A. Each managed health care plan shall establish and adequately staff a consumer assistance office. The purpose of the consumer assistance office is to respond to consumer questions and concerns and assist patients in exercising their rights and protecting their interests as consumers of health care.

B. Each managed health care plan shall establish a consumer advisory board. The board shall meet at least quarterly and shall advise the plan about the plan's general operations from the perspective of the enrollee as a consumer of health care. The board shall also review the operations of and be advisory to the plan's consumer assistance office.

D.[C.] The department shall prepare an annual report assessing the operations of managed health care plans subject to the department's oversight, including information about consumer complaints.

E.[D.] A person adversely affected may file a complaint with the superintendent regarding a violation of the Patient Protection Act. Prior to issuing any remedial order regarding violations of the Patient Protection Act or its regulations, the superintendent shall hold a hearing in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 59A, Article 4 NMSA 1978. The superintendent may issue any order he deems necessary or appropriate, including ordering the delivery of appropriate care, to protect consumers and enforce the provisions of the Patient Protection Act. The superintendent shall adopt special procedures to govern the submission of emergency appeals to him in health emergencies.

History: Laws 1998, ch. 107, § 5.

Compiler's notes. — Laws 1998, ch. 107, § 5, as enacted by the legislature, included the provisions of Subsection C, which read: "The department shall establish and adequately staff a managed care ombudsman office, either within the department or by contract. The purpose of the managed care ombudsman office shall be to assist patients in exercising their rights and help advocate for and protect patient interests. The department's managed care ombudsman office shall work in conjunction with each plan's consumer assistance office and shall independently evaluate the effectiveness of the plan's consumer assistance office. The department's managed care ombudsman office may require a plan's consumer assistance office to adopt measures to ensure that the plan operates effectively to protect patient rights and inform consumers of the information to which they are entitled." Subsection C was vetoed by the governor on March 10, 1998.