1994 LAWS OF MARYLAND

Further, it is the intent of the General
Assembly that the Medical Care Provider
Reimbursements appropriation be
expended in accordance with the budget
detail presented to and approved by the
General Assembly. Should the department
wish to make a regulatory, policy, or
procedural change which has an increase or
decrease greater than $300,000 on the
program's budget, whether or not the
increase or decrease is offset in whole or in
part by other action, it shall inform the
budget committees of the change, and the
committees shall have 45 days to review and
consider it before it becomes effective.

Further, duo to federal and State health care
reform efforts and the ongoing
implementation of the Maryland Access to
Care program, it is the intent of the General
Assembly that Medical Assistance
reimbursement policies in effect on January
1, 1994 for emergency and non-emergency
services provided by hospital emergency
facilities continue for fiscal year 1995.

Further, the Department of Health and
Mental Hygiene should undertake steps to
educate and provide incentives to both
Medical Assistance recipients and Maryland
Access to Care program providers to reduce
inappropriate use of hospital emergency
facilities. These steps include implementing
the recommendation of a workgroup
comprised of the Baltimore City Health
Department and chief executive officers of
Baltimore hospitals and community health
centers that the department design and
implement a demonstration project under
which primary medical providers would share
some portion of the savings associated with
reducing non-emergency care provided in an
emergency room. The department and the
workgroup shall jointly report to the General
Assembly before July 1, 1994 on progress made
towards implementing the workgroup's
recommendations. Absent agreement by this
date that an acceptable strategy has been

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Ch. 8