Before or during the orientation process, health plans generally provide new network providers with a provider manual. One of the primary purposes of the provider manual is to
When the Rialto Health Plan determines which of the emergency services received by its plan members should be covered by the health plan, it is guided by a standard which describes emergencies as medical conditions manifesting themselves by acute symptoms of sufficient severity (including severe pain) such that a person who possesses an average knowledge of health and medicine could reasonably expect the absence of immediate medical attention to result in placing the health of the individual in serious jeopardy. This standard, which was adopted by the NAIC in 1996, is referred to as the
Dr. Sylvia Cimer and Dr. Andrew Donne are obstetrician/gynecologists who participate in the same provider network. Dr. Comer treats a large number of high-risk patients, whereas Dr. Donne’s patients are generally healthy and rarely present complications. As a result, Dr. Comer typically uses medical resources at a much higher rate than does Dr. Donne. In order to equitably compare Dr. Comer’s performance with Dr. Donne’s performance, the health plan modified its evaluation to account for differences in the providers’ patient populations and treatment protocols. The health plan modified Dr. Comer’s and Dr. Donne’s performance data by means of