26:2H-18.35. Reporting by hospitals of patient accounts referred to collection agency

The department shall, for the purpose of developing patient profiles, require a hospital to report the following information about any patient who was served on an inpatient basis or on any patient served on an outpatient basis with an account balance greater than $125, whose account has been referred to a collection agency or for legal action pursuant to paragraph (3) of subsection b. of section 10 of P.L.1989, c.1 (C.26:2H-18.13) or to paragraph (3) of subsection b. of section 11 of P.L.1991, c.187 (C.26:2H-18.33): the patient's age; sex; marital status; employment status and if employed, whether the employment is full or part-time; type of health insurance coverage, and if the patient is a child under 18 years of age who does not have health insurance coverage or a married person who does not have health insurance coverage, whether the child's parent or the married person's spouse, as the case may be, has health insurance coverage.

The hospital shall also include a copy of any billing information about the patient's account, at the point of write-off as a bad debt, which is provided to a collection agency or any other person for legal action, including whether the amount due and owing represents the patient or responsible party's failure to pay a full hospital bill, a partial hospital bill, or an insurance copayment or deductible.

The hospital shall provide the information to the department on a quarterly basis, on a form developed by the department, in consultation with the New Jersey Hospital Association.

L.1991,c.187,s.13; per s.86 as amended by 1992, c.160, s.27, expired December 31, 1992.