15459.1. As part of its assurance under Section 15459, the participating health institution shall agree to all of the following actions:
(a) To advise each person seeking services at the participating health institution’s facility as to the person’s potential eligibility for Medi-Cal and Medicare benefits or benefits from other governmental third-party payers.
(b) To make available to the authority and to any interested person a list of physicians with staff privileges at the participating health institution’s facility, which includes all of the following:
(1) Name.
(2) Specialty.
(3) Language spoken.
(4) Whether the physician takes Medi-Cal and Medicare patients.
(5) Business address and phone number.
(c) To inform in writing on a periodic basis all practitioners of the healing arts having staff privileges in the participating health institution’s facility as to the existence of the facility’s community service obligation. The required notice to practitioners shall contain a statement, as follows:
“This hospital has agreed to provide a community service and to accept Medi-Cal and Medicare patients. The administration and enforcement of this agreement is the responsibility of the California Health Facilities Financing Authority and this facility.”
(d) To post notices in the following form, which shall be multilingual where the participating health institution serves a multilingual community, in appropriate areas within the facility, including, but not limited to, admissions offices, emergency rooms, and business offices:
“This facility has agreed to make its services available to all persons residing or employed in this area. This facility is prohibited by law from discriminating against Medi-Cal and Medicare patients. Should you believe you may be eligible for Medi-Cal or Medicare, you should contact our business office (or designated person or office) for assistance in applying. You should also contact our business office (or designated person or office) if you are in need of a physician to provide you with services at this facility. If you believe that you have been refused services at this facility in violation of the community service obligation you should inform (designated person or office) and the California Health Facilities Financing Authority.”
The participating health institution shall provide copies of this notice for posting to all welfare offices in the county where the participating health institution’s facility is located.
(e) For all facilities in areas, and of a type, not subject to Medi-Cal contracting and for all participating health institution which have negotiated in good faith to obtain a Medi-Cal contract but were not awarded a contract by the California Medi-Cal Assistance Commission, the authority shall make modifications to the requirements contained in this section to reflect the absence of a Medi-Cal contract. Nothing in this section relieves a hospital of its obligations under Section 1317 of the Health and Safety Code.
(Amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 330, Sec. 9. (AB 1394) Effective January 1, 2012.)