbitration proceeding pending against that insurer or health insuring corporation, the arbitration proceeding shall be stayed at the request of the insurer or health insuring corporation pending the outcome of the market conduct investigation by the superintendent.

The Legislative Service Commission presents the text of this section as a composite of the section as amended by multiple acts of the General Assembly. This presentation recognizes the principle stated in R.C. 1.52(B) that amendments are to be harmonized if reasonably capable of simultaneous operation.

Section 3963.03 | Information required in contracts - disclosure form - proposed contracts.

• Effective: March 20, 2019
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 156 - 132nd General Assembly

(A) Each health care contract shall include all of the following information:

(1)(a) Information sufficient for the participating provider to determine the compensation or payment terms for health care services, including all of the following, subject to division (A)(1)(b) of this section:

(i) The manner of payment, such as fee-for-service, capitation, or risk;

(ii) The fee schedule of procedure codes reasonably expected to be billed by a participating provider's specialty for services provided pursuant to the health care contract and the associated payment or compensation for each procedure code. A fee schedule may be provided electronically. Upon request, a contracting entity shall provide a participating provider with the fee schedule for any other procedure codes requested and a written fee schedule, that shall not be required more frequently than twice per year excluding when it is provided in connection with any change to the schedule. This requirement may be satisfied by providing a clearly understandable, readily available mechanism, such as a specific web site address, that allows a participating provider to determine the effect of procedure codes on payment or compensation before a service is provided or a claim is submitted.

(iii) The effect, if any, on payment or compensation if more than one procedure code applies to the service also shall be stated. This requirement may be satisfied by providing a clearly understandable, readily available mechanism, such as a specific web site address, that allows a participating provider to determine the effect of procedure codes on payment or compensation before a service is provided or a claim is submitted.

(b) If the contracting entity is unable to include the information described in divisions (A)(1)(a)(ii) and (iii) of this section, the contracting entity shall include both of the following types of information instead:

(i) The methodology used to calculate any fee schedule, such as relative value unit system and conversion factor or percentage of billed charges. If applicable, the methodology disclosure shall include the name of any relative value unit system, its version, edition, or publication date, any applicable conversion or geographic factor, and any date by which compensation or fee schedules may be changed by the methodology as anticipated at the time of contract.

(ii) The identity of any internal processing edits, including the publisher, product name, version, and version update of any editing software.

(c) If the contracting entity is not the payer and is unable to include the information described in division (A)(1)(a) or (b) of this section, then the contracting entity shall provide by telephone a readily available mechanism, such as a specific web site address, that allows the participating provider to obtain that information from the payer.

(2) Any product or network for which the participating provider is to provide services;

(3) The term of the health care contract;

(4) A specific web site address that contains the identity of the contracting entity or payer responsible for the processing of the participating provider's compensation or payment;

(5) Any internal mechanism provided by the contracting entity to resolve disputes concerning the interpretation or application of the terms and conditions of the contract. A contracting entity may satisfy this requirement by providing a clearly understandable, readily available mechanism, such as a specific web site address or an appendix, that allows a participating provider to determine the procedures for the internal mechanism to resolve those disputes.

(6) A list of addenda, if any, to the contract.

(B)(1) Each contracting entity shall include a summary disclosure form with a health care contract that includes all of the information specified in division (A) of this section. The information in the summary disclosure form shall refer to the location in the health care contract, whether a page number, section of the contract, appendix, or other identifiable location, that specifies the provisions in the contract to which the information in the form refers.

(2) The summary disclosure form shall include all of the following statements:

(a) That the form is a guide to the health care contract and that the terms and conditions of the health care contract constitute the contract rights of the parties;

(b) That reading the form is not a substitute for reading the entire health care contract;

(c) That by signing the health care contract, the participating provider will be bound by the contract's terms and conditions;

(d) That the terms and conditions of the health care contract may be amended pursuant to section 3963.04 of the Revised Code and the participating provider is encouraged to carefully read any proposed amendments sent after execution of the contract;

(e) That nothing in the summary disclosure form creates any additional rights or causes of action in favor of either party.

(3) No contracting entity that includes any information in the summary disclosure form with the reasonable belief that the information is truthful or accurate shall be subject to a civil action for damages or to binding arbitration based on the summary disclosure form. Division (B)(3) of this section does not impair or affect any power of the department of insurance to enforce any applicable law.

(4) The summary disclosure form described in divisions (B)(1) and (2) of this section shall be in substantially the following form:

"SUMMARY DISCLOSURE FORM

(1) Compensation terms

(a) Manner of payment

[ ] Fee for service

[ ] Capitation

[ ] Risk

[ ] Other _______________ See _______________

(b) Fee schedule available at _______________

(c) Fee calculation schedule available at _______________

(d) Identity of internal processing edits available at _______________

(e) Information in (c) and (d) is not required if information in (b) is provided.

(2) List of products or networks covered by this contract

[ ] _______________

[ ] _______________

[ ] _______________

[ ] _______________

[ ] _______________

(3) Term of this contract _______________

(4) Contracting entity or payer responsible for processing payment available at _______________

(5) Internal mechanism for resolving disputes regarding contract terms available at _______________

(6) Addenda to contract

Title Subject

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

(7) Telephone number to access a readily available mechanism, such as a specific web site address, to allow a participating provider to receive the information in (1) through (6) from the payer.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY

The information provided in this Summary Disclosure Form is a guide to the attached Health Care Contract as defined in section 3963.01(I) of the Ohio Revised Code. The terms and conditions of the attached Health Care Contract constitute the contract rights of the parties.

Reading this Summary Disclosure Form is not a substitute for reading the entire Health Care Contract. When you sign the Health Care Contract, you will be bound by its terms and conditions. These terms and conditions may be amended over time pursuant to section 3963.04 of the Ohio Revised Code. You are encouraged to read any proposed amendments that are sent to you after execution of the Health Care Contract.

Nothing in this Summary Disclosure Form creates any additional rights or causes of action in favor of either party."

(C) When a contracting entity presents a proposed health care contract for consideration by a provider, the contracting entity shall provide in writing or make reasonably available the information required in division (A)(1) of this section.

(D) The contracting entity shall identify any utilization management, quality improvement, or a similar program that the contracting entity uses to review, monitor, evaluate, or assess the services provided pursuant to a health care contract. The contracting entity shall disclose the policies, procedures, or guidelines of such a program applicable to a participating provider upon request by the participating provider within fourteen days after the date of the request.

(E) Nothing in this section shall be construed as preventing or affecting the application of section 1753.07 of the Revised Code that would otherwise apply to a contract with a participating provider.

(F) The requirements of division (C) of this section do not prohibit a contracting entity from requiring a reasonable confidentiality agreement between the provider and the contracting entity regarding the terms of the proposed health care contract. If either party violates the confidentiality agreement, a party to the confidentiality agreement may bring a civil action to enjoin the other party from continuing any act that is in violation of the confidentiality agreement, to recover damages, to terminate the contract, or to obtain any combination of relief.

Section 3963.04 | Material amendment to contract.

• Effective: September 29, 2013
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 59 - 130th General Assembly

(A)(1) If an amendment to a health care contract is not a material amendment, the contracting entity shall provide the participating provider notice of the amendment at least fifteen days prior to the effective date of the amendment. The contracting entity shall provide all other notices to the participating provider pursuant to the health care contract.

(2) A material amendment to a health care contract shall occur only if the contracting entity provides to the participating provider the material amendment in writing and notice of the material amendment not later than ninety days prior to the effective date of the material amendment. The notice shall be conspicuously entitled "Notice of Material Amendment to Contract."

(3) If within fifteen days after receiving the material amendment and notice described in division (A)(2) of this section, the participating provider objects in writing to the material amendment, and there is no resolution of the objection, either party may terminate the health care contract upon written notice of termination provided to the other party not later than sixty days prior to the effective date of the material amendment.

(4) If the participating provider does not object to the material amendment in the manner described in division (A)(3) of this section, the material amendment shall be effective as specified in the notice described in division (A)(2) of this section.

(B)(1) Division (A) of this section does not apply if the delay caused by compliance with that division could result in imminent harm to an enrollee, if the material amendment of a health care contract is required by state or federal law, rule, or regulation, or if the provider affirmatively accepts the material amendment in writing and agrees to an earlier effective date than otherwise required by division (A)(2) of this section.

(2) This section does not apply under any of the following circumstances:

(a) The participating provider's payment or compensation is based on the current medicaid or medicare physician fee schedule, and the change in payment or compensation results solely from a change in that physician fee schedule.

(b) A routine change or update of the health care contract is made in response to any addition, deletion, or revision of any service code, procedure code, or reporting code, or a pricing change is made by any third party source.

For purposes of division (B)(2)(b) of this section:

(i) "Service code, procedure code, or reporting code" means the current procedural terminology (CPT), current dental terminology (CDT), the healthcare common procedure coding system (HCPCS), the international classification of diseases (ICD), or the drug topics redbook average wholesale price (AWP).

(ii) "Third party source" means the American medical association, American dental association, the centers for medicare and medicaid services, the national center for health statistics, the department of health and human services office of the inspector general, the Ohio department of insurance, or the Ohio department of medicaid.

(C) Notwithstanding divisions (A) and (B) of this section, a health care contract may be amended by operation of law as required by any applicable state or federal law, rule, or regulation. Nothing in this section shall be construed to require the renegotiation of a health care contract that is in existence before June 25, 2008, until the time that the contract is renewed or materially amended.

Section 3963.05 | Standard provider credentialing application - form.

• Effective: June 25, 2008
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 125 - 127th General Assembly

(A) The department of insurance shall prescribe the credentialing application form used by the council for affordable quality healthcare (CAQH) in electronic or paper format for physicians. The department of insurance also shall prepare the standard credentialing form for all other providers and shall make the standard credentialing form as simple, straightforward, and easy to use as possible, having due regard for those credentialing forms that are widely in use in the state by contracting entities and that best serve these goals.

(B) No contracting entity shall fail to use the applicable standard credentialing form described in division (A) of this section when initially credentialing or recredentialing providers in connection with policies, health care contracts, and agreements providing basic health care services, specialty health care services, or supplemental health care services.

(C) No contracting entity shall require a provider to provide any information in addition to the information required by the applicable standard credentialing form described in division (A) of this section in connection with policies, health care contracts, and agreements providing basic health care services, specialty health care services, or supplemental health care services.

(D) The credentialing process described in this section does not prohibit a contracting entity from limiting the scope of any participating provider's basic health care services, specialty health care services, or supplemental health care services.

(E) The requirement that the department of insurance prepare the standard credentialing form for all other providers does not include preparing the standard credentialing form for a hospital.

Section 3963.06 | Notice of incomplete form - inconsistencies - credentialing.

• Effective: September 23, 2008
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 125 - 127th General Assembly

(A) If a provider, upon the oral or written request of a contracting entity to submit a credentialing form, submits a credentialing form that is not complete, the contracting entity that receives the form shall notify the provider of the deficiency electronically, by facsimile, or by certified mail, return receipt requested, not later than twenty-one days after the contracting entity receives the form.

(B) If a contracting entity receives any information that is inconsistent with the information given by the provider in the credentialing form, the contracting entity may request the provider to submit a written clarification of the inconsistency. The contracting entity shall send the request described in this division electronically, by facsimile, or by certified mail, return receipt requested.

(C)(1) Except as otherwise provided in division (C)(2) of this section, the credentialing process under this section starts when a provider initially submits a credentialing form upon the oral or written request of a contracting entity, and the provider shall submit the credentialing form to the contracting entity electronically, by facsimile, or by certified mail, return receipt requested. Subject to division (C)(3) of this section, a contracting entity shall complete the credentialing process not later than ninety days after the contracting entity receives that credentialing form from the provider. The contracting entity shall allow the provider to submit a credentialing application prior to the provider's employment. A contracting entity that does not complete the credentialing process within the ninety-day period specified in this division is liable for either a civil penalty payable to the provider in the amount of five hundred dollars per day, including weekend days, starting at the expiration of that ninety-day period until the provider's credentialing application is granted or denied or retroactive reimbursement to the provider according to the terms of the contract for any basic health care services, specialty health care services, or supplemental health care services the provider provided to enrollees starting at the expiration of that ninety-day period until the provider's credentialing application is granted or denied. When the credentialing process of the contracting entity exceeds the ninety-day period, the contracting entity shall select the liability to which the contracting entity is subject and shall inform the provider of the contracting entity's selection.

(2) The credentialing process for a medicaid managed care plan starts when the provider submits a credentialing form and the provider's national provider number issued by the centers for medicare and medicaid services.

(3) The requirement that the credentialing process be completed within the ninety-day period specified in division (C)(1) of this section does not apply to a contracting entity if a provider that submits a credentialing form to the contracting entity under that division is a hospital.

(D) Any communication between the provider and the contracting entity shall be electronically, by facsimile, or by certified mail, return receipt requested.

(E) If the state medical board or its agent has primary source verified the medical education, graduate medical education, and examination history of the physician, or the status of the physician with the educational commission for foreign medical graduates, if applicable, the contracting entity may accept the documentation of primary source verification from the state medical board's web site or from its agent and is not required to perform primary source verification of the medical education, graduate medical education, and examination history of the physician or the status of the physician with the educational commission for foreign medical graduates, if applicable, as a condition for initially credentialing or recredentialing the physician.

Section 3963.07 | Contents of remittance notices.

• Effective: June 25, 2008
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 125 - 127th General Assembly

(A) All remittance notices sent by a payer, whether written or electronic, shall include both of the following:

(1) The name of the payer issuing the payment to the participating provider;

(2) The name of the contracting entity through which the payment rate and any discount are claimed, if the contracting entity is different from the payer.

(B) Division (A) of this section takes effect March 31, 2009.

Section 3963.08 | Adoption of implementing rules.

• Effective: June 25, 2008
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 125 - 127th General Assembly

The superintendent of insurance shall adopt any rules necessary for the implementation of this chapter.

Section 3963.09 | Unfair and deceptive practices - market conduct examination.

• Effective: June 25, 2008
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 125 - 127th General Assembly

(A) A series of violations of this chapter by any person regulated by the department of insurance under Title XVII or Title XXXIX of the Revised Code that, taken together, constitute a pattern or practice of violating this chapter may be defined as an unfair and deceptive insurance practice under sections 3901.19 to 3901.26 of the Revised Code.

(B) The superintendent of insurance may conduct a market conduct examination of any person regulated by the department of insurance under Title XVII or Title XXXIX of the Revised Code to determine whether any violation of this chapter has occurred. When conducting that type of examination, the superintendent of insurance may assess the costs of the examination against the person examined. The superintendent may enter into a consent agreement to impose any administrative assessment or fine for conduct discovered that may be a violation of this chapter. All costs, assessments, and fines collected under this section shall be deposited to the credit of the department of insurance operating fund.

Section 3963.10 | Application of chapter.

• Effective: June 25, 2008
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 125 - 127th General Assembly

This chapter does not apply with respect to any of the following:

(A) A contract or provider agreement between a provider and the state or federal government, a state agency, or federal agency for health care services provided through a program for medicaid or medicare;

(B) A contract for payments made to providers for rendering health care services to claimants pursuant to claims made under Chapter 4121., 4123., 4127., or 4131. of the Revised Code;

(C) An exclusive contract between a health insuring corporation and a single group of providers in a specific geographic area to provide or arrange for the provision of health care services.

Section 3963.11 | Prohibited conduct by contracting entities.

• Effective: September 29, 2011
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 153 - 129th General Assembly

(A) No contracting entity shall do any of the following:

(1) Offer to a provider a health care contract that includes a most favored nation clause;

(2) Enter into a health care contract with a provider that includes a most favored nation clause;

(3) Amend or renew an existing health care contract previously entered into with a provider so that the contract as amended or renewed adds or continues to include a most favored nation clause.

(B) As used in this section:

(1) "Contracting entity," "health care contract," "health care services," "participating provider," and "provider" have the same meanings as in section 3963.01 of the Revised Code.

(2) "Most favored nation clause" means a provision in a health care contract that does any of the following:

(a) Prohibits, or grants a contracting entity an option to prohibit, the participating provider from contracting with another contracting entity to provide health care services at a lower price than the payment specified in the contract;

(b) Requires, or grants a contracting entity an option to require, the participating provider to accept a lower payment in the event the participating provider agrees to provide health care services to any other contracting entity at a lower price;

(c) Requires, or grants a contracting entity an option to require, termination or renegotiation of the existing health care contract in the event the participating provider agrees to provide health care services to any other contracting entity at a lower price;

(d) Requires the participating provider to disclose the participating provider's contractual reimbursement rates with other contracting entities.