Section 10180 Of Article 4. Payment And Proceeds From California Insurance Code >> Division 2. >> Part 2. >> Chapter 1. >> Article 4.
10180
. (a) A disability insurer which negotiates and enters into a
contract with professional providers to provide services at
alternative rates of payment pursuant to Section 10133 of the
Insurance Code, shall give reasonable consideration to timely written
proposals for contracting by licensed or certified professional
providers.
(b) For the purposes of this section, the following definitions
are applicable:
(1) "Reasonable consideration" means consideration in good faith
of the terms of proposals for contracting prior to the time that
contracts for alternative rates of payment are entered into or
renewed. An insurer may specify the terms and conditions of
contracting to assure cost efficiency, qualification of providers,
appropriate utilization of services, accessibility, convenience to
persons who would receive the provider's services, and consistency
with its basic method of operation, but shall not exclude providers
because of their category of license.
(2) "Professional provider" means a holder of a certificate or
license under Division 2 (commencing with Section 500) of the
Business and Professions Code, or any initiative act referred to
therein, except for those certified or licensed pursuant to Article 3
of Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 2050) or Chapter 11
(commencing with Section 4800), who may, within the scope of their
licenses, perform the services of a specific benefit defined in the
insurer's policy.
(c) An insurer which has a contract with an institutional provider
or with professional providers is not required by this section to
give consideration to contracting with professional providers who
hold the same category of license or certificate and propose to serve
a geographic area served adequately by the contracting providers
that provide their professional services as employees or agents of
that institutional or professional provider, or contract with that
institutional or professional provider to provide professional
services.