1. Each utilization review agent shall adhere to utilization review program standards consistent with the provisions of this title which shall, at a minimum, include:

1. (a) Appointment of a medical director, who is a licensed physician; provided, however, that the utilization review agent may appoint a clinical director when the utilization review performed is for a discrete category of health care service and provided further that the clinical director is a licensed health care professional who typically manages the category of service. Responsibilities of the medical director, or, where appropriate, the clinical director, shall include, but not be limited to, the supervision and oversight of the utilization review process;
2. (b) Development of written policies and procedures that govern all aspects of the utilization review process and a requirement that a utilization review agent shall maintain and make available to enrollees and health care providers a written description of such procedures including procedures to appeal an adverse determination together with a description, jointly promulgated by the commissioner and the superintendent of financial services as required pursuant to subdivision five of section forty-nine hundred fourteen of this article, of the external appeal process established pursuant to title two of this article and the time frames for such appeals;
3. (c) Utilization of written clinical review criteria developed pursuant to a utilization review plan;
4. (d) Establishment of a process for rendering utilization review determinations which shall, at a minimum, include: written procedures to assure that utilization reviews and determinations are conducted within the timeframes established herein; procedures to notify an enrollee, an enrollee's designee and/or an enrollee's health care provider of adverse determinations; and procedures for appeal of adverse determinations including the establishment of an expedited appeals process for denials of continued inpatient care or where there is imminent or serious threat to the health of the enrollee;
5. (e) Establishment of a written procedure to assure that the notice of an adverse determination includes: (i) the reasons for the determination including the clinical rationale, if any;
6. (ii) instructions on how to initiate standard and expedited appeals pursuant to section forty-nine hundred four and an external appeal pursuant to section forty-nine hundred fourteen of this article; and
7. (iii) notice of the availability, upon request of the enrollee or the enrollee's designee, of the clinical review criteria relied upon to make such determination;

8. (f) Establishment of a requirement that appropriate personnel of the utilization review agent are reasonably accessible by toll-free telephone:

   1. (i) not less than forty hours per week during normal business hours to discuss patient care and allow response to telephone requests, and to ensure that such utilization review agent has a telephone system capable of accepting, recording or providing instruction to incoming telephone calls during other than normal business hours and to ensure response to accepted or recorded messages not less than one business day after the date on which the call was received; or
   2. (ii) notwithstanding the provisions of subparagraph (i) of this paragraph, not less than forty hours per week during normal business hours, to discuss patient care and allow response to telephone requests, and to ensure that, in the case of a request submitted pursuant to subdivision three of section forty-nine hundred three of this title or an expedited appeal filed pursuant to subdivision two of section forty-nine hundred four of this title, on a twenty-four hour a day, seven day a week basis;
9. (g) Establishment of appropriate policies and procedures to ensure that all applicable state and federal laws to protect the confidentiality of individual medical records are followed;
10. (h) Establishment of a requirement that emergency services rendered to an enrollee shall not be subject to prior authorization nor shall reimbursement for such services be denied on retrospective review; provided, however, that such services are medically necessary to stabilize or treat an emergency condition. * (i) When conducting utilization review for purposes of determining health care coverage for substance use disorder treatment, a utilization review agent shall utilize recognized evidence-based and peer reviewed clinical review criteria that is appropriate to the age of the patient and is deemed appropriate and approved for such use by the commissioner of the office of alcoholism and substance abuse services in consultation with the commissioner and the superintendent of financial services. The office of alcoholism and substance abuse services in consultation with the commissioner and the superintendent of financial services shall approve a recognized evidence-based and peer reviewed clinical review criteria, in addition to any other approved evidence-based and peer reviewed clinical review criteria. * NB Effective April 1, 2015