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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2019 - 2020
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | December 19, 2018 03:44 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Clint Owlett |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Insurer Credentialing Legislation (Former HB 125) |
| In the near future, I plan to reintroduce legislation to improve the credentialing process in Pennsylvania for health care practitioners and address unwarranted delays by health insurers in credentialing applicants for inclusion in their networks. Hospitals, physician practices and community health centers across the state routinely face the situation where a newly hired health care professional who is fully licensed and qualified to provide care is not reimbursed by insurers for months while the insurers work their way through an unnecessarily long and cumbersome credentialing process. Not only does this cost these facilities money, but it also limits access to care by keeping fully licensed and qualified providers on the sidelines until they are credentialed by insurers. Current credentialing processes sometimes can take up to six months. Legislation passed the House last session 190-0 that provided for the use of a certain credentialing application that health care providers would be required to use when seeking to become credentialed by a health insurer. I am planning to reintroduce this legislation. The bill last session, House Bill 125, had the support of the Pennsylvania Medical Society, the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of PA, the Coalition of Nurse Practitioners, the PA Academy of Family Physicians and the PA Association of Community Health Centers. I hope you will join in co-sponsoring this important legislation. Thank you for your interest and support. Previous Co-sponsors: BARRAR, CUTLER, CALTAGIRONE, MENTZER, JAMES, MILLARD, ZIMMERMAN, WARD, LAWRENCE, PICKETT, GABLER, STURLA, ROAE and NELSON |
Introduced as HB533