§346-40 Maintenance and availability of records; penalty. (a) To enable another provider to determine the proper course of treatment in emergencies and in order to determine whether a provider is genuinely entitled to reimbursement and to protect the medicaid program against fraud and abuse, each provider of health care, service or supplies under the state medicaid program shall maintain, and keep for a period of three years, such records as are necessary to disclose fully the type and extent of health care, service or supplies provided to medicaid recipients. The department may identify the types of records necessary to be kept by promulgation of appropriate rules.

(b) No provider shall refuse or fail to make available at the provider's place of business or appropriate location, during normal business hours, or, if the appropriate representative agrees, at the mutual convenience of the parties, immediate access to all records required to be maintained under this section or rules promulgated hereunder and all diagnostic devices concerning or used for the provision of health care, service or supplies to a medicaid recipient to any duly authorized representative of the attorney general's office or the department of human services acting in the course and scope of the duly authorized representative's employment; such diagnostic devices may be examined and tested and such records may be retained by said duly authorized representative for a reasonable period of time for the purpose of examination, audit, copying, testing or photographing. This subsection shall supersede any other provision of the Hawaii Revised Statutes to the contrary notwithstanding.

(c) Whenever a provider without reasonable justification fails to keep adequate supporting records as required by this section or rules promulgated hereunder or fails to make them available as required by this section, the director of human services shall suspend the provider during the period of noncompliance with this section, and no payment may be made to such provider with respect to any item or service furnished by such provider during the period of suspension. A provider shall receive notice and be provided an opportunity for a hearing in compliance with regulations of the department of human services for such suspension.

(d) Wilful refusal or failure to make records available as provided in subsection (b) of this section is a misdemeanor. [L 1978, c 105, §6; gen ch 1985; am L 1987, c 339, §4]

Revision Note

Subsection designations "b", "c", and "d" substituted for "c", "d", and "e" pursuant to §23G-15.

Cross References

Medicaid fraud unit, see §28-91.

Case Notes

State has compelling interest in ensuring that medicaid program is not being defrauded. 481 F. Supp. 1028 (1979).