§1879. Louisiana consumer health care provider network disclosure

            A.(1) Within thirty days of the effective date of a new contract, each hospital or ambulatory surgical center, hereinafter referred to as "facility" or "contracted facility" for purposes of this Section, shall provide to each health insurance issuer with which it contracts, the National Provider Identifier (NPI) as set forth in 45 CFR 162.402 et seq., name, business address, and business telephone number of each individual or group of anesthesiologists, pathologists, radiologists, emergency medicine physicians, and neonatologists who provide services at that facility. Thereafter, the facility shall notify each health insurance issuer of any changes to the information as soon as possible but not later than thirty days following any change.

            (2) Within thirty days of the effective date of a new contract, each individual or group of anesthesiologists, pathologists, radiologists, emergency medicine physicians, and neonatologists who provide services at a contracted facility shall provide the health insurance issuer with which it is contracted, the NPI, name, business address, and business telephone number of each group or individual so contracted. Thereafter, the group or individual so contracted shall notify each health insurance issuer of any changes to the information as soon as possible but not later than thirty days following any change.

            B.(1) Based on information received pursuant to Paragraphs (A)(1) and (2) of this Section, a health insurance issuer shall report on its website in a format that is clear and easy for its enrollees to understand, the following information arranged by contracted facility:

            (a) Facility name, address, and phone number.

            (b) The names, business addresses, and business telephone numbers of each individual or group of anesthesiologists, pathologists, radiologists, emergency medicine physicians, and neonatologists who provide services at that facility and who are contracted with the health insurance issuer.

            (2) For each specialty at each contracted facility, there shall be a clear indication when the health insurance issuer has no contract in place with any of the individuals or groups of anesthesiologists, pathologists, radiologists, emergency medicine physicians, and neonatologists who provide services at that contracted facility.

            (3) A health insurance issuer shall update its website in accordance with the Network Provider Directory Accessibility and Accuracy Act, R.S. 22:1020.1 et seq.

            C. A health insurance issuer shall provide a link to its website containing the information described in Subsection B of this Section to the Department of Insurance. The Department of Insurance shall make the links received from health insurance issuers available on its website.

            D. Except as otherwise provided in Subsection G of this Section, the Department of Insurance may promulgate rules and regulations to provide for civil fines payable by a health insurance issuer not to exceed five hundred dollars for each and every act of violation of the requirements of this Section, not to exceed an aggregate fine of fifty thousand dollars. For purposes of this Subsection, "act of violation" is limited to an intentional act or an act of gross negligence.

            E. The Louisiana Department of Health may promulgate rules and regulations to provide for civil fines payable by a health care provider not to exceed five hundred dollars for each and every act of violation of the requirements of this Section, not to exceed an aggregate fine of fifty thousand dollars. For purposes of this Subsection, "act of violation" is limited to an intentional act or an act of gross negligence.

            F. A health insurance issuer that reports information received from a health care provider shall indemnify and hold the health care provider harmless for the nonintentional erroneous or incomplete information provided by the health care provider to the health insurance issuer under the provisions of this Section. A health care provider that provides information to a health insurance issuer under the provisions of this Section shall indemnify and hold the health insurance issuer harmless for nonintentional erroneous or incomplete information reported by the health insurance issuer under the provisions of this Section. The penalties under this Section shall be the exclusive remedy for any violations and there shall be no independent cause of action by any person based upon such violation or other information reported hereunder.

            G. The provisions of this Section shall apply to the Office of Group Benefits; however, the commissioner of insurance shall not be authorized to levy a fine against the Office of Group Benefits. If the commissioner of insurance concludes that the Office of Group Benefits has violated this Section, the commissioner of insurance shall notify the commissioner of administration in writing within sixty days of such violation.

            Acts 2009, No. 354, §1; Acts 2012, No. 271, §1; Acts 2018, No. 290, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2019.