South Carolina § 38-33-110 - Complaint procedures; reports; malpractice claims; applicability of Freedom of Information Act.

§ 38-33-110. Complaint procedures; reports; malpractice claims; applicability of Freedom of Information Act.

(A)(1) Every health maintenance organization shall establish and maintain a complaint system which is approved by the director or his designee to provide reasonable procedures for the resolution of written complaints initiated by enrollees.

(2) Each health maintenance organization, with the annual report required in Section 38-33-90, shall submit to the department an annual report in a form the director prescribes which must include:

(a) a summary of written complaints handled through the health maintenance organization's approved complaint system. The summary must include the total number of complaints organized by the nature of the complaint and the average time taken to resolve the complaint;

(b) the number, amount, and disposition of malpractice claims made by enrollees of the health maintenance organization that it settled during the year.

(B) The director or his designee at any time may examine the complaint system. Information concerning complaints and malpractice claims filed pursuant to this section must be held in confidence and are not subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.

HISTORY: Enacted as 1976 Code SECTION 38-25-110 by 1987 Act No. 83, SECTION 1; recodified as SECTION 38-33-110 by 1987 Act No. 155, SECTION 24; 1992 Act No. 403, SECTION 4; 1993 Act No. 181, SECTION 633.