| D.__"Health care practitioner" means a person licensed by | this State to provide or otherwise lawfully providing | health care or a partnership or corporation made up of | those persons or an officer, employee, agent or contractor | of that person acting in the course and scope of | employment, agency or contract related to or supportive of | the provision of health care to individuals. |
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| E.__"Health care procedure" means the provision of health | care including a diagnosis, test, procedure, treatment, | operation or other health care service and the provision | of pharmaceuticals and health care equipment required as | part of a health care procedure provided to a patient by a | health care practitioner or by a person or entity | affiliated with or under a contractual agreement with the | health care practitioner. |
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| | 2.__Disclosure to patient required.__Except as provided in | subsection 6, prior to providing a health care procedure to a | patient, a health care practitioner or facility must disclose | in writing to the patient or to the authorized representative | of the patient the price or prices to be charged for the | health care procedure. |
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| | 3.__Billing for reimbursement prohibited.__Except as | provided in subsection 6, a health care practitioner or | facility who has not provided the disclosure required by | subsection 2 for a particular health care procedure may not | bill the patient, authorized representative of the patient, | insurance carrier or other responsible 3rd party for the | health care procedure. |
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| | 4.__Disclosure to public required.__A health care | practitioner or facility must provide for the general public a | list of health care procedures provided by the health care | practitioner or facility and the price or prices charged for | each procedure listed. |
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| | 5.__Disclosure to Maine Health Data Organization.__By March | 31st of each year, a health care practitioner or facility | shall disclose to the Maine Health Data Organization | established under chapter 1683 the list of health care | procedures and prices for which disclosure is required under | subsection 4 and a list of discounts from those prices that | were granted by the health care practitioner or facility in | the prior calendar year. |
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| | 6.__Exceptions.__The provisions of subsections 2 and 3 do | not apply in a health care emergency.__The Board of Licensure | in Medicine and the Division of Licensure and Certification | shall adopt rules defining the term "emergency" for the | purposes of this section.__Rules adopted pursuant to this | subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, | chapter 375, subchapter 2-A. |
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