BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1231
Page 1
Date of Hearing: May 15, 2013
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Mike Gatto, Chair
AB 1231 (V. Manuel Perez) - As Amended: May 7, 2013
Policy Committee: HealthVote:19 - 0
Human Services 7 - 0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable:
SUMMARY
This bill requires the Department of Developmental Services
(DDS) to inform regional centers that appropriate health
services may be provided through telehealth and teledentistry,
respectively, and makes other changes to promote the use of
telehealth and teledentistry in the regional center system.
Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires DDS to do all of the following:
a) Request regional centers to include a consideration of
telehealth and teledentistry in each individual program
plan (IPP) and individualized family service plan (IFSP)
that includes a discussion of behavioral health treatment
or dental health care; and
b) Provide, using existing resources, and in partnership
with other organizations, resources, and stakeholders,
technical assistance to regional centers regarding the use
of telehealth and teledentistry.
c) Request regional centers to consider the use of
telehealth and teledentistry services for inclusion in
training programs for parents
2)Provides that telehealth and teledentistry services must be
received voluntarily and may be discontinued upon request, and
requires regional centers to subsequently convene a review to
determine alternative, appropriate means for providing the
service.
AB 1231
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3)Requires telehealth or teledentistry providers to be
responsible for all expenses and costs related to equipment,
transmission, storage, infrastructure, and other related
expenses.
4)Includes a sunset date of January 1, 2019.
FISCAL EFFECT
Costs associated with this legislation should be minor and
absorbable within existing DDS resources.
COMMENTS
1)Purpose . The author notes that approximately two-thirds of all
new regional center consumers are diagnosed with Autism
Spectrum Disorders and require 25-40 hours per week of
behavioral health treatment. Additionally, poor dental care is
an ongoing problem for developmentally disabled individuals
whose challenges may prevent them from following typical
dental protocols and increases the likelihood that unfamiliar
faces (dental professionals) and noises (dental tools) will be
difficult to tolerate. Many regional center consumers do not
have adequate access to behavioral health treatment and dental
care. Often, the author argues, telehealth is a viable,
affordable alternative to in-person care and treatment.
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))
3)Related Legislation . In 2012, AB 764 (Steinberg) established a
pilot program within DDS for the provision of treatment and
AB 1231
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intervention services through the use of telehealth. That bill
was vetoed by the governor. In his veto message, the governor
wrote, "Mandating every individual program planning team to
consider telehealth appears excessive. Where beneficial and
available, I expect they will consider it, without the state
telling them to do so.
Analysis Prepared by : Julie Salley-Gray / APPR. / (916)
319-2081