AN ACT
RELATING TO HEALTH; CREATING A HEALTH
CARE PROVIDER LICENSING AND CREDENTIALING TASK FORCE UNDER THE NEW MEXICO
HEALTH POLICY COMMISSION; PROVIDING FOR DUTIES AND MEMBERSHIP; PROVIDING FOR AN
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROJECT MANAGER; AUTHORIZING THE USE OF CERTAIN FUNDS.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF
THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
Section 1. TEMPORARY PROVISION--FINDINGS.--The
legislature finds that licensed professionals in New Mexico, particularly those
in the health care field, are severely burdened by multiple layers of mandatory
credentialing obligations, costing them, their patients and third-party payers
needless expense and wasted time.
Further, the legislature notes that New Mexico's health care licensure
provisions may be contributing to harmful delays in access to health care
throughout the state, particularly in areas with acute professional
shortages. The legislature believes that
efforts begun pursuant to House Joint Memorial 61 of the second session of the
forty-fifth legislature and the continued cooperation among respective
licensing boards, the regulation and licensing department, various statewide
professional associations and societies, insurers and national accrediting and
standard setting organizations will produce a system satisfactory to all
concerned while maintaining the primary goal of ensuring the health and safety
of New Mexico residents.
Section 2. TASK FORCE
CREATED--RESPONSIBILITIES--PARTICIPANTS--FUNDING.--
A. The "health care providers licensing and
credentialing task force" is created under the direction of the New Mexico
health policy commission to study and make recommendations for the
consolidation and simplification of the health care licensure processes. The task force shall make recommendations for
the establishment of a web site portal for licensure to facilitate and
complement or replace the present system conducted by individual health care
provider boards and for a central database for credentialing information to
simplify and eliminate duplication of effort.
B. The task force shall study and make
recommendations to the superintendent of insurance on health care provider
credentialing issues and obstacles to one-time efforts by providers to meet all
necessary requirements to practice independently or as a provider for any
appropriately licensed health care organization or facility. The task force shall study and recommend, if
practicable, use of credentialing expertise developed by a statewide
association of hospitals.
C. The task force shall include participation by
the New Mexico health policy commission; the department of health; the New
Mexico board of medical examiners; the board of nursing; other health care provider
boards; the regulation and licensing department; the insurance division of the
public regulation commission; the human services department; the office of the
attorney general; other affected state agencies; members of the health care
industry, including statewide associations and societies representing
providers, hospitals and other affected facilities; insurers; and other
third-party payers as well as health care advocates and members of the public.
D. The New Mexico health policy commission,
together with the New Mexico board of medical examiners and the board of
nursing, shall hire an information technology project manager to work under the
commission to design, implement and maintain a web site portal for licensure
and a central database for credentialing of health care providers.
Section 3. SUPERINTENDENT OF INSURANCE--DUTIES.--The
superintendent of insurance shall adopt rules pursuant to the health care
providers licensing and credentialing task force recommendations to ensure that
third-party payer credentialing requirements facilitate New Mexico providers'
ability to satisfy all credentialing requirements, including those by a
national committee on quality assurance, as efficiently as possible. Rules adopted shall require primary
credential verification no more frequently than every three years and shall be
scheduled to coincide with national accrediting organizations and hospital and
managed care organizations' credentialing requirements.
Section 4. HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT--MANAGED CARE
CONTRACT CREDENTIALING PROVISIONS.--The human services department shall
negotiate with medicaid contractors to ensure that the contractors'
credentialing requirements are coordinated with other credentialing processes
required of individual providers.
Section 5. A new Section 61-3-27.1 NMSA 1978 is enacted
to read:
"61-3-27.1. BOARD OF NURSING FUND--AUTHORIZED
USE.--Pursuant to Subsection D of Section 61-3-27 NMSA 1978, the board shall
authorize expenditures from unexpended and unencumbered cash balances in the
board of nursing fund to support an information technology project manager to
develop, implement and maintain a web site portal for licensure and a central
database for credentialing of health care providers."
Section 6. A new Section 61-6-31.1 NMSA 1978 is enacted
to read:
"61-6-31.1. BOARD OF MEDICAL EXAMINERS FUND--AUTHORIZED
USE.--Pursuant to Subsection D of Section 61-6-31 NMSA 1978, the board shall
authorize expenditures from unexpended and unencumbered cash balances in the
board of medical examiners fund to support an information technology project
manager to develop, implement and maintain a web site portal for licensure and
a central database for credentialing of health care providers."
HB 968
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