Governor Deval Patrick signed into law a sweeping package of health care legislation on August 10, 2008. The law, Senate Bill No. 2863, addresses:
“Gift ban” and mandatory reporting requirements relating to payments to providers by pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers
The Health Care Quality and Cost Council, establishing standard performance measures, quality performance benchmarks, and health information technology adoption goals
Requirements for licensure and determination of need for physician-owned ambulatory surgery centers
New determination of need thresholds, including for outpatient hospital services
The new Department of Public Health (DPH) Health Care Workforce Center and its programs to address the burgeoning primary care provider shortage
New DPH requirements, including serious event reporting, establishment of family health councils and rapid response teams, and electronic hospital records storage
The new e-Health Council and its programs for encouraging development of a state-wide health information exchange
Insurance laws changes, including parity for nurse practitioners
There is something for everybody involved in the health care delivery system in the new law. It will require much regulatory activity by state agencies to implement the legislature’s goals.
Michael L. Blau, Alan H. Einhorn, Alpana M. Kumar, Lawrence B. Litwak, Lawrence W. Vernaglia, and Health Care Industry Team Chair J. Mark Waxman provided a briefing on the new legislation and answered questions about its likely impact on the health care industry.
