1-1     By:  Nelson                                            S.B. No. 283
 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed January 18, 2001; January 22, 2001,
 1-3     read first time and referred to Committee on Health and Human
 1-4     Services; April 20, 2001, reported favorably by the following vote:
 1-5     Yeas 7, Nays 0; April 20, 2001, sent to printer.)
 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-7                                   AN ACT
 1-8     relating to special disease management programs for certain
 1-9     recipients of medical assistance under the Medicaid managed care
1-10     program.
1-11           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-12           SECTION 1.  Section 533.009, Government Code, is amended to
1-13     read as follows:
1-14           Sec. 533.009.  SPECIAL DISEASE MANAGEMENT.  (a)  The
1-15     commission shall[, to the extent possible,] ensure that managed
1-16     care organizations under contract with the commission to provide
1-17     health care services to recipients develop and implement special
1-18     disease management programs to address chronic health conditions,
1-19     including asthma and diabetes, and use outcome measures to assess
1-20     the programs.
1-21           (b)  The commission shall [may] study[, in conjunction with
1-22     an academic center,] the benefits and costs of applying disease
1-23     management principles in the delivery of Medicaid managed care
1-24     services to recipients with chronic health conditions.  In
1-25     conducting the study, the commission shall evaluate the
1-26     effectiveness of those principles in:
1-27                 (1)  reducing long-term health care costs under the
1-28     Medicaid managed care program;
1-29                 (2)  improving patient care, including the coordination
1-30     of that care; and
1-31                 (3)  improving utilization patterns of recipients.
1-32           (c)  The commission may conduct the study under Subsection
1-33     (b) in conjunction with an academic center.
1-34           SECTION 2.  If before implementing any provision of this Act
1-35     a state agency determines that a waiver or authorization from a
1-36     federal agency is necessary for implementation of that provision,
1-37     the agency affected by the provision shall request the waiver or
1-38     authorization and may delay implementing that provision until the
1-39     waiver or authorization is granted.
1-40           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.
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