On Friday, June 14th, without fanfare, Gov. Rick Perry signed Senate Bill 1803 into law. The legislation will take effect September 1st.
This is a tremendous victory for all Medicaid providers in Texas as it provides for legislated due process rights that were totally non-existent. Now the legislation outlines deadlines for hearings and notifications required to be met by the HHSC Office of the Inspector General when conducting investigations, implementing payment holds and demanding repayment of Medicaid funds from providers. The final version of the legislation can be downloaded from the Capitol website.
The passing of legislation of this kind has been the goal of TDMR since it formed just a few short months ago. In garnering support from legislators and like-minded organizations such as the Texas Medical Association, we have all been able to get the big win!
While we will be sending out personal letters, TDMR wishes to thank all the legislators that got behind HB 1536 and SB 1803 and made due process rights a reality for not just dental Medicaid providers, but all Medicaid providers.
There is still more to do and we are onto it.