BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 941

By: Raymond

Human Services

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The Texas Medicaid program is moving away from traditional fee-for-service style payments that incentivize volume of services toward value-based programs that reward quality. It will be important for legislators and the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to understand how these types of alternative payment models will work for and affect different provider types. C.S.H.B. 941 requires HHSC to establish a work group within the value-based payment and quality improvement advisory committee to engage stakeholders in the long-term services and supports space in the development of uniform quality measures under a value-based 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 this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 941 amends the Government Code to require the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to establish within the advisory committee that studies value-based payment and quality improvement initiatives a work group to study, develop, and recommend uniform quality measures to be implemented under a value-based program for long-term services and supports. In developing the measures, the workgroup must engage with stakeholders representing clients who receive long-term services and supports and providers and relevant industries that provide community-based long-term services and supports. The bill requires the work group to do the following:

· develop an underlying methodology for measuring quality under the value-based program;

· identify the data sources that should be used in the methodology; and

· develop a process for reporting, collecting, and validating the data used in the methodology.

The bill requires the data collected and the uniform quality measures developed by the work group to be accessible to the public to the extent permitted by federal law.

C.S.H.B. 941 requires HHSC, in consultation with the work group and with the agreement of the advisory committee in which the work group is established, to submit a report on the work group's findings and recommendations to the governor, lieutenant governor, and applicable senate and house committees not later than January 10, 2023. The report must include the following information:

· the uniform quality measures developed and recommended by the work group, including any recommended methodology for measuring quality; and

· HHSC recommendations for implementing those quality measures, including a proposed timeline for implementation and a description of any potential legislation that would be required for implementation.

The bill's provisions expire September 1, 2023.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2021.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 941 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 extends the deadline by which HHSC must submit the required report from September 1, 2022, as in the original, to January 10, 2023.

The substitute revises the original's requirement for the work group to engage stakeholders representing clients by clarifying that it applies to clients who receive long-term services and supports.