(a) For purposes of this section: (1) “Detailed patient bill” means a patient billing statement that includes, in each line item, the hospital's current pricemaster code, a description of the charge and the billed amount; and (2) “pricemaster” means a detailed schedule of hospital charges.

(b) Each hospital shall file with the unit its current pricemaster which shall include each charge in its detailed schedule of charges.

(c) Upon the request of the Office of Health Strategy, established under section 19a-754a, or a patient, a hospital shall provide to the office or the patient a detailed patient bill. If the billing detail by line item on a detailed patient bill does not agree with the detailed schedule of charges on file with the unit for the date of service specified on the bill, the hospital shall be subject to a civil penalty of five hundred dollars per occurrence payable to the state not later than fourteen days after the date of notification. The penalty shall be imposed in accordance with section 19a-653. The unit may issue an order requiring such hospital, not later than fourteen days after the date of notification of an overcharge to a patient, to adjust the bill to be consistent with the detailed schedule of charges on file with the unit for the date of service specified on the detailed patient bill.

(P.A. 95-160, S. 60, 69; 95-257, S. 39, 58; P.A. 96-139, S. 12, 13; P.A. 05-151, S. 12; P.A. 08-14, S. 6; P.A. 10-179, S. 117; P.A. 13-234, S. 149; P.A. 18-91, S. 47.)

History: P.A. 95-160, S. 60 effective June 1, 1995; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commission on Hospitals and Health Care with Office of Health Care Access, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 96-139 changed effective date of P.A. 95-160 but without affecting this section; P.A. 05-151 amended Subsec. (a) by eliminating requirement that taxes be included in the price of each item listed on the pricemaster and requiring filing of current pricemaster which shall include a detailed schedule of charges and made technical changes in Subsec. (b), effective July 1, 2005; P.A. 08-14 amended Subsec. (b) by substituting 14 days for 10 business days and making technical changes, effective July 1, 2008; P.A. 10-179 amended Subsec. (b) by deleting “subsections (b) to (e), inclusive, of” re Sec. 19a-653; P.A. 13-234 added new Subsec. (a) re definitions of “detailed patient bill” and “pricemaster”, redesignated existing Subsec. (a) as Subsec. (b), and redesignated existing Subsec. (b) as Subsec. (c) and amended same by adding provision requiring hospital to provide detailed patient bill upon request of department or a patient, substituting “detailed patient bill” for “patient bill” and making a technical change; P.A. 18-91 amended Subsecs. (b) and (c) by replacing “office” with “unit”, and further amended Subsec. (c) by replacing references to Department of Public Health with references to Office of Health Strategy, effective May 14, 2018.