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Senate committee hears bill to let providers meet timely-billing rule by sending bills to attorneys in personal-injury cases
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Summary
House Bill 4145 would allow healthcare providers to satisfy Texas's timely-billing requirement by submitting bills to a patient's legal representative in personal-injury cases, closing a loophole some providers say attorneys use to avoid payment. The bill drew testimony from a chiropractor; it was left pending.
House Bill 4145 would amend state law so that a health-care provider may meet the statutory timely-billing requirement by sending a bill to a patient's attorney or legal representative in a personal-injury matter, unless the patient directs otherwise.
"This appears to us to be a loophole in the timely billing statute and not its intention," said Dr. Corey Rose, a chiropractor in New Braunfels testifying for the Texas Chiropractic Association. He told the committee some attorneys have argued providers failed the timely-billing requirement when they submitted bills to the patient's lawyer rather than the patient directly, leading to withheld payment even when the provider had timely submitted a bill.
Sponsor testimony said the proposal would close that loophole while preserving patients' ability to direct otherwise, and would not affect workers' compensation rights. The committee received support testimony from a representative of the Texas Chiropractic Association and closed public testimony; the bill was left pending for further committee consideration.
