(a) Consistent with Insurance Code §1301.0055(a)(3), concerning Network Adequacy Standards, where necessary to avoid a violation of the network adequacy requirements of §3.3704 of this title (relating to Freedom of Choice; Availability of Preferred Providers) in a county that the insurer wishes to include in its service area, an insurer may apply for a waiver from one or more of the network adequacy requirements in §3.3704(f) of this title. After considering all pertinent evidence in a public hearing under Insurance Code §1301.00565, concerning Public Hearing on Network Adequacy Standards Waivers, the commissioner may grant the waiver if the requestor shows good cause, subject to the limits on waivers provided in Insurance Code §1301.0055(a)(5). The commissioner may deny a waiver request if good cause is not shown and may impose reasonable conditions on the grant of the waiver.
(b) An insurer seeking a waiver under subsection (a) of this section must submit waiver and access plan information required under §3.3712(c) of this title (related to Network Configuration Filings) and information justifying the waiver request as specified in this subsection using the attempt to contract form available at www.tdi.texas.gov. An insurer must submit the network compliance and waiver request form and the attempt to contract form to the department using SERFF or another electronic method that is acceptable to the department. For each waiver requested with respect to a type of physician or provider in a given county, the insurer must provide either the information specified by paragraph (1) of this subsection or the information specified by paragraph (2) of this subsection, as appropriate.
  (1) If providers or physicians are available within the relevant service area for the covered service or services for which the insurer requests a waiver, the insurer's request for waiver must include, within the attempt to contract form:
    (A) a list of the providers or physicians within the relevant service area that the insurer attempted to contract with, identified by name and specialty or facility type, and including the physician or provider's address and county; national provider identifier, contact name, email, and phone number; and for facility-based physicians or providers, the group name and associated facility;
    (B) a description of how and when the insurer last contacted each provider or physician that demonstrates that the insurer made a good faith effort to contract, as defined in Insurance Code §1301.00565(a), including:
      (i) in the case of a waiver that is being requested more than two consecutive times for the same network adequacy standard in the same county, evidence that the insurer made multiple good faith attempts during each of the prior consecutive waiver periods;
      (ii) in the case of a waiver that is being requested more than four times within a 21-year period for the same network adequacy standard in the same county, evidence that the insurer has been unable to remedy the issue through good faith efforts;
    (C) a description of any reason each provider or physician gave for declining to contract with the insurer, such as the provider's or physician's participation in any exclusivity arrangement or other external factors that affect the ability of the parties to contract;
    (D) a description of all steps the insurer will take to attempt to improve its network to make future requests to renew the waiver unnecessary;
    (E) a description of the source or sources the insurer uses to identify physicians and providers that are available in the service area, and how often the insurer monitors these sources for new physicians and providers entering the service area; and
    (F) a description of the insurer's policies and procedures for reaching out to available physicians and providers, including how many attempts the insurer makes and if different policies and procedures apply for different specialty types.
  (2) If there are no providers or physicians available within the relevant service area with whom a contract would allow the insurer to meet the specific standard for the covered service or services for which the insurer requests a waiver, the insurer's request for waiver must state this fact.
(c) At the same time an insurer files a request for waiver or a request to renew a waiver, it must file an access plan, to be taken into consideration by the commissioner in deciding whether to grant or deny a waiver request, subject to Insurance Code §1301.00566, concerning Effect of Network Adequacy Standards Waiver on Balance Billing Prohibitions. The insurer must:
  (1) develop access plan procedures consistent with subsection (j) of this section; and
  (2) file the access plan as required in §3.3712(c)(2)(C)(iv) of this title.
(d) If the insurer believes that the information provided under subsection (b) of this section in the attempt to contract form includes proprietary information that is confidential and not subject to disclosure as public information under Government Code Chapter 552, concerning Public Information, the insurer must mark the document as confidential in SERFF. If the insurer marks the document as confidential, it must include in the filing an explanation of which information contained in the document is proprietary, and which information is not. However, consistent with Insurance Code 1301.00565(g), certain information is subject to release regardless of marking, and the department may publish or otherwise release such information. The insurer is not permitted to mark the entire filing as confidential. When scheduling a hearing related to a waiver request, the department will send a notice of the hearing to any provider or physician named in the waiver request.
(e) Any provider or physician may elect to provide a response to an insurer's request for waiver by sending an email to networkwaivers@tdi.texas.gov within 15 days after receiving notice from the department. The response, if filed, must indicate whether the provider or physician consents to being identified at a hearing related to the waiver request and may include evidence that is pertinent to the waiver request for the commissioner's consideration.
(f) If the department grants a waiver under subsection (a) of this section, the department will post on the department's website information relevant to the grant of a waiver, consistent with Insurance Code §1301.0055(a)(3).
(g) An insurer may apply for renewal of a waiver described in subsection (a) of this section annually.
  (1) Application for renewal of a waiver must be filed in the manner described in subsection (d) of this section and submitted at the time the insurer files its annual report under §3.3709 of this title (relating to Annual Network Adequacy Report).
  (2) At the same time the insurer files an application for renewal of a waiver, the insurer must develop and file any applicable access plan the insurer uses in accordance with the waiver, in the manner specified by subsection (c) of this section.
(h) When granting a waiver, the department will specify the one-year period for which the waiver will apply. A waiver will expire at the end of the period specified by the department unless the insurer requests a renewal under subsection (g) of this section and the department approves the insurer's request for renewal.
(i) If the status of a network utilized in any preferred provider benefit plan changes so that the health benefit plan no longer complies with the network adequacy requirements specified in §3.3704 of this title for a specific county, the insurer must establish an access plan within 30 days of the date on which the network becomes noncompliant and, within 90 days of the date on which the network becomes noncompliant, apply for a waiver in accordance with subsection (a) of this section requesting that the department approve the continued use of the access plan.
(j) An insurer must establish and implement documented procedures, as specified in this subsection, for use in all service areas for which an access plan is submitted, as required by subsections (c), (i), or (m) of this section. These procedures must be made available to the department upon request. When a preferred provider is not available within the network adequacy standards under §3.3704(f) of this title (relating to Freedom of Choice; Availability of Preferred Providers) to provide a medically necessary covered service, the insurer must use a documented procedure to:
  (1) identify requests for preauthorization of services for insureds that are likely to require the rendition of services by physicians or providers that do not have a contract with the insurer;
  (2) upon request by an insured or an individual acting on behalf of an insured, and within the time appropriate to the circumstances relating to the delivery of the services and the condition of the patient but in no event to exceed five business days, approve a network gap exception and facilitate access to care by recommending at least two physicians or providers that:
Cont'd...