HBA-CCH H.B. 1720 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1720
By: Janek
Business & Industry
3/26/2001
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Currently, a hospital can hold a lien for services provided during a
patient's first 100 days of treatment. Yet, services provided by emergency
room physicians are often not compensated, and the collection rate for
trauma treatment is low.  House Bill 1720 provides for a lien to include
compensation for the emergency room physician. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

ANALYSIS

House Bill 1720 amends the Property Code to provide that the lien for the
amount of the hospital's charges for services provided to the injured
individual during the first 100 days of the injured individual's
hospitalization may also include the amount of a physician's reasonable and
necessary charges for emergency hospital care provided to the injured
individual during the first seven days of the injured individual's
hospitalization.  The bill also authorizes the hospital to act on the
physician's behalf in securing and discharging the lien, at the request of
the physician.  However, the bill provides that the lien does not cover
charges for any services for which the physician has accepted insurance
benefits or payment under a private medical indemnity plan or program. 

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2001.