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Bill would let Nevada hospitals bill state directly for forensic exams, sponsors say
Summary
AB272 would let licensed medical facilities bill the Department of Health and Human Services directly for forensic medical exams for sexual assault, strangulation and trafficking victims, sponsors said, aiming to remove county-level billing bottlenecks that limit access to exam capacity.
CARSON CITY — The Assembly Judiciary Committee on Monday heard Assembly Bill 272, a measure from Assemblywoman Melissa Hardy to allow licensed medical facilities to bill the state directly for forensic medical exams performed by licensed forensic nurses.
Hardy said the current process — which routes reimbursement through counties before reaching the state — creates a bottleneck that limits survivor access to forensic exams. William Horn, presenting the measure, said AB272 would permit health-care facilities to apply to the Department of Health and Human Services for reimbursement and would authorize DHHS to adopt implementing regulations.
Liz Ortenberger, CEO of SafeNest, told the committee Clark County’s system has been hampered by the current billing rules. She said Clark County effectively had a reimbursement cap (previously a limit of 10 exams or $10,000 annually under the older rules), which discouraged hospitals from offering forensic exam capacity despite the presence of trained forensic nurses. Ortenberger described the measure as designed to expand exam availability by enabling direct state reimbursement.
The bill defines eligible forensic examinations to include not only sexual-assault nurse examiner (SANE) exams for sexual assault but also exams for strangulation and human trafficking when performed by licensed forensic nurses. The Department of Health and Human Services would be required to adopt regulations establishing reimbursement procedures.
Local law-enforcement and county representatives testified in support. Jeff Rogan, representing Clark County, and Chris Reese of Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said the bill would address access problems in Clark County. Jason Walker of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office also testified in support.
No callers opposed the bill at the hearing; no committee vote was taken. The sponsor thanked the committee and said she would update members on amendments or next steps.
If enacted, sponsors and supporters said, the bill would be intended to increase the number of facilities able to offer forensic exams without the county-level administrative bottleneck that advocates say has constrained access.
