1504                                     LAWS OF MARYLAND                                 Ch. 715

available upon request to residents of Maryland; and to require health insurers
and non-profit health insurance plans to furnish data to the Commissioner with
respect to this compilation: and to provide for the financing of the cost of the
collecting, maintenance and publication of this data.

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
MARYLAND, That new Section 26A be and it is hereby added to Article 48A of
the Annotated Code of Maryland (1972 Replacement Volume), title "Insurance
Code," subtitle "Insurance Division and Insurance Commissioner," to follow
immediately after Section 26 thereof and to read as follows:

26A.

[[(A) THE COMMISSIONER SHALL REQUIRE, BY ORDER, NOTICE,
RULE, OR REGULATION, EVERY INSURER WHO ISSUES POLICIES
OF HEALTH, ACCIDENT, OR GROUP AND BLANKET HEALTH
INSURANCE TO FILE WITH THE COMMISSIONER DATA SETTING
FORTH THE RANGE OF USUAL, CUSTOMARY, AND REASONABLE
FEES, RATES AND OTHER COSTS CHARGED TO PATIENTS BY
PHYSICIANS, SURGEONS, DENTISTS, HOSPITALS, NURSING HOMES,
NURSES,          PSYCHIATRISTS,          PHARMACISTS,         OPTICIANS,

OPTOMETRISTS, OSTEOPATHS, PODIATRISTS, CHIROPRACTORS,
PHYSICAL THERAPISTS, AND ANY OTHER PROVIDERS OF HEALTH
CARE SERVICES.

(B)    THE COMMISSIONER SHALL COLLECT, MAINTAIN, UP-DATE,
AND PUBLISH THIS DATA NOT LESS THAN ONCE A YEAR IN
PAMPHLET OR BOOKLET FORM.

(C)     COPIES OF THE PUBLICATION OF THIS DATA SHALL BE
FORWARDED BY THE COMMISSIONER AT NO COST TO ANY
MEMBER OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC UPON REQUEST.]]

(A) THE COMMISSIONER SHALL OBTAIN AND COMPILE DATA
SUFFICIENT TO ESTABLISH THE RANGE OF USUAL, CUSTOMARY
AND REASONABLE FEES AND RATES CHARGED PATIENTS IN
MARYLAND BY PHYSICIANS, SURGEONS, DENTISTS, PRIVATE
DUTY NURSES, PSYCHIATRISTS, PODIATRISTS, AND, IN THE
COMMISSIONERS DISCRETION, ANY OTHER CLASSIFICATION OF
PROVIDERS OF MEDICAL SERVICES. ALL SUCH DATA WHETHER
PUBLISHED OR NOT, AND WHETHER FOR AGGREGATES OR
INDIVIDUAL PROVIDERS, SHALL BE A PUBLIC RECORD AVAILABLE
FOR INSPECTION IN THE OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONERS.

(B) THE COMMISSIONER SHALL COLLECT, MAINTAIN AND
UP-DATE THIS DATA AND, SHALL AT LEAST ONCE IN EACH
CALENDAR YEAR PUBLISH IN PAMPHLET OR BOOKLET FORM AS
MUCH OF THIS DATA OR INFORMATION AS HE DEEMS USEFUL
AND PRACTICABLE, SUCH PUBLICATION SHALL SHOW DATA FOR
AGGREGATES OF PROVIDERS RATHER THAN FOR INDIVIDUALS.
THE COMMISSIONER MAY SHOW THE DATA BY GEOGRAPHIC
AREAS IF HE DEEMS SUCH SUBDIVISION WILL SERVE A USEFUL
PURPOSE.

(C) COPIES OF THE PAMPHLET OR BOOKLET SHALL BE
FORWARDED BY THE COMMISSIONER TO ANY MARYLAND
RESIDENT, THE COMMISSIONER MAY CHARGE A REASONABLE FEE
TO COVER THE COST OF PRINTING, HANDLING AND MAILING OF
THE PAMPHLET OR BOOKLET.