BILL ANALYSIS |
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C.S.H.B. 2082 |
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By: Laubenberg |
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Public Health |
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Committee Report (Substituted) |
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BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Despite advances in medical science and technology, the delivery of health care continues to primarily occur in a face-to-face setting between a doctor and a patient. Recently, however, telecommunications and video interfacing have reached a point that a doctor and a patient can communicate remotely while still allowing for accurate diagnosis, quality doctor-patient discussion, and the monitoring of complex medical needs. Proponents of this technology assert that such communication saves time and money for both the doctor and the patient and can enhance the expert care a patient receives from personal health care providers with minimal disruption to the patient and patient's family. In addition, taxpayers benefit from this relationship since better observation and access equates to reduced emergency room visits by and improved life outcomes for children. C.S.H.B. 2082 seeks to use recent technological advances to increase access to care for eligible children.
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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.
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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 1 of this bill.
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ANALYSIS
C.S.H.B. 2082 amends the Human Resources Code to require the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to develop and implement a program for telemedicine medical services for children with chronic or complex medical needs that enables an eligible child to receive Medicaid benefits for health care services provided in the child's residence through telemedicine medical services and to provide reimbursement for telemedicine medical services to eligible children. The bill makes a child eligible for inclusion in the program if the child is a Medicaid recipient and has been diagnosed with an end-stage solid organ disease or a condition that, as determined by HHSC rule, requires mechanical ventilation, requires the child to be technology-dependent, or requires the child to be treated by three or more specialists.
C.S.H.B. 2082 requires HHSC, not later than January 1, 2019, and at other times after that date as determined appropriate by the executive commissioner of HHSC, to report to the legislature on results and outcomes of the program and requires a report to include an evaluation of clinical outcomes of the program, including the program's success in reducing expected emergency department visits, and the program's impact on medical costs. The bill authorizes the executive commissioner to adopt rules to implement the bill's provisions.
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EFFECTIVE DATE
September 1, 2015.
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COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE
While C.S.H.B. 2082 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following comparison is organized and formatted in a manner that indicates the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill and does not indicate differences relating to changes made by S.B. 219, Acts of the 84th Legislature, Regular Session, 2015, which became effective April 2, 2015.
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