HB 371-MEDICAL REVIEW ORGANIZATIONS                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
3:24:54 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX  announced that  the next order  of business  would be                                                               
HOUSE  BILL  NO.   371,  "An  Act  relating   to  medical  review                                                               
organizations;  relating  to  the  definitions  of  'health  care                                                               
provider' and  'review organization'; and relating  to the duties                                                               
of the chief medical officer in the Department of Health."                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  JUSTIN RUFFRIDGE,  Alaska  State Legislature,  as                                                               
prime sponsor, introduced HB 371  to the committee.  He explained                                                               
that  HB 371  would seek  to update  older statutory  language to                                                               
allow medical  review organizations to obtain  multiple different                                                               
personnel types to review medical data.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:26:48 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX asked about the rationale behind HB 371.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  RUFFRIDGE explained  that HB  371 would  allow an                                                               
individual chief  medical officer  in DOH to  make a  decision on                                                               
the capacity  of a medical  review organization quicker  than the                                                               
Alaska Board of Medicine could.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX  asked whether medical  review organizations  have any                                                               
regulatory authority.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE    RUFFRIDGE   replied    that   medical    review                                                               
organizations do not have any  regulatory authority and said that                                                               
those   organizations   exist    primarily   to   bring   forward                                                               
recommendations  to   other  entities  that   perform  regulatory                                                               
procedures.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:29:07 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE moved to report  HB 371 out of committee                                                               
with  individual  recommendations  and  the  accompanying  fiscal                                                               
notes.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SUMNER  objected,  then withdrew  his  objection.                                                               
There being  no further objection,  HB 371 was reported  from the                                                               
House Health and Social Services Standing Committee.