(1) In order to protect patients and ensure that they benefit from seamless quality care when contracted providers are absent from their practices or when there is a temporary vacancy in a position while a hospital, rural health clinic, or rural provider is recruiting to meet patient demand, hospitals, rural health clinics, and rural providers may use substitute providers to provide services. Medicaid managed care organizations must allow for the use of substitute providers and provide payment consistent with the provisions in this section.

(2) Hospitals, rural health clinics, and rural providers that are contracted with a medicaid managed care organization may use substitute providers that are not contracted with a managed care organization when:

(a) A contracted provider is absent for a limited period of time due to vacation, illness, disability, continuing medical education, or other short-term absence; or

(b) A contracted hospital, rural health clinic, or rural provider is recruiting to fill an open position.

(3) For a substitute provider providing services under subsection (2)(a) of this section, a contracted hospital, rural health clinic, or rural provider may bill and receive payment for services at the contracted rate under its contract with the managed care organization for up to sixty days.

(4) To be eligible for reimbursement under this section for services provided on behalf of a contracted provider for greater than sixty days, a substitute provider must enroll in a medicaid managed care organization. Enrollment of a substitute provider in a medicaid managed care organization is effective on the later of:

(a) The date the substitute provider filed an enrollment application that was subsequently approved; or

(b) The date the substitute provider first began providing services at the hospital, rural health clinic, or rural provider.

(5) A substitute provider who enrolls with a medicaid managed care organization may not bill under subsection (4) of this section for any services billed to the medicaid managed care organization pursuant to subsection (3) of this section.

(6) Nothing in this section obligates a managed care organization to enroll any substitute provider who requests enrollment if they do not meet the organizations enrollment criteria.

(7) For purposes of this section:

(a) "Circumstances precluded enrollment" means that the provider has met all program requirements including state licensure during the thirty-day period before an application was submitted and no final adverse determination precluded enrollment. If a final adverse determination precluded enrollment during this thirty-day period, the contractor shall only establish an effective billing date the day after the date that the final adverse action was resolved, as long as it is not more than thirty days prior to the date on which the application was submitted.

(b) "Contracted provider" means a provider who is contracted with a medicaid managed care organization.

(c) "Hospital" means a facility licensed under chapter 70.41 or 71.12 RCW.

(d) "Rural health clinic" means a federally designated rural health clinic.

(e) "Rural provider" means physicians licensed under chapter 18.71 RCW, osteopathic physicians and surgeons licensed under chapter 18.57 RCW, podiatric physicians and surgeons licensed under chapter 18.22 RCW, physician assistants licensed under chapter 18.71A RCW, osteopathic physician assistants licensed under chapter 18.71A RCW, and *advanced registered nurse practitioners licensed under chapter 18.79 RCW, who are located in a rural county as defined in RCW 82.14.370.

(f) "Substitute provider" includes physicians licensed under chapter 18.71 RCW, osteopathic physicians and surgeons licensed under chapter 18.57 RCW, podiatric physicians and surgeons licensed under chapter 18.22 RCW, physician assistants licensed under chapter 18.71A RCW, osteopathic physician assistants licensed under chapter 18.71A RCW, and *advanced registered nurse practitioners licensed under chapter 18.79 RCW.

*Reviser's note: The term "advanced registered nurse practitioner" was changed to "advanced practice registered nurse" by 2024 c 239 s 1, effective June 30, 2027.

Effective date—2020 c 4 s 3: "Section 3 of this act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and takes effect immediately [March 17, 2020]." [ 2020 c 4 s 4.]