§ 27-18-34 — § 27-18-34. Health insurance contracts — Certified registered nurse practitioners and psychiatric and mental health nurse clinical specialists.

§ 27-18-34. Health insurance contracts — Certified registered nurse practitioners and psychiatric and mental health nurse clinical specialists.

(a) Every health insurance contract, plan, or policy delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in this state shall provide coverage for the services of a certified registered nurse practitioner, practicing collaboratively, or in the employ of a physician licensed under chapter 37 of title 5, and psychiatric and mental health nurse clinical specialists, to subscribers if the services are within the certified registered nurse practitioner's or psychiatric and mental health nurse clinical specialist's area of professional competence as established by education and certification, and are currently reimbursed when rendered by any other licensed healthcare provider. No insurer or hospital, medical service corporation, or health maintenance organization may require the signature by any other healthcare provider as a condition of reimbursement. No insurer or hospital, medical service corporation, or health maintenance organization may be required to pay for duplicative services actually rendered by both a certified registered nurse practitioner and any other healthcare provider.

(b) Nothing in this chapter shall preclude the conducting of managed care reviews and medical necessity reviews by an insurer or hospital or medical service corporation or health maintenance organization.

(c) Every health insurance contract, plan, or policy delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in this state shall provide coverage for certified registered nurse practitioners to provide primary care, intermediate, home, long-term, and inpatient care as primary care providers, when said certified registered nurse practitioner is a participating provider, consistent with, and practicing within, the scope of his/her professional license.

(d) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, all insurers, nonprofit medical service corporations, nonprofit hospital service corporations, and health maintenance organizations shall provide subscribers with an opportunity to select a certified registered nurse practitioner, who is a participating provider, as a primary care provider.

(e) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, all insurers, nonprofit medical service corporations, nonprofit hospital service corporations, and health maintenance organizations shall insure that all participating primary care provider certified registered nurse practitioners are included on any publicly accessible list of participating providers for the respective organization.

(f) This section shall not apply to insurance coverage providing benefits for: (1) Hospital confinement indemnity; (2) Disability income: (3) Accident only; (4) Long-term care; (5) Medicare supplement; (6) Limited benefit health; (7) Specified disease indemnity; (8) Sickness or bodily injury or death by accident or both; and (9) Other limited benefit policies.

Legislative History

P.L. 1991, ch. 361, § 1; P.L. 1994, ch. 90, § 1; P.L. 2002, ch. 292, § 33; P.L. 2009, ch. 351, § 1; P.L. 2009, ch. 352, § 1.