Senate Bill No. 560

(By Senator Stollings (By Request))

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[Introduced February 18, 2011; referred to the Committee on Health and Human Resources; and then to the Committee on the Judiciary.]

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A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated §16-29B-20a, relating to confidentiality of the rate-setting model.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

    That the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated §16-29B-20a, to read as follows:

ARTICLE 29B. HEALTH CARE AUTHORITY.

§16-29B-20a. Confidentiality of the rate setting model.

    In its decision making process on standard rate applications, the board utilizes a computer program known as the rate setting model to generate options for the board. The board options are various calculated rates that the board may elect to award to the hospital. The rate setting model is pre-decisional in nature and part of the deliberative process and, as such, shall be exempt from public disclosure.

    NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to exempt the rate setting model from disclosure.

    This section is new; therefore, strike-throughs and underscoring have been omitted.