By: Davis of Harris, Zerwas, Burkett H.B. No. 2131
(Senate Sponsor - Huffman)
(In the Senate - Received from the House May 14, 2015;
May 18, 2015, read first time and referred to Committee on Health
and Human Services; May 22, 2015, reported favorably by the
following vote: Yeas 9, Nays 0; May 22, 2015, sent to printer.)
Click here to see the committee vote
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the designation of centers of excellence to achieve
healthy fetal outcomes in this state.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Chapter 32, Health and Safety Code, is amended by
adding Subchapter D to read as follows:
SUBCHAPTER D. CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE
FOR FETAL DIAGNOSIS AND THERAPY
Sec. 32.071. DESIGNATION OF CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE FOR FETAL
DIAGNOSIS AND THERAPY. (a) The department, in consultation with
the Perinatal Advisory Council established under Section 241.187,
shall designate as centers of excellence for fetal diagnosis and
therapy one or more health care entities in this state that provide
comprehensive maternal, fetal, and neonatal health care for
pregnant women with high-risk pregnancies complicated by one or
more fetuses with anomalies, with genetic conditions, or with
compromise caused by a pregnancy condition or by exposure.
(b) The executive commissioner of the Health and Human
Services Commission, in consultation with the department and the
Perinatal Advisory Council, shall adopt the rules necessary for a
health care entity in this state to be designated as a center of
excellence for fetal diagnosis and therapy.
Sec. 32.072. SUBCOMMITTEE. (a) The department, in
consultation with the Perinatal Advisory Council, shall appoint a
subcommittee of that advisory council to advise the advisory
council and the department on the development of rules related to
the designations made by the department under this subchapter. As
part of its duties under this subsection, the subcommittee
specifically shall advise the advisory council and the department
regarding the criteria necessary for a health care entity in this
state to receive a designation under this subchapter.
(b) The subcommittee must consist of individuals with
expertise in fetal diagnosis and therapy. A majority of the members
of the subcommittee must practice in those areas in a health
profession in this state. The subcommittee may include national and
international experts.
Sec. 32.073. PRIORITY CONSIDERATIONS FOR CENTER
DESIGNATIONS. The rules adopted under Section 32.071(b) must
prioritize awarding a designation under this subchapter to a health
care entity that:
(1) offers fetal diagnosis and therapy through an
extensive multi-specialty clinical program that is affiliated and
collaborates extensively with a medical school in this state and an
associated hospital facility that provides advanced maternal and
neonatal care in accordance with the rules established under
Section 241.183(a)(1);
(2) demonstrates a significant commitment to research
in and advancing the field of fetal diagnosis and therapy;
(3) offers advanced training programs in fetal
diagnosis and therapy; and
(4) integrates an advanced fetal care program with a
program that provides appropriate long-term monitoring and
follow-up care for patients.
Sec. 32.074. QUALIFICATIONS FOR DESIGNATION. The rules
adopted under Section 32.071(b) must ensure that a designation
under this subchapter is based directly on a health care entity's
ability to:
(1) implement and maintain a cohesive
multidisciplinary structure for its health care team;
(2) monitor short-term and long-term patient
diagnostic and therapeutic outcomes; and
(3) provide to the department annual reports
containing aggregate data on short-term and long-term diagnostic
and therapeutic outcomes as requested or required by the department
and make those reports available to the public.
SECTION 2. (a) The executive commissioner of the Health and
Human Services Commission shall adopt the rules required by Section
32.071, Health and Safety Code, as added by this Act, not later than
March 1, 2018.
(b) Not later than September 1, 2018, the Department of
State Health Services shall begin awarding designations required by
Subchapter D, Chapter 32, Health and Safety Code, as added by this
Act, to health care entities establishing eligibility under that
subchapter.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.
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