BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

 

C.S.H.B. 4455

By: Miller

Public Health

Committee Report (Substituted)

 

 

 

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

 

Concerns have been raised regarding the adequacy of and access to mental health care at the national level, with particular concern about the rate of mental health conditions among younger people and suicide rates among veterans. C.S.H.B. 4455 seeks to address this issue of access by authorizing a Texas health care professional to provide a mental health service through a telemedicine or telehealth service to a patient located outside of Texas, subject to any applicable regulation of the jurisdiction in which the patient is located.

 

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 this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

 

ANALYSIS

 

C.S.H.B. 4455 amends the Occupations Code to authorize a health professional to provide a mental health service that is within the scope of the professional's license, certification, or authorization through the use of a telemedicine medical service or a telehealth service to a patient who is located outside of Texas, subject to any applicable regulation of the jurisdiction in which the patient is located.

 

EFFECTIVE DATE

 

September 1, 2019.

 

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

 

While C.S.H.B. 4455 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.

 

The substitute does not repeal the provision excluding mental health services from the applicability of statutory provisions relating to telemedicine and telehealth and includes the bill's provisions in a new Occupations Code chapter.

 

The substitute clarifies that the provided mental health services may be in the scope of a certification or authorization.