2015 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 19a - Public Health and Well-Being
Chapter 368z - Office of Health Care Access
Section 19a-649 - (Formerly Sec. 19a-167f). Uncompensated care. Annual submission of information.

(a) The office shall review annually the level of uncompensated care provided by each hospital to the indigent. Each hospital shall file annually with the office its policies regarding the provision of charity care and reduced cost services to the indigent, excluding medical assistance recipients, and its debt collection practices. A hospital shall file its audited financial statements not later than February twenty-eighth of each year, except a health system, as defined in section 19a-508c, may file one such statement that includes the audited financial statements for each hospital within the health system. Not later than March thirty-first of each year, the hospital shall file a verification of the hospital’s net revenue for the most recently completed fiscal year in a format prescribed by the office.

(b) Each hospital shall annually report, along with data submitted pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, (1) the number of applicants for charity care and reduced cost services, (2) the number of approved applicants, and (3) the total and average charges and costs of the amount of charity care and reduced cost services provided.

(c) Each hospital recognized as a nonprofit organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or any subsequent corresponding internal revenue code of the United States, as amended from time to time, shall, along with data submitted annually pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, submit to the office (1) a complete copy of such hospital’s most-recently completed Internal Revenue Service form 990, including all parts and schedules; and (2) in the form and manner prescribed by the office, data compiled to prepare such hospital’s community health needs assessment, as required pursuant to Section 501(r) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or any subsequent corresponding internal revenue code of the United States, as amended from time to time, provided such copy and data submitted pursuant to this subsection shall not include: (A) Individual patient information, including, but not limited to, patient-identifiable information; (B) information that is not owned or controlled by such hospital; (C) information that such hospital is contractually required to keep confidential or that is prohibited from disclosure by a data use agreement; or (D) information concerning research on human subjects as described in section 45 CFR 46.101 et seq., as amended from time to time.

(P.A. 89-371, S. 7; Nov. Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-2, S. 12, 27; P.A. 93-44, S. 7, 24; 93-229, S. 7, 21; 93-262, S. 1, 87; P.A. 95-257, S. 39, 58; P.A. 03-266, S. 1; P.A. 06-64, S. 13; P.A. 07-149, S. 7; P.A. 11-44, S. 174; P.A. 12-170, S. 3; P.A. 13-234, S. 147; P.A. 15-242, S. 70.)

History: Nov. Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-2 authorized commission to perform audits as part of its evaluation; P.A. 93-44 included emergency assistance to families in uncompensated care, required hospitals to obtain an independent audit and file results of audit on February twenty-eighth annually, where previously commission conducted audit or contracted for independent audit, effective April 23, 1993; P.A. 93-229 added provision re audit by primary payer designation, deleted reference re February twenty-eighth audited financial statements on a separate and distinct schedule and added new language re providing required information with an opinion with hospitals financial statements filed on February twenty-eighth and included a definition of “primary payer”, effective June 4, 1993; P.A. 93-262 authorized substitution of commissioner and department of social services for commissioner and department of income maintenance, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commission on Hospitals and Health Care with Office of Health Care Access, effective July 1, 1995; Sec. 19a-167f transferred to Sec. 19a-649 in 1997; P.A. 03-266 designated existing provisions as Subsec. (a) and added new Subsec. (b) re annual report; P.A. 06-64 amended Subsec. (a) by adding reference to “TriCare” and requiring audit results and opinions to be filed separately from audited financial statements by March thirty-first of each year, effective July 1, 2006; P.A. 07-149 amended Subsecs. (a) and (b) by substituting “charity” care for “free” care and further amended Subsec. (a) to delete provision re emergency assistance to families and redefine “primary payer”, effective July 1, 2007; P.A. 11-44 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting requirements that office consult with Commissioner of Social Services and that hospitals obtain an independent audit and adding requirement that hospitals file audited financial statements annually, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 12-170 amended Subsec. (a) by adding provision requiring annual filing of net revenue by March 31st each year and making technical changes; P.A. 13-234 added Subsec. (c) re submission of Internal Revenue Service form 990 and data compiled to prepare community health needs assessment; P.A. 15-242 amended Subsec. (a) by adding exception re health system, effective July 1, 2015.