| 17 | 17 | | |
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| 18 | 18 | | Referred to Committee on HUMAN SERVICES |
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| 19 | 19 | | |
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| 20 | 20 | | Introduced by: |
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| 21 | 21 | | |
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| 22 | 22 | | (HS) |
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| 23 | 23 | | |
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| 24 | 24 | | AN ACT CONCERNING MEDICAID COVERAGE OF TELEMONITORING SERVICES. |
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| 25 | 25 | | |
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| 26 | 26 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened: |
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| 27 | 27 | | |
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| 28 | 28 | | Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2016) (a) For purposes of this section: |
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| 29 | 29 | | |
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| 30 | 30 | | (1) "Department" means the Department of Social Services. |
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| 31 | 31 | | |
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| 32 | 32 | | (2) "Evidence-based best practices" means the integration of the best available research with clinical expertise in the context of patient characteristics and preferences. |
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| 33 | 33 | | |
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| 34 | 34 | | (3) "Home health care agency" has the same meaning as provided in section 19a-490 of the general statutes. |
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| 35 | 35 | | |
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| 36 | 36 | | (4) "Home telemonitoring service" means a health service included in an integrated plan of care written by a treating physician that requires (A) scheduled remote monitoring of data related to a patient's health, including, but not limited to, monitoring of the patient's blood pressure, heart rate, weight and oxygen level, (B) interpretation of transmitted data by a home health care agency licensed pursuant to chapter 368v of the general statutes, (C) dissemination of such data by such home health care agency to a treating physician, and (D) follow-up by a health care professional in the home or referrals for care as determined medically necessary by a treating physician. |
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| 37 | 37 | | |
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| 38 | 38 | | (b) To the extent permissible under federal law, the department may provide coverage through the Money Follows the Person demonstration project for services performed by a home health care agency using a home telemonitoring service for a Medicaid beneficiary with (1) serious or chronic medical conditions that may result in frequent or recurrent hospitalizations and emergency room admissions, (2) a documented history of poor adherence to ordered medication regimes, (3) a documented history of falls in the six-month period prior to evaluation of the need for home telemonitoring services, (4) limited or absent informal support systems, (5) a documented history of challenges with access to care, or (6) a history of living alone or being home alone for extended periods of time. The department shall establish coverage criteria for home telemonitoring services based on evidence-based best practices. |
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| 39 | 39 | | |
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| 40 | 40 | | (c) The department shall ensure that clinical information gathered by a home health care agency while providing home telemonitoring services is shared with the patient's treating physician and may impose other reasonable requirements on the use of home telemonitoring services. |
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| 41 | 41 | | |
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| 42 | 42 | | (d) The transmission, storage and dissemination of data and records related to home telemonitoring services shall be in accordance with federal and state laws and regulations concerning the privacy, security, confidentiality and safeguarding of individually identifiable information. |
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| 43 | 43 | | |
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| 44 | 44 | | (e) The department shall study the impact of telemonitoring services authorized pursuant to this section on factors including, but not limited to, health care outcomes, cost, beneficiary level of independence and beneficiary quality of life. Not later than January 1, 2018, the department shall submit a report on the findings of such study, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to human services. |
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| 45 | 45 | | |
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| 46 | 46 | | |
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| 47 | 47 | | |
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| 48 | 48 | | |
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| 49 | 49 | | This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections: |
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| 50 | 50 | | Section 1 July 1, 2016 New section |
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| 51 | 51 | | |
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| 52 | 52 | | This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections: |
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| 53 | 53 | | |
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| 54 | 54 | | Section 1 |
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| 55 | 55 | | |
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| 56 | 56 | | July 1, 2016 |
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| 57 | 57 | | |
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| 58 | 58 | | New section |
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| 59 | 59 | | |
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| 60 | 60 | | |
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| 61 | 61 | | |
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| 62 | 62 | | HS Joint Favorable |
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