HB 178: "An Act providing for state incentive payments to physicians who provide qualified services to Medicare recipients and services to patients for which there is no charge to the patient; having the short title of the 'Doctors for Seniors Act'; and providing for an effective date."
00 HOUSE BILL NO. 178 01 "An Act providing for state incentive payments to physicians who provide qualified 02 services to Medicare recipients and services to patients for which there is no charge to 03 the patient; having the short title of the 'Doctors for Seniors Act'; and providing for an 04 effective date." 05 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 06 * Section 1. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section 07 to read: 08 SHORT TITLE. This Act may be known as the Doctors for Seniors Act. 09 * Sec. 2. AS 47.05 is amended by adding a new section to read: 10 Sec. 47.05.052. State incentive payments to physicians. (a) To the extent 11 funding is available, the department shall make annual payments in an amount 12 specified in (c) of this section to a physician licensed in the state under AS 08.64 who 13 provides qualified services as described in (b) of this section. 14 (b) To qualify for payment under this section, a physician must provide
01 qualified services as described in this subsection in at least 200 office or outpatient 02 visits with patients who are enrolled in the Medicare program under 42 U.S.C. 1395 or 03 with patients at no charge to the patient or any third party or governmental entity. At 04 each visit, the physician must provide 05 (1) a new patient with evaluation and care management services that 06 include a history, examination, and medical decision-making through face-to-face 07 contact with the patient or the patient's family that is consistent with current 08 procedural terminology billing codes for those services; or 09 (2) an established patient with evaluation and care management 10 services that include a history, examination, and medical decision-making, or at least 11 two of those components, with or without face-to-face contact with the patient or the 12 patient's family that is consistent with current procedural terminology billing codes for 13 those services. 14 (c) The annual payment under (a) of this section is 15 (1) $6,000 for not fewer than 200 and not more than 399 qualified 16 visits; 17 (2) $14,000 for not fewer than 400 and not more than 499 qualified 18 visits; 19 (3) $20,000 for not fewer than 500 and not more than 599 qualified 20 visits; 21 (4) $24,000 for not fewer than 600 and not more than 699 qualified 22 visits; 23 (5) $28,000 for not fewer than 700 qualified visits. 24 (d) A physician seeking a payment under this section shall apply on a form 25 approved by the department and provide proof of eligibility for the payment, as the 26 department requires. 27 * Sec. 3. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 28 read: 29 CROSS-REFERENCE TO BILLING CODES. The current procedural terminology 30 (CPT) billing codes referenced in AS 47.05.052(b)(1) and (2), added by sec. 2 of this Act, are 31 codes 99201 - 99205 and codes 99211 - 99215, as the codes existed on February 1, 2009 and
01 as adopted by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for 02 Medicare and Medicaid Services, under 42 C.F.R. 414.40(a). 03 * Sec. 4. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 04 read: 05 FEDERAL APPROVAL, CONTINGENT EFFECT, AND NOTIFICATION. (a) The 06 Department of Health and Social Services shall apply to the federal government for an 07 applicable waiver, pilot project, or medically underserved population or area designation to 08 give effect to the incentives for services provided to a Medicare recipient under AS 47.05.052, 09 enacted by sec. 2 of this Act. 10 (b) The incentives for services provided to a Medicare recipient under AS 47.05.052, 11 enacted by sec. 2 of this Act, take effect only if the federal government approves a waiver, a 12 pilot project, or a medically underserved population or area designation that authorizes the 13 incentives for services provided to a Medicare recipient in AS 47.05.052. 14 (c) If the federal government approves a waiver, a pilot project, or a medically 15 underserved population or area designation that accommodates the incentives for services 16 provided to a Medicare recipient in AS 47.05.052, the commissioner of health and social 17 services shall immediately notify the revisor of statutes in writing. 18 * Sec. 5. If, under sec. 4 of this Act, the incentives for services provided to a Medicare 19 recipient in AS 47.05.052, enacted by sec. 2 of this Act, take effect, they take effect on the 20 date that the revisor of statutes receives notification from the commissioner of health and 21 social services of federal approval of a waiver, a pilot project, or a medically underserved 22 population or area designation that authorizes the incentives for services provided to a 23 Medicare recipient in AS 47.05.052. 24 * Sec. 6. Section 4 of this Act takes effect immediately under AS 01.10.070(c).