The Director of the Department of Health Services shall negotiate a modification of the contract with Computer Sciences Corporation for the provision of fiscal intermediary services for the Medi-Cal program in effect on the effective date of this section to establish providers of durable medical equipment, prosthetic and orthotic devices, and emergency and nonemergency medical transportation as a distinct and separate provider classification for claim processing purposes. The director shall determine which providers qualify as providers for the purposes of this section. The contract shall be further amended to provide that claims of this type shall be processed for payment within an average of 25 days from the date of receipt. If the contractor fails to process such claims within the 25-day standard, the department shall assess maximum liquidated damages against the contractor, per day, until the performance standard is met.
(Added by Stats. 1982, Ch. 91, Sec. 2.)