BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 3740

By: Guillen

Public Health

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Home telemonitoring involves the scheduled remote monitoring of data related to a patient's health and transmission of the data to a licensed home and community support services agency or a hospital. Home telemonitoring services are available under the state Medicaid program for qualifying recipients who suffer from conditions such as diabetes, cancer, and certain heart conditions. It has been noted that a need for skilled nursing assessments in the course of treatment for a qualifying medical condition is not included among the risk factors that makes a Medicaid recipient eligible to receive home telemonitoring services. H.B. 3740 seeks to address this issue by including the need for skilled nursing assessment among the eligibility criteria for home telemonitoring services under the Medicaid program.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the executive commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission in SECTION 2 of this bill.

ANALYSIS

H.B. 3740 amends the Government Code to include a need for a weekly or monthly skilled nursing assessment among the risk factors that may qualify a person to receive home telemonitoring services under Medicaid, subject to other existing requirements. The bill requires the executive commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission to adopt rules necessary to implement that change in law.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2021.