PARRIS N. GLENDENING, Governor                             Ch. 348

(3) A third party administrator as defined in Article 48A, § 490R of the
Code.

(I) "SOFT TISSUE INJURY MEANS AN INJURY, SUCH AS A SPRAIN OR STRAIN,
TO TISSUE, OTHER THAN BONE OR CARTILAGE, WHICH IS PART OF THE SUPPORTING
STRUCTURES OF THE MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM.

19-1502.

(a) There is a Maryland Health Care Access and Cost Commission.

(b) The Commission is an independent Commission that functions in the
Department.

(e) The purpose of the Commission is to:

(1) Develop health care cost containment strategies to help provide access
to appropriate quality health care services for all Marylanders, after consulting with the
Health Resources Planning Commission and the Health Services Cost Review
Commission;

(2) Facilitate the public disclosure of medical claims data for the
development of public policy;

(3) Establish and develop a medical care data base on health care services
rendered by health care practitioners;

(4) Encourage the development of clinical resource management systems to
permit the comparison of costs between various treatment settings and the availability of
information to consumers, providers, and purchasers of health care services;

(5) Develop a uniform set of effective benefits to be included in the
comprehensive standard health benefit plan to apply under Subtitle 55 of Article 48A of
the Code;

(6) Analyze the medical care data base and provide, in aggregate form, an
annual report on the variations in costs associated with health care practitioners;

(2) Ensure utilization of the medical care data base as a primary means to
compile data and information and annually report on trends and variances regarding fees
for service, cost of care, regional and national comparisons, and indications of
malpractice situations;

(8) Develop a payment system for health care services, INCLUDING A
PAYMENT SYSTEM FOR THE HEALTH CARE SERVICES RELATING TO THE
TREATMENT OF SOFT TISSUE INJURIES AS PROVIDED IN ARTICLE 48A, § 541A OF THE
CODE;

(9) Establish standards for the operation and licensing of medical care
electronic claims clearinghouses in Maryland;

(10) Foster the development of practice parameters; [and]

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