[§432E-43]  Disclosure requirements.  (a)  Each health carrier shall include a description of the external review procedures in or attached to the policy, certificate, membership booklet, outline of coverage, or other evidence of coverage it provides to enrollees.

     (b)  Disclosure shall be in a format prescribed by the commissioner and shall include a statement informing the enrollee of the right of the enrollee to file a request for an external review of an adverse action with the commissioner.  The statement may explain that external review is available when the adverse action involves an issue of medical necessity, appropriateness, health care setting, level of care, or effectiveness.  The statement shall include the telephone number and address of the commissioner.

     (c)  In addition to the requirements of subsection (b), the statement shall inform the enrollee that, when filing a request for an external review, the enrollee or the enrollee's appointed representative shall be required to authorize the release of any medical records of the enrollee that may be required to be reviewed for the purpose of reaching a decision on the external review and shall be required to provide written disclosures to permit the commissioner to perform a conflict of interest evaluation for selection of an appropriate independent review organization.

     (d)  Each health carrier shall have available on its website and provide upon request to any enrollee, forms for the purpose of requesting an external review, which shall include an authorization release form that complies with the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act as well as a disclosure form for conflict of interest evaluation purposes that shall include the name of the enrollee, any authorized representative acting on behalf of the enrollee, the enrollee's immediate family members, the health carrier that is the subject of the external review, the health benefit plan, the plan administrator, plan fiduciaries and plan employees if the enrollee is in a group health benefits plan, the health care providers treating the enrollee for purposes of the condition that is the subject of the external review and the providers' medical groups, the health care provider and facility at which the requested health care service or treatment would be provided, and the developer or manufacturer of the principal drug, device, procedure, or other therapy that is the subject of the external review request.

     (e)  Each health carrier doing business in Hawaii shall file with the commissioner by the effective date of this part, information to permit the commissioner to perform a conflict of interest evaluation for selection of an appropriate independent review organization in the event of a request for external review involving the health carrier.  A filing pursuant to this section shall include the name of the health carrier, its officers, directors, and management employees.  The health carrier shall promptly amend its filing with the commissioner when there is any change of officers, directors, or managing employees.

     (f)  The commissioner may prescribe the form or format to use for the release authorization required by subsection (d) and the conflict of interest disclosures required by subsections (d) and (e).

     (g)  No disclosure required for purposes of this part shall include lawyer-client privileged communications protected pursuant to the Hawaii rules of evidence rule 503. [L 2011, c 230, pt of §2]

Note

  For "effective date of this part", referred to in subsection (e), see L 2011, c 230, §17.