Title HSC, California Health & Safety Code

For purposes of this chapter, the following terms have the following meanings: (a) “Charity care” means free care. (b) “Discounted payment” or “discount payment” means any charge for care that is reduced but not free. (Added by Stats. 2024, Ch. 511, Sec. 2. (AB 2297) Effective Ja…

(a) The State Department of Public Health shall be responsible for the enforcement of the provisions of this article for violations occurring prior to January 1, 2024. The Department of Health Care Access and Information shall be responsible for the enforcement of the provisions …

(a) (1) (A) Each hospital shall maintain an understandable written policy regarding discount payments for financially qualified patients as well as an understandable written charity care policy. Uninsured patients or patients with high medical costs who are at or below 400 percen…

(a) For purposes of this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings: (1) “Presumptively determine” means a determination made by a hospital that a patient who did not submit an application or documentation of income, as described in paragraph (1) of subdivisio…

(a) Each hospital shall provide patients with a written notice that shall contain information about availability of the hospital’s discount payment and charity care policies, including information about eligibility, as well as contact information for a hospital employee or office…

(a) Each hospital shall make all reasonable efforts to obtain from the patient or the patient’s representative information about whether private or public health insurance or sponsorship may fully or partially cover the charges for care rendered by the hospital to a patient, incl…

(a) A hospital shall not sell patient debt to a debt buyer, as defined in Section 1788.50 of the Civil Code, unless all of the following apply: (1) The hospital has found the patient ineligible for financial assistance or the patient has not responded to any attempts to bill or o…

(a) The period described in Section 127425 shall be extended if the patient has a pending appeal for coverage of the services, until a final determination of that appeal is made, if the patient makes a reasonable effort to communicate with the hospital about the progress of any p…

(a) Prior to commencing collection activities against a patient, the hospital, any assignee of the hospital, or other owner of the patient debt, including a collection agency, shall provide the patient with a clear and conspicuous written notice containing both of the following: …

(a) A hospital shall provide to the department a copy of its discount payment policy, charity care policy, eligibility procedures for those policies, review process, and the application for charity care or discounted payment programs, as well as a copy of its debt collection poli…

(a) Upon promulgation of regulations as required in subdivisions (b) and (c) no later than January 1, 2024, the Director of the Department of Health Care Access and Information shall impose an administrative penalty for each violation against a hospital that fails to comply with …

The Hospital Fair Pricing Penalties Fund is created in the State Treasury. Any moneys collected from administrative penalties pursuant to this article shall be deposited into the fund. Upon appropriation by the Legislature, the department may use moneys from the fund to carry out…

(a) The hospital shall reimburse the patient or patients any amount actually paid in excess of the amount due under this article, including interest. Interest owed by the hospital to the patient shall accrue at the rate set forth in Section 685.010 of the Code of Civil Procedure,…

The rights, remedies, and penalties established by this article are cumulative, and shall not supersede the rights, remedies, or penalties established under other laws. (Added by Stats. 2006, Ch. 755, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2007.)

(a) This article does not prohibit a hospital from uniformly imposing charges from its established charge schedule or published rates or preclude the recognition of a hospital’s established charge schedule or published rates for purposes of applying any payment limit, interim pay…

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the amounts paid by parties for services resulting from reduced or waived charges under a hospital’s discounted payment or charity care policy shall not constitute a hospital’s uniform, published, prevailing, or customary charges, its u…

To the extent that any requirement of Section 127400, 127401, or 127405 results in a federal determination that a hospital’s established charge schedule or published rates are not the hospital’s customary or prevailing charges for services, the requirement in question shall be in…

As used in this chapter the term “board” means the board of supervisors of a county. (Added by Stats. 1961, Ch. 1993.)

The board of supervisors in each county may establish and maintain a county hospital, prescribe rules for the government and management thereof, appoint a county physician and other necessary officers and employees thereof, who shall hold office during the pleasure of the board a…

(a) A member of a county hospital’s medical or allied health professional staff who is an officer of the board of supervisors, or of a board or commission appointed by the board of supervisors for the operation of a county hospital shall not be deemed to be “financially intereste…

(a) Prior to (1) closing , (2) eliminating or reducing the level of medical services provided by, or (3) the leasing, selling, or transfer of management of, a county facility, the board shall provide public notice, including notice posted at the entrance to all county health care…

The board may provide for transporting the needy sick to and from hospitals to which they may be sent by authority of the board, and may provide for transporting indigents to other counties or states when such indigents will thereby cease to become public charges, or when friends…

The board of supervisors in each county or city and county, having a population of one million or more, may purchase ambulances, establish and maintain an ambulance service, and prescribe rules for the government and management thereof. In any county where such a service has been…

If a county hospital requests an ambulance to transfer a mental health patient who is unstable and has a history of being assaultive to another facility, notwithstanding any other provision of law, the director of the hospital or a designee shall inform the ambulance personnel of…

Under such limitations and restrictions as are prescribed by law, and in addition to jurisdiction and powers otherwise conferred, the boards of supervisors in each county may provide for the care and maintenance of the indigent sick or dependent poor of the county, and may provid…

Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, a person, in order to be eligible for care, shall be a resident of the state and county wherein care is furnished as defined in Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 17100) of Part 5 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code. (A…

Notwithstanding any other provisions of the Welfare and Institutions Code, the county which is responsible for the payment of public assistance to any person or group of persons under Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 11200), Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 12000), or Chapter…

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, the board shall not let the care, maintenance, or attendance of the indigent sick or dependent poor by contract to any person. (b) The board may secure for the indigent sick, and other persons admissible to the county hospital, at…

The board may authorize payment for care provided, on or after January 1, 1962, to an indigent resident of the county in a hospital or medical facility located in another state, where that care is provided in an emergency or can be secured at a lesser expense than would be the ca…

The board of supervisors of counties of the 20th class and 40th to 58th class, inclusive, in connection with the administration of a county hospital may establish in the county treasury a special fund to be known as the “Hospital Trust Fund,” into which may be placed deposits mad…

The board of supervisors of any county in connection with the administration of any county hospital may establish in the county treasury a special fund to be known as the “patients’ personal deposit fund.” When such fund is established, any patient in the hospital may request the…

In any county where a county hospital has been established, any expectant mother who is unable to pay for her necessary care shall be admitted to the county hospital, and the cost of her maintenance and care shall be a proper charge against and shall be paid by the county of her …

The board shall appoint a suitable graduate, or graduates, in medicine to attend such indigent sick or dependent poor in the county hospitals and almshouses. (Added by Stats. 1961, Ch. 1993.)

(a) In the interest of public health and safety the board of supervisors of any county which maintains a county hospital may by ordinance establish a hospital and safety commission. The commission shall be advisory to the board of supervisors. (b) The commission shall exercise su…

(a) The State Department of Health Services, with the advice of the State Department of Social Services, shall prescribe the records to be kept by county hospitals of persons received into or discharged from these institutions, including, but not limited to, records for the admis…

The board may provide a farm in connection with the county hospital or almshouse and may make regulations for working the same. (Added by Stats. 1965, Ch. 1784.)

No county hospital which permits sterilization operations for contraceptive purposes to be performed therein, nor the medical staff of such hospital, shall require the individual upon whom such a sterilization operation is to be performed to meet any special nonmedical qualificat…

(a) Upon a determination and establishment of the need to recruit and retain registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses, X-ray technicians, laboratory technologists, and other health care professionals, the board of supervisors of a county may establish nursing or health care …

Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, the board of directors of any hospital subject to this chapter may order that any hearings on the reports of hospital medical audit or quality assurance committees be held in closed session. An applicant or medical staff member whose s…

(a) Except as provided in this section or Section 1461, all of the sessions of the board of directors of any hospital subject to this chapter, whether regular or special, shall be open to the public. (b) The board of directors may order that a meeting held solely for the purpose …

(a) (1) There is hereby created in the State Treasury the Building Homes and Jobs Trust Fund. All interest or other increments resulting from the investment of moneys in the fund shall be deposited in the fund, notwithstanding Section 16305.7 of the Government Code. (2) Moneys in…

For purposes of this chapter: (a) “Department” means the Department of Housing and Community Development. (b) “Local government” means any city, county, city and county, or the duly constituted governing body of an Indian reservation or rancheria. (Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 660…

The department and the California Housing Finance Agency shall report on the expenditure of funds pursuant to this chapter in accordance with Sections 50408 and 51005, respectively. (Added by Stats. 2017, Ch. 364, Sec. 4. (SB 2) Effective September 29, 2017.)

The department shall allocate the funds described in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 50470 as follows: (a) Five million dollars ($5,000,000) to the Bridges at Kraemer Place emergency shelter, located in Orange County. (b) Five million dollars ($5,0…

(a) Pursuant to this chapter, the board of supervisors may establish, subject to the limitations of paragraph (1) of subdivision (c), the Central Coast Hospital Authority, which shall, for all purposes, be a public entity separate and apart from the county and any other public en…

(a) Permanent employees of the medical center on the effective date of affiliation shall be deemed qualified for employment or retention and no other qualifications shall be required. Probationary employees on the effective date of affiliation shall retain their probationary stat…