Effective 28 Aug 2007

191.411. System of coordinated health care services — health access incentive fund created, purpose — enhanced Medicaid payments — rules — annual report. — 1. The director of the department of health and senior services shall develop and implement a plan to define a system of coordinated health care services available and accessible to all persons, in accordance with the provisions of this section. The plan shall encourage the location of appropriate practitioners of health care services, including dentists, or psychiatrists or psychologists as defined in section 632.005, in rural and urban areas of the state, particularly those areas designated by the director of the department of health and senior services as health resource shortage areas, in return for the consideration enumerated in subsection 2 of this section. The department of health and senior services shall have authority to contract with public and private health care providers for delivery of such services.

2. There is hereby created in the state treasury the "Health Access Incentive Fund". Moneys in the fund shall be used to implement and encourage a program to fund loans, loan repayments, start-up grants, provide locum tenens, professional liability insurance assistance, practice subsidy, annuities when appropriate, or technical assistance in exchange for location of appropriate health providers, including dentists, who agree to serve all persons in need of health services regardless of ability to pay. The department of health and senior services shall encourage the recruitment of minorities in implementing this program.

3. In accordance with an agreement approved by both the director of the department of social services and the director of the department of health and senior services, the commissioner of the office of administration shall issue warrants to the state treasurer to transfer available funds from the health access incentive fund to the department of social services to be used to enhance MO HealthNet payments to physicians, dentists, psychiatrists, psychologists, or other mental health providers licensed under chapter 337 in order to enhance the availability of physician, dental, or mental health services in shortage areas. The amount that may be transferred shall be the amount agreed upon by the directors of the departments of social services and health and senior services and shall not exceed the maximum amount specifically authorized for any such transfer by appropriation of the general assembly.

4. The general assembly shall appropriate money to the health access incentive fund from the health initiatives fund created by section 191.831. The health access incentive fund shall also contain money as otherwise provided by law, gift, bequest or devise. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 33.080, the unexpended balance in the fund at the end of the biennium shall not be transferred to the general revenue fund of the state.

5. The director of the department of health and senior services shall have authority to promulgate reasonable rules to implement the provisions of this section pursuant to chapter 536.

6. The department of health and senior services shall submit an annual report to the oversight committee created under section 208.955 regarding the implementation of the plan developed under this section.

­­--------

(L. 1993 H.B. 564, A.L. 2001 S.B. 393, A.L. 2007 S.B. 577)