Outpatient clinics owned by a hospital would get the same Medicaid rate as a doctor's office
What it does
HB 846 would set the Medicaid reimbursement rate for outpatient services at hospital-owned outpatient facilities to the same rate that independent, physician-owned practices receive. That applies when the services do not depend on the facility's own technology and no evidence-based rationale supports a different rate. The bill also directs the Texas Department of Insurance to study whether commercial health plans should pay the same way, with a report due by September 1, 2028. A hospital that buys an outpatient facility would have to give written notice to the office of the attorney general and the Health and Human Services Commission.
What it means for your community
If you get outpatient care at a clinic owned by a hospital, such as a hospital outpatient department, your Medicaid payment would match what an independent practice receives. The study of commercial health plans would also estimate what that approach could save people across Texas. If a hospital in your area buys an outpatient clinic, the attorney general's office and the Health and Human Services Commission would be told about the purchase. Rules to carry out the payment change would be due by January 1, 2028, and the law would take effect September 1, 2027.
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