PROVIDER ACCESS STANDARDS; BIENNIAL REPORT.

(a) The commission shall establish minimum provider access standards for a Medicaid managed care organization's provider network. The provider access standards must ensure that a Medicaid managed care organization provides recipients sufficient access to:

(1) preventive care;

(2) primary care;

(3) specialty care;

(4) after-hours urgent care;

(5) chronic care;

(6) long-term services and supports;

(7) nursing services;

(8) therapy services, including services provided in a clinical setting or in a home or community-based setting; and

(9) any other services the commission identifies.

(b) To the extent feasible, the provider access standards must:

(1) distinguish between access to providers in urban and rural settings;

(2) consider the number and geographic distribution of Medicaid-enrolled providers in a particular service delivery area; and

(3) subject to Section 548.0054(a) and consistent with Section 111.007, Occupations Code, consider and include the availability of telehealth services and telemedicine medical services in a Medicaid managed care organization's provider network.

(c) The commission shall biennially submit to the legislature and make available to the public a report that contains:

(1) information and statistics on:

(A) recipient access to providers through Medicaid managed care organizations' provider networks; and

(B) Medicaid managed care organization compliance with contractual obligations related to provider access standards;

(2) a compilation and analysis of information Medicaid managed care organizations submit to the commission under Section 540.0260(4);

(3) for both primary care providers and specialty providers, information on provider-to-recipient ratios in a Medicaid managed care organization's provider network and benchmark ratios to indicate whether deficiencies exist in a given network; and

(4) a description of, and analysis of the results from, the commission's monitoring process established under Section 540.0601.