(1)(a) To initiate arbitration, the carrier, provider, or facility must provide written notification to the commissioner and the noninitiating party no later than ten calendar days following completion of the period of good faith negotiation under WAC 284-43B-030(3) using the arbitration initiation request form found in Appendix A of this rule. When multiple claims are addressed in a single arbitration proceeding, subsection (3) of this section governs calculation of the ten calendar days. Any information submitted to the commissioner with the arbitration initiation request must be included in the notice to the noninitiating party under RCW 48.49.040. A provider initiating arbitration must send the arbitration initiation request form to the email address appearing on the website established by the designated lead organization for administration simplification in Washington state under (c) of this subsection. Any patient information submitted to the commissioner with an arbitration initiation request form must be de-identified to ensure that protected health information is not disclosed.

(b) The written notification to the commissioner must be made electronically and provide dates related to each of the time period limitations described in WAC 284-43B-030 (1) through (3). The commissioner's review of the arbitration initiation request form is limited to the information necessary to determine that the request has been timely submitted and is complete.

(c) Each carrier must provide the designated lead organization for administrative simplification in Washington state with the email address and telephone number of the carrier's designated contact for receipt of notices to initiate arbitration. The email address and phone number provided must be specific to the carrier staff responsible for receipt of notices or other actions related to arbitration proceedings. The initial submission of information to the designated lead organization must be made on or before November 10, 2020. The carrier must keep its contact information accurate and current by submitting updated contact information to the designated lead organization as directed by that organization.

(2) Within ten business days of a party notifying the commissioner and the noninitiating party of intent to initiate arbitration, both parties shall agree to and execute a nondisclosure agreement. The nondisclosure agreement must prohibit either party from sharing or making use of any confidential or proprietary information acquired or used for purposes of one arbitration in any subsequent arbitration proceedings. The nondisclosure agreement must not preclude the arbitrator from submitting the arbitrator's decision to the commissioner under RCW 48.49.040 or impede the commissioner's duty to prepare the annual report under RCW 48.49.050.

(3) If an out-of-network provider or out-of-network facility chooses to address multiple claims in a single arbitration proceeding as provided in RCW 48.49.040, notification must be provided no later than ten calendar days following completion of the period of good faith negotiation under WAC 284-43B-030(3) for the most recent claim that is to be addressed through the arbitration. All of the claims at issue must:

(a) Involve identical carrier and provider or facility parties. A provider group may bundle claims billed using a common federal taxpayer identification number on behalf of the provider members of the group;

(b) Involve claims with the same or related current procedural terminology codes relevant to a particular procedure; and

(c) Occur within a two month period of one another, such that the earliest claim that is the subject of the arbitration occurred no more than two months prior to the latest claim that is the subject of the arbitration. For purposes of this subsection, a provider or facility claim occurs on the date the service is provided to a patient or, in the case of inpatient facility admissions, the date the admission ends.

(4) A notification submitted to the commissioner later than ten calendar days following completion of the period of good faith negotiation will be considered untimely and will be rejected. A party that has submitted an untimely notice is permanently foreclosed from seeking arbitration related to the claim or claims that were the subject of the untimely notice.

(5) Within seven calendar days of receipt of notification from the initiating party, the commissioner must provide the parties with a list of approved arbitrators or entities that provide arbitration. The commissioner will use the email address for the noninitiating party provided on the arbitration initiation request form. The arbitrator selection process must be completed within twenty calendar days of receipt of the original list of arbitrators from the commissioner, as follows:

(a) If the parties are unable to agree on an arbitrator from the original list sent by the commissioner, they must notify the commissioner within five calendar days of receipt of the original list of arbitrators. The commissioner must send the parties a list of five arbitrators within five calendar days of receipt of notice from the parties under this subsection. Each party is responsible for reviewing the list of five arbitrators and notifying the commissioner within three calendar days of receipt of the list if there is a conflict of interest as described in subsection (6) of this section with any of the arbitrators on the list to avoid the commissioner assigning an arbitrator with a conflict of interest to an arbitration.

(b) If, after the opportunity to veto up to two of the five named arbitrators on the list of five arbitrators sent by the commissioner to the parties, more than one arbitrator remains on the list, the parties must notify the commissioner within five calendar days of receipt of the list of five arbitrators. The commissioner will choose the arbitrator from among the remaining arbitrators on the list.

(6) Before accepting any appointment, an arbitrator shall ensure that there is no conflict of interest that would adversely impact the arbitrator's independence and impartiality in rendering a decision in the arbitration. A conflict of interest includes (a) current or recent ownership or employment of the arbitrator or a close family member by any health carrier; (b) serves as or was employed by a physician, health care provider, or a health care facility; (c) has a material professional, familial, or financial conflict of interest with a party to the arbitration to which the arbitrator is assigned.

(7) For purposes of this subsection, the date of receipt of a list of arbitrators is the date of electronic transmittal of the list to the parties by the commissioner. The date of receipt of notice from the parties to the commissioner is the date of electronic transmittal of the notice to the commissioner by the parties.

(8) If a noninitiating party fails to timely respond without good cause to a notice initiating arbitration, the initiating party will choose the arbitrator.

(9) Good cause for purposes of delay in written submissions to the arbitrator under RCW 48.49.040 includes a stipulation that the parties intend to complete settlement negotiations prior to making such submissions to the arbitrator.

(10) If the parties settle the dispute before the arbitrator issues a decision, the parties must submit to the commissioner notice of the date of the settlement and whether the settlement includes an agreement for the provider to contract with the carrier as an in-network provider.

(11) Any enrollee or patient information submitted to the arbitrator in support of the final offer shall be de-identified to ensure that protected health information is not disclosed.

(12) The arbitrator must submit to the commissioner:

(a) Their decision; and

(b) The information required in RCW 48.49.050 using the form found in Appendix B to this rule.