AB 1231, as amended, V. Manuel Pérez. Regional centers: telehealth.
The Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act authorizes the State Department of Developmental Services to contract with regional centers to provide services and support to individuals with developmental disabilities, including autism.
This bill would, until January 1, 2019, require the department to inform all regional centers that any appropriate health service and dentistry may be provided through the use of telehealth, as defined, to consumers of regional center services. The bill would require the department to provide technical assistance to regional centers on the use of telehealth and to request those centersbegin delete to include a consideration of telehealth in individual program plans and individualized family services plans, as specified, for consumers andend delete
to consider the use of telehealth services for inclusion in training programs for parents of consumers.
The bill would require that the provision of a service through the use of telehealth be voluntary and immediately discontinued at the request of the consumer or his or her parent, legal guardian, or conservator, as appropriate.begin delete The bill would require the department, on or before December 1, 2017, to forward to the fiscal and appropriate policy committees of the Legislature information provided by the regional centers to assess the effectiveness and appropriateness of providing telehealth services to regional center consumers, as specified.end delete
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
It is the intent of the Legislature to do all of the
2following:
3(a) Improve access to treatments and intervention services,
4including dental health care services, for
consumers of regional
5center services and their families in underserved populations.
6(b) Provide more cost-effective treatments and intervention
7services for consumers of regional center services and their
8families.
9(c) Maximize the effectiveness of the interpersonal and
10face-to-face interactions that are utilized for the treatment of
11consumers of regional center services.
12(d) Continue maintenance and support of the existing service
13workforce for consumers of regional center services.
14(e) Utilize telehealth to improve services for
consumers of
15regional center services.
Section 4686.21 is added to the Welfare and
17Institutions Code, to read:
(a) The department shall do all of the following:
19(1) Inform all regional centers that any appropriate healthbegin insert care end insert
20 service may be provided through the use of telehealth to consumers
21of regional center services.
22(2) Inform all regional centers that dentistry may be provided
23through the use of telehealth to consumers.
P3 1(3) Request regional centers to include a consideration of
2telehealth in each individual program plan (IPP) and individualized
3family service plan (IFSP) for consumers.
4(4)
end delete
5begin insert(end insertbegin insert3)end insert Request regional centers to consider the use of telehealth
6services for inclusion in training programs for parents of
7consumers, including, but not limited to, group training programs
8as described in clause (i) of subparagraph (B) of paragraph (3) of
9subdivision (c) of Section 4685.
10(5)
end delete
11begin insert(4)end insert Provide, using existing resources, and in
partnership with
12other organizations, resources, and stakeholders, technical
13assistance to regional centers regarding the use of telehealth to
14meet the health and dental care needs of consumers.
15(b) The department may implement appropriate vendorization
16subcodes for services provided through telehealth.
17(c) The provision of a service through the use of telehealth shall
18be voluntary and shall be immediately discontinued at the request
19of the consumer or, as appropriate, the consumer’s parent, legal
20guardian, or conservator. Any consumer who receives services
21through the use of telehealth pursuant to this section shall have an
22automatic right to immediately return to his or her preexisting
23services, as defined by the consumer’sbegin delete IPP,end deletebegin insert
individual program
24plan,end insert that were in place prior to the implementation of the telehealth
25service.
26(d) On or before December 1, 2017, the department shall forward
27to the fiscal and appropriate policy committees of the Legislature
28any information provided by the regional centers to the department
29to
assess the effectiveness and appropriateness of providing
30telehealth services to consumers through the IPP and IFSP
31processes.
32(e)
end delete
33begin insert(d)end insert A provider of telehealth services shall be responsible for all
34expenses and costs related to the equipment, transmission, storage,
35infrastructure, and other expenses related to telehealth.
36(f)
end delete
37begin insert(e)end insert For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall
38apply:
39(1) “Department” means the State Department of Developmental
40Services.
P4 1(2) “Telehealth” has the same meaning as set forth in Section
22290.5 of the Business and Professions Code.
3(g)
end delete
4begin insert(f)end insert This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2019,
5and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that
6is enacted before January 1, 2019, deletes or
extends that date.
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