(305 ILCS 5/5-30.18)
    (Section scheduled to be repealed on December 31, 2030)
    Sec. 5-30.18. Service authorization program performance.
    (a) Definitions. As used in this Section:
    "Gold Card provider" means a provider identified by each Medicaid Managed Care Organization (MCO) as qualified under the guidelines outlined by the Department in accordance with subsection (c) and thereby granted a service authorization exemption when ordering a health care service.
    "Health care service" means any medical or behavioral health service covered under the medical assistance program that is rendered in the inpatient or outpatient hospital setting, including hospital-based clinics, and subject to review under a service authorization program.
    "Provider" means an individual actively enrolled in the medical assistance program and licensed or otherwise authorized to order, prescribe, refer, or render health care services in this State, and, as determined by the Department, may also include hospitals that submit service authorization requests.
    "Service authorization exemption" means an exception granted by a Medicaid MCO to a provider under which all service authorization requests for covered health care services, excluding pharmacy services and durable medical equipment, are automatically deemed to be medically necessary, clinically appropriate, and approved for reimbursement as ordered.
    "Service authorization program" means any utilization review, utilization management, peer review, quality review, or other medical management activity conducted in advance of, concurrent to, or after the provision of a health care service by a Medicaid MCO, either directly or through a contracted utilization review organization (URO), including, but not limited to, prior authorization, pre-certification, certification of admission, concurrent review, and retrospective review of health care services.
    "Service authorization request" means a request by a provider to a service authorization program to determine whether a health care service that is otherwise covered under the medical assistance program meets the reimbursement requirements established by the Medicaid MCO, or its contracted URO, for medically necessary, clinically appropriate care and to issue a service authorization determination.
    "Utilization review organization" or "URO" means a managed care organization or other entity that has established or administers one or more service authorization programs.
    (b) In consultation with the Medicaid MCOs, a statewide association representing managed care organizations, a statewide association representing the majority of Illinois hospitals, and a statewide association representing physicians, the Department shall in accordance with the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act, adopt administrative rules, consistent with this Section, to require each Medicaid MCO to identify Gold Card providers with such identification initially being effective for health care services provided on and after July 1, 2025.
    (c) The Department shall adopt rules, in accordance with the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act, to implement this Section that include, but are not limited to, the following provisions:
        (1) Require each Medicaid MCO to provide a service
    
authorization exemption to a provider if the provider has submitted at least 50 service authorization requests to its service authorization program in the preceding calendar year and the service authorization program approved at least 90% of all service authorization requests, regardless of the type of health care services requested.
        (2) Require that service authorization exemptions be
    
limited to services provided in an inpatient or outpatient hospital setting inclusive of hospital-based clinics. Service authorization exemptions under this Section shall not pertain to pharmacy services and durable medical equipment and supplies.
        (3) The service authorization exemption shall be
    
valid for at least one year, shall be made by each Medicaid MCO or its URO, and shall be binding on the Medicaid MCO and its URO.
        (4) The provider shall be required to continue to
    
document medically necessary, clinically appropriate care and submit such documentation to the Medicaid MCO for the purpose of continuous performance monitoring. If a provider fails to maintain the 90% service authorization standard, as determined on no more frequent a basis than bi-annually, the provider's service authorization exemption is subject to temporary or permanent suspension.
        (5) Require that each Medicaid MCO publish on its
    
provider portal a list of all providers that have qualified for a service authorization exemption or indicate that a provider has qualified for a service authorization exemption on its provider-facing provider roster.
        (6) Require that no later than December 1 of each
    
calendar year, each Medicaid MCO shall provide written notification to all providers who qualify for a service authorization exemption, for the subsequent calendar year.
        (7) Require that each Medicaid MCO or its URO use the
    
policies and guidelines published by the Department to evaluate whether a provider meets the criteria to qualify for a service authorization exemption and the conditions under which a service authorization exemption may be rescinded, including review of the provider's service authorization determinations during the preceding calendar year.
        (8) Require each Medicaid MCO to provide the
    
Department a list of all providers who were denied a service authorization exemption or had a previously granted service authorization exemption suspended, with such denials being subject to an annual audit conducted by an independent third-party URO to ensure their appropriateness.
            (A) The independent third-party URO shall issue a
        
written report consistent with this paragraph.
            (B) The independent third-party URO shall not be
        
owned by, affiliated with, or employed by any Medicaid MCO or its contracted URO, nor shall it have any financial interest in the Medicaid MCO's service authorization exemption program.
    (d) Each Medicaid MCO must have a standard method to accept and process professional claims and facility claims, as billed by the provider, for a health care service that is rendered, prescribed, or ordered by a provider granted a service authorization exemption, except in cases of fraud.
    (e) A service authorization program shall not deny, partially deny, reduce the level of care, or otherwise limit reimbursement to the rendering or supervising provider, including the rendering facility, for health care services ordered by a provider who qualifies for a service authorization exemption, except in cases of fraud.
    (f) This Section is repealed on December 31, 2030.
(Source: P.A. 103-593, eff. 6-7-24.)