Missouri has a new law that requires insurers to pay or deny clean claims submitted by hospitals, physicians and other providers within 45 days of receipt--or face a daily penalty to the provider of 1 percent of the outstanding claim, reports the Healthcare Finance News. The law also defines just what a clean claim is. Passage of the law follows a 2009 report from the Missouri Department of Insurance demonstrating that Missouri providers faced significant payment delays, with more than 26 percent of claims submitted Missouri hospitals past due by 90 days or more. However, urban hospitals have fared better than rural hospitals. Urban hospitals averaged 25.6 percent of claims more than 90 days past due vs. 37 percent for rural hospitals. Article