Any corporation, cooperative group, partnership, individual, association, or groups of health professionals licensed by the state of Washington, public hospital district, or public institutions of higher education shall be entitled to a certificate of registration from the insurance commissioner as a health maintenance organization if it:

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Terms Used In Washington Code 48.46.030

  • Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
  • Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
  • Commissioner: means the insurance commissioner. See Washington Code 48.46.020
  • Comprehensive health care services: means basic consultative, diagnostic, and therapeutic services rendered by licensed health professionals together with emergency and preventive care, inpatient hospital, outpatient and physician care, at a minimum, and any additional health care services offered by the health maintenance organization. See Washington Code 48.46.020
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Group practice: means a partnership, association, corporation, or other group of health professionals:
Washington Code 48.46.020
  • Health maintenance agreement: means an agreement for services between a health maintenance organization which is registered pursuant to the provisions of this chapter and enrolled participants of such organization which provides enrolled participants with comprehensive health services rendered to enrolled participants by health professionals, groups, facilities, and other personnel associated with the health maintenance organization. See Washington Code 48.46.020
  • Health maintenance organization: means any organization receiving a certificate of registration by the commissioner under this chapter which provides comprehensive health care services to enrolled participants of such organization on a group practice per capita prepayment basis or on a prepaid individual practice plan, except for an enrolled participant's responsibility for copayments and/or deductibles, either directly or through contractual or other arrangements with other institutions, entities, or persons, and which qualifies as a health maintenance organization pursuant to RCW 48. See Washington Code 48.46.020
  • Health professionals: means health care practitioners who are regulated by the state of Washington. See Washington Code 48.46.020
  • insolvency: means that the organization has been declared insolvent and is placed under an order of liquidation by a court of competent jurisdiction. See Washington Code 48.46.020
  • Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
  • Meaningful role in policy making: means a procedure approved by the commissioner which provides consumers or elected representatives of consumers a means of submitting the views and recommendations of such consumers to the governing board of such organization coupled with reasonable assurance that the board will give regard to such views and recommendations. See Washington Code 48.46.020
  • Net worth: means the excess of total admitted assets as defined in RCW 48. See Washington Code 48.46.020
  • Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
  • Provider: means any health professional, hospital, or other institution, organization, or person that furnishes any health care services and is licensed or otherwise authorized to furnish such services. See Washington Code 48.46.020
  • Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
  • (1) Provides comprehensive health care services to enrolled participants on a group practice per capita prepayment basis or on a prepaid individual practice plan and provides such health services either directly or through arrangements with institutions, entities, and persons which its enrolled population might reasonably require as determined by the health maintenance organization in order to be maintained in good health; and
    (2) Is governed by a board elected by enrolled participants, or otherwise provides its enrolled participants with a meaningful role in policy making procedures of such organization, as defined in RCW 48.46.020(18) and 48.46.070; and
    (3) Affords enrolled participants with a meaningful appeal procedure aimed at settlement of disputes between such persons and such health maintenance organization, as defined in RCW 48.46.020(17) and 48.46.100; and
    (4) Provides enrolled participants, or makes available for inspection at least annually, financial statements pertaining to health maintenance agreements, disclosing income and expenses, assets and liabilities, and the bases for proposed rate adjustments for health maintenance agreements relating to its activity as a health maintenance organization; and
    (5) Demonstrates to the satisfaction of the commissioner that its facilities and personnel are reasonably adequate to provide comprehensive health care services to enrolled participants and that it is financially capable of providing such members with, or has made adequate contractual arrangements through insurance or otherwise to provide such members with, such health services; and
    (6) Substantially complies with administrative rules and regulations of the commissioner for purposes of this chapter; and
    (7) Submits an application for a certificate of registration which shall be verified by an officer or authorized representative of the applicant, being in form as the commissioner prescribes, and setting forth:
    (a) A copy of the basic organizational document, if any, of the applicant, such as the articles of incorporation, articles of association, partnership agreement, trust agreement, or other applicable documents, and all amendments thereto;
    (b) A copy of the bylaws, rules and regulations, or similar documents, if any, which regulate the conduct of the internal affairs of the applicant, and all amendments thereto;
    (c) A list of the names, addresses, members of the board of directors, board of trustees, executive committee, or other governing board or committee and the principal officers, partners, or members;
    (d) A full and complete disclosure of any financial interests held by any officer, or director in any provider associated with the applicant or any provider of the applicant;
    (e) A description of the health maintenance organization, its facilities and its personnel, and the applicant’s most recent financial statement showing such organization’s assets, liabilities, income, and other sources of financial support;
    (f) A description of the geographic areas and the population groups to be served and the size and composition of the anticipated enrollee population;
    (g) A copy of each type of health maintenance agreement to be issued to enrolled participants;
    (h) A schedule of all proposed rates of reimbursement to contracting health care facilities or providers, if any, and a schedule of the proposed charges for enrollee coverage for health care services, accompanied by data relevant to the formulation of such schedules;
    (i) A description of the proposed method and schedule for soliciting enrollment in the applicant health maintenance organization and the basis of compensation for such solicitation services;
    (j) A copy of the solicitation document to be distributed to all prospective enrolled participants in connection with any solicitation;
    (k) A financial projection which sets forth the anticipated results during the initial two years of operation of such organization, accompanied by a summary of the assumptions and relevant data upon which the projection is based. The projection should include the projected expenses, enrollment trends, income, enrollee utilization patterns, and sources of working capital;
    (l) A detailed description of the procedures and programs to be implemented to assure that the health care services delivered to enrolled participants will be of professional quality;
    (m) A detailed description of procedures to be implemented to meet the requirements to protect against insolvency in RCW 48.46.245;
    (n) Documentation that the health maintenance organization has an initial net worth of one million dollars and shall thereafter maintain the minimum net worth required under RCW 48.46.235; and
    (o) Such other information as the commissioner shall require by rule or regulation which is reasonably necessary to carry out the provisions of this section.
    A health maintenance organization shall, unless otherwise provided for in this chapter, file a notice describing any modification of any of the information required by subsection (7) of this section. Such notice shall be filed with the commissioner. With respect to provider compensation; however, such notice shall be filed in compliance with the requirements regarding provider compensation filing in chapter 48.43 RCW.