Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB124 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	87R94 SRA-F
2	2	By: Johnson S.B. No. 124
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the health literacy advisory committee and health
8	8	literacy in the state health plan.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Section 104.002, Health and Safety Code, is
11	11	amended by adding Subdivision (6) to read as follows:
12	12	(6) "Health literacy" means the degree to which an
13	13	individual has the capacity to obtain and understand basic health
14	14	information and services to make appropriate health decisions.
15	15	SECTION 2. Subchapter B, Chapter 104, Health and Safety
16	16	Code, is amended by adding Section 104.0157 to read as follows:
17	17	Sec. 104.0157. HEALTH LITERACY ADVISORY COMMITTEE. (a)
18	18	The statewide health coordinating council shall establish an
19	19	advisory committee on health literacy composed of representatives
20	20	of relevant interest groups, including the academic community,
21	21	consumer groups, health plans, pharmacies, and associations of
22	22	physicians, dentists, hospitals, and nurses.
23	23	(b) Members of the advisory committee shall elect one member
24	24	as presiding officer.
25	25	(c) The advisory committee shall develop a long-range plan
26	26	for improving health literacy in this state. The committee shall
27	27	update the plan at least once every two years.
28	28	(d) In developing the long-range plan, the advisory
29	29	committee shall study the economic impact low health literacy has
30	30	on state health programs and health insurance coverage for
31	31	residents of this state. The advisory committee shall:
32	32	(1) identify primary risk factors contributing to low
33	33	health literacy;
34	34	(2) examine methods for health care practitioners,
35	35	health care facilities, and others to address the health literacy
36	36	of patients and the public;
37	37	(3) examine the effectiveness of using quality
38	38	measures in state health programs to improve health literacy;
39	39	(4) identify strategies for expanding the use of plain
40	40	language instructions for patients; and
41	41	(5) examine the impact improved health literacy has on
42	42	enhancing patient safety, reducing preventable events, and
43	43	increasing medication adherence to attain greater
44	44	cost-effectiveness and better patient outcomes in the provision of
45	45	health care.
46	46	(e) Not later than December 1 of each even-numbered year,
47	47	the advisory committee shall submit the long-range plan developed
48	48	or updated under this section to the governor, the lieutenant
49	49	governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and each
50	50	member of the legislature.
51	51	(f) An advisory committee member serves without
52	52	compensation but is entitled to reimbursement for the member's
53	53	travel expenses as provided by Chapter 660, Government Code, and
54	54	the General Appropriations Act.
55	55	(g) Sections 2110.002, 2110.003, and 2110.008, Government
56	56	Code, do not apply to the advisory committee.
57	57	(h) Meetings of the advisory committee under this section
58	58	are subject to Chapter 551, Government Code.
59	59	SECTION 3. Sections 104.022(e) and (f), Health and Safety
60	60	Code, are amended to read as follows:
61	61	(e) The state health plan shall be developed and used in
62	62	accordance with applicable state and federal law. The plan must
63	63	identify:
64	64	(1) major statewide health concerns, including the
65	65	prevalence of low health literacy among health care consumers;
66	66	(2) the availability and use of current health
67	67	resources of the state, including resources associated with
68	68	information technology and state-supported institutions of higher
69	69	education; and
70	70	(3) future health service, information technology,
71	71	and facility needs of the state.
72	72	(f) The state health plan must:
73	73	(1) propose strategies for the correction of major
74	74	deficiencies in the service delivery system;
75	75	(2) propose strategies for improving health literacy
76	76	to attain greater cost-effectiveness and better patient outcomes in
77	77	the provision of health care;
78	78	(3) [(2)] propose strategies for incorporating
79	79	information technology in the service delivery system;
80	80	(4) [(3)] propose strategies for involving
81	81	state-supported institutions of higher education in providing
82	82	health services and for coordinating those efforts with health and
83	83	human services agencies in order to close gaps in services; and
84	84	(5) [(4)] provide direction for the state's
85	85	legislative and executive decision-making processes to implement
86	86	the strategies proposed by the plan.
87	87	SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.