(a) The purpose of this chapter is to promote the delivery of quality health care in Georgia. Furthermore, it is to foster the delivery of such care in a cost-effective manner through greater coordination between health care providers, claims administrators, payors, employers, patients, and private review agents; to improve communication and knowledge of health care benefits among all parties; to protect patients, claims administrators, payors, private review agents, employers, and health care providers by ensuring that utilization review activities are based upon accepted standards of treatment and patient care; to ensure that such treatment is accessible and done in a timely and effective manner; and to ensure that private review agents maintain confidentiality of information obtained in the course of utilization review.

(b) In order to carry out the intent and purposes of this chapter, it is declared to be the policy of this chapter to protect Georgia residents by imposing minimum standards on private review agents who engage in utilization review with respect to health care services provided in Georgia, such standards to include regulations concerning certification of private review agents, disclosure of utilization review standards and appeal procedures, minimum qualifications for utilization review personnel, minimum standards governing accessibility of utilization review, and such other standards, requirements, and rules or regulations promulgated by the Commissioner which are not inconsistent with the foregoing. Notwithstanding the foregoing, it is neither the policy nor the intent of the General Assembly to regulate the terms of self-insured employee welfare benefit plans as defined in Section 31(I) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, and therefore any regulations promulgated pursuant to this chapter shall relate only to persons subject to this chapter.