CONTINUITY OF CARE.

(a) In this section, "special circumstance" means a condition regarding which a treating physician or provider reasonably believes that discontinuing care by that physician or provider could cause harm to an enrollee who is a patient. Examples of an enrollee who has a special circumstance include an enrollee with a disability, acute condition, or life-threatening illness and an enrollee who is past the 24th week of pregnancy.

(b) A contract between a health maintenance organization and a limited provider network or delegated entity must require that each contract between the network or entity and a physician or provider must:

(1) require that reasonable advance notice be given to an enrollee of an impending termination from the network or entity of a physician or provider who is currently treating the enrollee; and

(2) provide that the termination of the physician's or provider's contract, except for reason of medical competence or professional behavior, does not release the network or entity from the obligation to reimburse the physician or provider for treatment of an enrollee who has a special circumstance at a rate that is not less than the contract rate for that enrollee's care in exchange for continuity of ongoing treatment of the enrollee then receiving medically necessary treatment in accordance with the dictates of medical prudence.

(c) The treating physician or provider shall identify a special circumstance. That physician or provider must:

(1) request that the enrollee be permitted to continue treatment under the physician's or provider's care; and

(2) agree not to seek payment from the enrollee who is a patient of any amount for which the enrollee would not be responsible if the physician or provider continued to be included in the limited provider network or delegated entity.

(d) Except as provided by Subsection (e), this section does not extend the obligation of a limited provider network or delegated entity to reimburse a terminated physician or provider for ongoing treatment of an enrollee after:

(1) the 90th day after the effective date of the termination; or

(2) if the enrollee has been diagnosed with a terminal illness at the time of termination, the expiration of the nine-month period after the effective date of the termination.

(e) If an enrollee is past the 24th week of pregnancy at the time of termination, the obligation of the limited provider network or delegated entity to reimburse the terminated physician or provider or, if applicable, the enrollee extends through delivery of the child, immediate postpartum care, and a follow-up checkup within the six-week period after delivery.

(f) A contract between a limited provider network or delegated entity and a physician or provider must provide procedures for resolving disputes regarding the necessity for continued treatment by a physician or provider.