BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                  SB 764
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   August 8, 2012

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Felipe Fuentes, Chair

                   SB 764 (Steinberg) - As Amended:  July 3, 2012 

          Policy Committee:                              Human 
          ServicesVote:4 - 2 

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program: 
          No     Reimbursable:              

           SUMMARY  

          This bill requires each regional center (RC) individual program 
          planning (IPP) team to consider the use of telehealth whenever 
          applicable for the purpose of improving access to services for 
          the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) consumers and 
          family members.  In addition, the bill requires DDS to report to 
          the Legislature on the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of 
          providing services using telehealth by December 31, 2017. 

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          1)One-time costs, likely in excess of $150,000 GF, for DDS to 
            develop the required vendorization codes and subcodes and to 
            promulgate the necessary regulations. 

          2)Unknown costs, potentially in excess of $200,000 GF for DDS to 
            contract out the efficacy and cost effectiveness study. 

          3)To the extent telehealth services are more affordable than 
            traditional services provided to families and consumers, this 
            bill could result in an on-going savings to the state. 

           COMMENTS  

           1)Purpose  . This bill establishes voluntary guidelines for RC's 
            that make services for consumers and their families more 
            accessible through telehealth services. The author notes 
            California has been a national leader in the use of innovative 
            technology and in 1996 passed one of the first telemedicine 
            laws in the country. Telehealth is now used extensively in 
            many medical settings and has been demonstrated to reduce 








                                                                  SB 764
                                                                  Page  2

            costs, improve the quality of services and increase access for 
            underserved communities. 

            This bill requires each RCIPP team to consider the use of 
            telehealth, on a voluntary basis and whenever applicable, for 
            the purpose of improving access to intervention and 
            therapeutic services for all consumers, and requires DDS to 
            establish appropriate vendorization and reimbursement codes 
            for telehealth services and programs.

           2)Telehealth  . Current law defines telehealth to mean "the mode 
            of delivering health care services and public health via 
            information and communication technologies to facilitate the 
            diagnosis, consultation, treatment, education, care 
            management, and self-management of a patient's health care 
            while the patient is at the originating site and the health 
            care provider is at a distant site.  Telehealth facilitates 
            patient self-management and caregiver support for patients and 
            includes synchronous interactions and asynchronous store and 
            forward transfers."  (Business & Professions Code Section 
            2290.5(a)(6))


           Analysis Prepared by  :    Julie Salley-Gray / APPR. / (916) 
          319-2081