(a)
Any hospital which receives funds pursuant to this chapter or Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 16930) shall, within 90 days of the receipt of those funds, cease all current and waive all future collection efforts, by itself and by its agents, to obtain any payment from the patient with respect to whom the services funded under this chapter were rendered.
(b)
This section shall not be interpreted or applied so as to prevent the hospital from doing either of the following:
(1)
Seeking demographic, financial, or other information necessary for the patient to qualify for Medi-Cal program benefits under Chapter 14 (commencing with Section 14000) of Part 3 or for the reimbursement for services through any other third-party payer.
(2)
(A)Seeking payment from a responsible third-party payer or, subject to subparagraph (B), continuing collection on a repayment schedule for the cost of services rendered.
(B)
Collection on a repayment schedule shall be based on the patient’s ability to pay.
(c)
If a hospital receives payment from a patient or responsible third-party payer, the hospital shall notify the county and reimburse the county in an amount equal to the amount collected from the patient or third-party
payer, but not more than the amount of the payment received from the county for the patient’s care.