| 1 | 1 | | 25 LC 57 0258 |
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| 2 | 2 | | House Bill 866 |
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| 3 | 3 | | By: Representatives Barton of the 5 |
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| 4 | 4 | | th |
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| 5 | 5 | | , Taylor of the 173 |
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| 6 | 6 | | rd |
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| 7 | 7 | | , Hawkins of the 27 |
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| 8 | 8 | | th |
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| 9 | 9 | | , Cooper of the |
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| 10 | 10 | | 45 |
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| 11 | 11 | | th |
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| 12 | 12 | | , and Newton of the 127 |
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| 13 | 13 | | th |
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| 14 | 14 | | |
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| 15 | 15 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 16 | 16 | | AN ACT |
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| 17 | 17 | | To amend Chapter 2 of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the |
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| 18 | 18 | | 1 |
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| 19 | 19 | | Department of Community Health, so as to provide for a pilot program to improve the2 |
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| 20 | 20 | | management of inpatient insulin levels in rural hospital organizations and for other purposes;3 |
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| 21 | 21 | | to provide that such program be conducted by the Rural Health System Innovation Center;4 |
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| 22 | 22 | | to provide for a grant program; to provide for the center to establish grant criteria and5 |
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| 23 | 23 | | amounts; to provide for a report; to provide for definitions; to provide for automatic repeal;6 |
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| 24 | 24 | | to provide for related matters; to provide for an effective date conditioned on appropriations;7 |
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| 25 | 25 | | to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.8 |
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| 26 | 26 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:9 |
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| 27 | 27 | | SECTION 1.10 |
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| 28 | 28 | | Chapter 2 of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the Department11 |
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| 29 | 29 | | of Community Health, is amended by revising Code Section 31-2-2, relating to definitions,12 |
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| 30 | 30 | | as follows:13 |
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| 31 | 31 | | "31-2-2.14 |
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| 32 | 32 | | As used in this chapter, the term:15 |
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| 33 | 33 | | H. B. 866 |
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| 34 | 34 | | - 1 - 25 LC 57 0258 |
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| 35 | 35 | | (1) 'Board' means the Board of Community Health established under Code |
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| 36 | 36 | | 16 |
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| 37 | 37 | | Section 31-2-3.17 |
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| 38 | 38 | | (2) 'Center' means the Rural Health System Innovation Center established under Code |
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| 39 | 39 | | 18 |
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| 40 | 40 | | Section 31-2-16 within the department's State Office of Rural Health.19 |
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| 41 | 41 | | (2)(3) 'Commissioner' means the commissioner of community health established under20 |
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| 42 | 42 | | Code Section 31-2-6.21 |
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| 43 | 43 | | (3)(4) 'Department' means the Department of Community Health established under Code22 |
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| 44 | 44 | | Section 31-2-4.23 |
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| 45 | 45 | | (4)(5) 'Predecessor agency or unit' means the Department of Community Health, the24 |
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| 46 | 46 | | Division of Public Health of the Department of Human Resources, and the Office of25 |
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| 47 | 47 | | Regulatory Services of the Department of Human Resources.26 |
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| 48 | 48 | | (5)(6) 'State health benefit plan' means the health insurance plan authorized under27 |
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| 49 | 49 | | Article 1 of Chapter 18 of Title 45 and Part 6 of Article 17 of Chapter 2 of Title 20.28 |
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| 50 | 50 | | (6)(7) 'State Personnel Board' means the board established under Article IV, Section III29 |
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| 51 | 51 | | of the Constitution."30 |
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| 52 | 52 | | SECTION 2.31 |
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| 53 | 53 | | Said chapter is further amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows:32 |
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| 54 | 54 | | "31-2-16.1.33 |
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| 55 | 55 | | (a) As used in this Code section, the term 'rural hospital organization' shall have the same34 |
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| 56 | 56 | | meaning as provided in Code Section 31-8-9.1.35 |
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| 57 | 57 | | (b) The center shall conduct a pilot program to improve the management of inpatient36 |
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| 58 | 58 | | insulin levels in rural hospital organizations, reduce adverse patient incidents, and provide37 |
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| 59 | 59 | | data on insulin management to primary care physicians upon patient discharge.38 |
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| 60 | 60 | | (c)(1) Consistent with the pilot program's purposes as provided for in subsection (b) of39 |
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| 61 | 61 | | this Code section, the center may establish a grant program to utilize and disburse40 |
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| 62 | 62 | | funding to rural hospital organizations and physician groups to purchase technology,41 |
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| 63 | 63 | | H. B. 866 |
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| 64 | 64 | | - 2 - 25 LC 57 0258 |
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| 65 | 65 | | software, and equipment to track and manage inpatient insulin levels, receive specialty42 |
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| 66 | 66 | | consultation and training in appropriate management of inpatient insulin levels in rural43 |
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| 67 | 67 | | hospital settings, and to carry out any other purpose of the pilot program.44 |
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| 68 | 68 | | (2) The center shall establish grant criteria and make award decisions; provided,45 |
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| 69 | 69 | | however, that the center shall consider the following:46 |
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| 70 | 70 | | (A) A high presence of diabetes in patients presenting for treatment at the rural hospital47 |
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| 71 | 71 | | organization;48 |
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| 72 | 72 | | (B) A commitment by the rural hospital organization to utilize technology enabled49 |
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| 73 | 73 | | tools to track inpatient insulin levels and improve precision in administering insulin;50 |
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| 74 | 74 | | (C) A structured partnership with a larger health system or physician practice group51 |
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| 75 | 75 | | with expertise in endocrinology and diabetes management to assist the rural hospital52 |
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| 76 | 76 | | organization in using data from technology to improve patient care; and53 |
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| 77 | 77 | | (D) An established plan to provide primary care physicians with data on insulin54 |
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| 78 | 78 | | management for their patients upon discharge to reduce hospital readmission and55 |
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| 79 | 79 | | improve outpatient outcomes.56 |
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| 80 | 80 | | (d) The pilot program established pursuant to this Code section shall be abolished and this57 |
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| 81 | 81 | | Code section shall stand repealed on January 1, 2027.58 |
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| 82 | 82 | | (e) No later than December 31, 2026, upon the receipt of data collected from the pilot59 |
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| 83 | 83 | | program, the center shall file a report to the Governor, the President of the Senate, the60 |
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| 84 | 84 | | Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the chairpersons of the House Committee on61 |
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| 85 | 85 | | Health, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, the House Committee on62 |
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| 86 | 86 | | Appropriations, the Senate Appropriations Committee, and the Office of Health Strategy63 |
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| 87 | 87 | | and Coordination. Such report shall include a summary detailing the outcomes of the pilot64 |
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| 88 | 88 | | program and shall also be published and made available and accessible to the public."65 |
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| 89 | 89 | | H. B. 866 |
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| 90 | 90 | | - 3 - 25 LC 57 0258 |
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| 91 | 91 | | SECTION 3. |
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| 92 | 92 | | 66 |
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| 93 | 93 | | (a) This Act shall become effective only if funds are specifically appropriated for the67 |
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| 94 | 94 | | purposes of this Act in an Appropriations Act enacted by the General Assembly.68 |
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| 95 | 95 | | (b) If funds are so appropriated, then this Act shall become effective on the later of:69 |
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| 96 | 96 | | (1) The date on which such Appropriations Act becomes effective; or70 |
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| 97 | 97 | | (2) The beginning date of the fiscal year for which such appropriations are made.71 |
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| 98 | 98 | | SECTION 4.72 |
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| 99 | 99 | | All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.73 |
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| 100 | 100 | | H. B. 866 |
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| 101 | 101 | | - 4 - |
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