(a) On and after January 1, 1986, the systems of health facility accounting and auditing formerly approved by the California Health Facilities Commission shall remain in full force and effect for use by health facilities, but shall be maintained by the office.

(b) The office shall allow and provide, in accordance with appropriate regulations, for modifications in the accounting and reporting systems for use by health facilities in meeting the requirements of this chapter if the modifications are necessary to do any of the following:

(1) To correctly reflect differences in size of, provision of, or payment for, services rendered by health facilities.

(2) To correctly reflect differences in scope, type, or method of provision of, or payment for, services rendered by health facilities.

(3) To avoid unduly burdensome costs for those health facilities in meeting the requirements of differences pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2).

(c) The office shall allow and provide, in accordance with appropriate regulations, for modifications to discharge data reporting format and frequency requirements if these modifications will not impair the office’s ability to process the data or interfere with the purposes of this chapter. This modification authority shall not permit the office to administratively require the reporting of discharge data items not specified pursuant to Section 128735.

(d) The office shall allow and provide, in accordance with appropriate regulations, for modifications to emergency care data reporting format and frequency requirements if these modifications will not impair the office’s ability to process the data or interfere with the purposes of this chapter. This modification authority shall not permit the office to require administratively the reporting of emergency care data items not specified in subdivision (a) of Section 128736.

(e) The office shall allow and provide, in accordance with appropriate regulations, for modifications to ambulatory surgery data reporting format and frequency requirements if these modifications will not impair the office’s ability to process the data or interfere with the purposes of this chapter. The modification authority shall not permit the office to require administratively the reporting of ambulatory surgery data items not specified in subdivision (a) of Section 128737.

(f) The office shall adopt comparable modifications to the financial reporting requirements of this chapter for county hospital systems consistent with the purposes of this chapter.

(Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 247, Sec. 6. (SB 343) Effective January 1, 2020.)