BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 2074
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 10, 2012
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES
Jim Beall Jr., Chair
AB 2074 (Bradford) - As Introduced: February 23, 2012
SUBJECT : In-Home Supportive Services program: telehealth
training program
SUMMARY : Requires the Department of Social Services (DSS) to
develop a training program for In-Home Supportive Services
(IHSS) providers on the utilization of telehealth.
Specifically, this bill :
1)References the definition of "telehealth" in Business &
Professions Code Section 2290.5(a)(6): A 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.
2)Requires DSS, by January 1, 2014, to develop a training
program with a standardized curriculum and training materials,
to train IHSS providers on the utilization of telehealth in
home-based care.
3)Requires the training to include, but not be limited to the
following areas:
a) The use of relevant Internet tools and resources;
b) Patient safety and clinical risk management;
c) Standard practices regarding patient data within a
health information system, including handling of
confidential information and personal data; and,
d) The use of devices commonly used in telehealth, such as
blood pressure devices, blood glucose devices,
electrocardiogram devices, weight scales, pule oximetry
devices, spirometry devices, portable sonogram devices, and
stethoscopes.
AB 2074
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EXISTING LAW
1)Establishes the IHSS program to provide personal services and
home care for approximately 445,000 eligible poor, aged, blind
and disabled individuals by approximately 360,000 providers
throughout the state to enable recipients to remain in their
own homes and avoid institutionalization.
2)Requires DSS, in consultation with counties, to develop a
standardized curriculum, training materials, and work aids,
and operate an ongoing statewide training program, on
specified matters related to the provision of in-home
supportive services.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS : California's health care resources and trained
medical experts are poorly distributed across the state. Many
urban centers have state-of-the-art medical technologies and
specialty resources. In sparsely populated and economically
depressed areas (urban as well as rural), however, specialists
are a rarity. Telehealth helps bridge the gaps in time,
distance, and quality. It has been in use in demonstration
projects across the state and around the globe
The author states that, to prepare for demand, IHSS caregivers
need to begin training for future technology:
Career readiness has begun amongst physicians, nurses
and healthcare administration; it stands to reason
that IHSS caregivers will also need specialized
training within this growing field of technology.
Training IHSS caregivers can help provide critical
community based service to low income seniors and
people with disabilities to help delay or defer
hospitalization or institutionalization.
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|This bill would require DSS to develop a program to train IHSS |
|providers on the utilization of telehealth in home-based care. This |
|bill lacks detail on the extent and specific nature of the required |
|training. IHSS services include paramedical services, which are |
|provided based on training given by a licensed health care provider |
|and under the direction of a licensed health care provider. That |
AB 2074
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|training would be specific to the needs of an individual IHSS |
|recipient. Thus, presumably, the training required by this bill |
|would be of a more generic nature. |
| |
|While additional training for IHSS providers is unquestionably |
|desirable, this bill singles out telehealth for particular |
|attention. The Committee may wish to consider whether, in light of |
|proposals to integrate IHSS into managed care, for example, training |
|of IHSS workers requires a more systematic and comprehensive |
|approach. |
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REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
Aging Services of California
BIOCOM
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Eric Gelber / HUM. S. / (916) 319-2089