BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  AB 2248
                                                                  Page  1

          CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
          AB 2248 (Hernandez)
          As Amended August 17, 2010
          Majority vote
           
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          |ASSEMBLY:  |74-0 |(April 29,      |SENATE: |34-0 |(August 19,    |
          |           |     |2010)           |        |     |2010)          |
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           Original Committee Reference:    HEALTH  

           SUMMARY  :  Requires each county establishing a Maddy Emergency  
          Medical Services Fund (Maddy Fund) to include in its annual report  
          to the Legislature a description of each disbursement for "other  
          emergency medical services (EMS)," if funds were disbursed for  
          this service and other additional information regarding the moneys  
          collected and disbursed.  Requires the annual report to include  
          the reason or reasons if no moneys were deposited into the Maddy  
          Fund.

           The Senate amendments  :

          1)Make technical clarifying changes.

          2)Require each Maddy Fund to additionally include in its annual  
            report:

             a)   The total amounts for each penalty assessment listed  
               according to the authority for the penalty assessments;

             b)   The amount of money dispersed for actual administrative  
               cost;

             c)   The amount of penalty assessments that are used for  
               pediatric trauma centers;

             d)   A description of the process used to obtain input from  
               physicians and surgeons and hospitals in order to review the  
               payment distribution methodologies;

             e)   An identification of the fee schedule used by the county  
               for reimbursable services from the county's Maddy Fund;

             f)   A description of the methodology used to disperse moneys  
               to hospitals providing disproportionate trauma services and  







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               EMS;

             g)   The amount of moneys available to be dispersed to  
               hospitals; 

             h)   The name and contact information of the entity responsible  
               for each of the following:

               i)     Collection of fines, forfeitures, and penalties;

               ii)    Distribution of penalty assessments into each Maddy  
                 Fund; and,

               iii)   Distribution of moneys to physicians and surgeons.

             i)   The dollar amount of the total allowable claims submitted  
               and the percentage at which those claims were reimbursed to  
               hospitals if moneys are disbursed to hospitals on a claim  
               basis.


           EXISTING LAW  :

          1)Authorizes each county to establish a Maddy Fund for  
            reimbursement of EMS-related costs.

          2)Authorizes, until January 1, 2014, counties to levy an  
            additional penalty in the amount of $2 for every $10 upon fines,  
            penalties, and forfeitures collected for criminal offenses for  
            deposit into the Maddy Fund.

          3)Requires each county establishing a Maddy Fund to report  
            annually to the Legislature on the implementation and status of  
            the fund by April 15 of every year.  Specifies the report to  
            include, but not be limited to:

             a)   The total amount of fines and forfeitures collected and  
               the amount of penalty assessments deposited into the Maddy  
               Fund;

             b)   The fund balance and the amount of moneys disbursed under  
               the program to physicians and surgeons, for hospitals, and  
               for other EMS purposes;

             c)   The number of claims paid to physicians and surgeons, and  
               the percentage of claims paid, based on the uniform fee  







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               schedule adopted by each county;

             d)   The amount of moneys available to be disbursed to  
               physicians and surgeons, descriptions of the physician and  
               surgeon and hospital claims payment methodologies, the dollar  
               amount of the total allowable claims submitted, and the  
               percentage at which those claims were reimbursed;

             e)   A statement of the policies, procedures, and regulatory  
               action taken to implement and run the Maddy Fund; and,

             f)   The name of the physician and surgeon and hospital  
               administrator organization, or names of specific physicians  
               and surgeons and hospital administrators, contacted to review  
               claims payment methodologies.

           AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY  , this bill was substantially similar to  
          the bill as passed by the Senate.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :  According to the Senate Appropriations Committee,  
          pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8, negligible state costs.

           COMMENTS  :  According to the author, the annual reports on Maddy  
          Funds submitted to the Legislature by counties include money  
          dispersed to physicians and hospitals.  However, the report does  
          not give specific details regarding how other EMS funds are  
          appropriated and dispersed.  The author claims that there have  
          been complaints from some physicians in some counties that the  
          Maddy Fund reports do not contain sufficient information to  
          determine if the Maddy Fund is being properly administered. 


           Analysis Prepared by  :    Patty Rodgers / HEALTH / (916) 319-2097 
                                                                 FN:  0005846