Friday, November 2, 2018

Legislative Update ~ October 2018

The House and Senate held what is believed to be the final voting session days of the 2017-18 session in October, passing a flurry of bills on a variety of subjects, seeing the Governor sign most but veto a few, and leaving a number of other issues unaddressed before departing for their districts and re-election campaigns.

In terms of legislation that the POA had been working hard to accomplish this session, one, the “Quality Eye Care for Insured Pennsylvanians Act,” earned the Governor’s signature on October 24. The bill, HB 1013, was amended to include the language the POA had negotiated with the insurers in SB 257. The Senate passed the House bill, sponsored by Rep. Steve Barrar (R-Delaware), and the House agreed with the addition of the vision plan language, and the Governor approved it. POA members are to be commended for their efforts over the past several years to get this bill done.

Unfortunately, the optometry scope bill didn’t fare as well. Despite overwhelmingly passing the Senate in September, SB 668 was not considered by the House Professional Licensure Committee. That clock will start over in January, as will the efforts by the POA to see the act updated for the first time in over 16 years. With the impending retirement of House Professional Licensure Committee Chairman Mark Mustio (R-Allegheny), along with dozens of his House and Senate colleagues, POA Keypersons will be counted on heavily, again, to education the new legislators about optometry, and to counter the misinformation spread this session by organized ophthalmology. A comprehensive post-election report will be distributed in mid-November.

The House and Senate will convene for perhaps one day each in November, for what is traditionally non-voting sessions, other than to elect temporary leaders to preside between the constitutional end of session on November 30 and the convening of the 2019-20 session in January, and to hold closed-door caucus elections for their respective leaders for next session. It is anticipated that no more votes on bills will be held after the November 6 election. POA members are reminded to VOTE on Election Day!

Last month, we reported that the General Assembly came close to passing legislation to create rules for PA to allow for the use of “telehealth” in the Commonwealth. Unfortunately, SB 780, sponsored by Sen. Elder Vogel (R-Beaver), got sidetracked by a host of amendments being offered, most lethal of which was a proposal by Rep. Kathy Rapp (R-Warren) to include language in the bill prohibiting the performance of “abortions” via telemedicine. Most of the other amendments were withdrawn, but Rapp held fast, and the vote on her amendment, and the bill itself, never was called. Although it appears to be dead for this session, Vogel and many in the provider community are committed to bringing the issue back in a new bill in 2019.


The Medical Assistance Advisory Committee (MAAC) held its regular monthly meeting on October 25. Some highlights of interest follow:

Patricia Allan, DHS CHIP director, provided an update on the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and the State Health official letter, “Extending Federal Funding for Chip.” Congress reauthorized the program for 10 years. The letter outlines key impacts of the reauthorization legislation and was sent October 5, 2018. There are no direct impacts on optometric care. Any members wishing to know the details are encouraged to contact Dr. Rich Christoph.

Joseph Glinka of Gateway Health
 pointed to a declining enrollment in Medical Assistance (MA) and asked if the department is looking see where those people are going. Allan stated CHIP enrollment was climbing to almost 182,000 early this year, but then it dropped to 178,000 in May. She found that the drop was due in part to fears of the expiration of the program. Regarding the overall MA program, Kozak confirmed there have been some decreases in recent months, but she could not say if that is a trend yet. She said it is being monitored.

Managed Care Delivery System Subcommittee: The committee will prepare information to reduce confusion due to changes in the law that haven't been implemented by regulations. The also discussed Medicaid expansion numbers and quality measures. Questions were raised about how to keep individuals enrolled in Medicaid so they are not unnecessarily dis-enrolled. Glinka reported the new credentialing notice will be for all providers, not just dental providers. 



The following bills of interest to the POA were introduced or acted upon in the past month:

Amends the Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act further providing for definitions and for professional prescription, administration, and dispensing by requiring electronic prescriptions for Schedule II, III, and IV controlled substances, except in situations as prescribed by regulation. The bill allows exceptions for veterinarians, circumstances when an electronic prescription is not available due to temporary technological or electrical failure by providing a practitioner shall within 72 hours correct any cause for the failure, when dispensed by a pharmacy outside Pennsylvania, lack of internet access or an electronic health record system, where an electronic prescription would cause an untimely delay in an emergency department, patients enrolled in a hospice program or residing in a nursing home or residential health care facility, controlled substance compounded prescriptions and prescriptions containing certain elements required by the food and drug administration not able to be accomplished with electronic prescribing, a prescription issued pursuant to an established and valid collaborative practice agreement between a practitioner and a pharmacist, a standing order or a drug research protocol, a prescription issued in an emergency situation, circumstances where the pharmacy that receives the prescription is not set up to process electronic prescriptions, or controlled substances that are not required to be reported to the prescription drug monitoring program system. Establishes pharmacist responsibility if there is belief that a patient may be seeking a monitored prescription drug for a purpose other than the treatment of an existing medical condition.
Signed in the House and in the Senate, 10/17/2018
Approved by the Governor, 10/24/2018 G (Act No. 96 of 2018)

HB 1951 RE: Access to Dextromethorphan
(by Rep. Tarah Toohil, et al)
Amends Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses), in minors, establishing the offense of access of minors to dextromethorphan (known as DM or DXM) and imposing a penalty. A person commits a summary offense if he knowingly sells or purchases with the intent to sell a finished drug product containing any quantity of dextromethorphan to a person who is less than 18 years of age. Similarly, a person commits a summary offense if he falsely represents himself to be 18 years of age or older to another for the purpose of procuring a finished drug product containing any quantity of dextromethorphan.
Read third time, and passed Senate, 10-17-18 (49-0)
Approved by the Governor, 10/24/2018 (Act No. 116 of 2018)

SB 668 RE: Optometry Scope Modification
(by Sen. John Gordner, et al)
Amends the Optometric Practice and Licensure Act amending the definition of "practice of optometry" to include health care services related to the eye and vision care services including the supply and preparation of eyeglasses. Further provides the practice of optometry includes the administration and prescription of drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of diseases and conditions of the eye. Allows an optometrist to order an imaging test appropriate for diagnosis and treatment of a disease or condition of the human visual system. Clarifies that optometrists may not perform surgery and that any insurance procedure and billing code may not be used to define surgery.
Received in the House and referred to House Professional Licensure Committee, 10/2/2018

HB 1884 RE: Patient Test Result Information Act
(by Rep. Marguerite Quinn, et al)
Provides for summaries or copies of patient test results to be sent directly to a patient or the patient's designee when there is a finding of a significant abnormality; and provides for duties of the Department of Health.
Signed in the House and in the Senate, 10/17/2018
Approved by the Governor, 10/24/2018 G (Act No. 112 of 2018)

HB 126 RE: Epinephrine Auto-injectors
(by Rep. Ryan Warner, et al)
Amends Title 35 (Health and Safety) providing for reimbursement of patient expenses associated with participation in cancer clinical trials and for duties of the Department of Health to define and establish a clear difference between what is considered inducement for a patient to participate in a clinical trial and direct reimbursement of patient-incurred expenses for participating in a cancer clinical trial, and establish all sponsors of cancer clinical trials shall inform potential patient-subjects at the time of the informed consent process; imposing a penalty; providing for the use of epinephrine auto-injectors by certain entities and organizations by establishing a health care practitioner with prescriptive authority may prescribe epinephrine autoinjectors in the name of an authorized entity for use; and conferring powers and imposing duties on the Department of Health.
Signed in the House, 10/9/2018 Signed in the Senate, 10/15/2018
Approved by the Governor, 10/24/2018
(Act No. 93 of 2018)

HB 1013 RE: Quality Eye Care for Insured Pennsylvanians Act
(by Rep. Stephen Barrar, et al)
Amends the act of May 17, 1921 (P.L.682, No.284), known as The Insurance Company Law of 1921, in quality health care accountability and protection, further providing for emergency services and providing for quality eye care for insured Pennsylvanians. As amended in the Senate, this bill now contained the agreed-to language that was in SB 257, before the House amended that bill.
Signed in the House and in the Senate, 10/17/2018
Approved by the Governor, 10/24/2018 (Act No. 103 of 2018)

SB 780 RE: Telemedicine Act
(by Sen. Elder Vogel, et al)
Provides for telemedicine; authorizes the regulation of telemedicine by professional licensing boards; and provides for insurance coverage of telemedicine. The bill authorizes the practice of telemedicine by health care providers. Requires each licensure board to promulgate regulations within 24 months of the effective date and provides for the publishing temporary regulations within 120 days. Further provides for evaluation and treatment; insurance coverage; and Medicaid program reimbursement. The provisions regarding insurance coverage and Medicaid program reimbursement shall take effect in 90 days and the remainder shall take effect immediately.
Amended on House floor, 10/11/2018

HB 1532 RE: Access to Prescription Information
(by Rep. Kristin Phillips Hill, et al)
Amends the Achieving Better Care by Monitoring All Prescriptions Program (ABC-MAP) Act further providing for access to prescription information adding that authorized users include a Medicaid managed care organization that is a party to a Medicaid managed care contract with the Department of Human Services. The Medicaid managed care organization may query the system to review the requested dispensing or prescribing of a controlled substance to an individual to whom the organization provides services under the State's plan for medical assistance under Title XIX of the Social Security Act. The Medicaid managed care organization shall notify the Department of Human Services and the Office of Attorney General if the organization has reason to believe that a controlled substance prescribed or dispensed to an enrollee under the State's plan for medical assistance under Title XIX of the Social Security Act is fraudulent.
Read second time, and rereferred to Senate Appropriations Committee, 10/1/2018

HB 1840 RE: Physical Examination or Expert Interview
(by Rep. Rob Kauffman, et al)
Amends the Workers' Compensation Act, in liability and compensation, further providing for schedule of compensation, for computation of benefits and for physical examination or expert interview. Allows employers to request an Impairment Rating Evaluation after an employee has received total disability compensation for a period of 104 weeks. Requires the employee to submit to a medical evaluation which shall be requested by the insurer within 60 days upon the expiration of the 104 weeks to determine the degree of impairment due to compensable injury. If such determination results in an impairment rating that meets a threshold impairment rating that is equal to or greater than 35 per centum impairment, the employee shall be presumed to be totally disabled and shall continue to receive total disability compensation benefits. If the determination is less than 35 percent, the employe shall then receive partial disability benefits provided that no reduction shall be made until sixty days' notice of modification is given. Further provides for physical examination or expert interview.
Signed in the House and Senate, 10/17/2018
Approved by the Governor, 10/24/2018 (Act No. 111 of 2018)

State Board of Optometry Board Meeting Schedule 
2019 meeting dates have not been announced yet

DHS Medical Assistance Advisory Committee (MAAC)
Remaining 2018 Meeting Dates: December 13
2019 dates have not yet been announced. For more information check the DHS MAAC website.

Copies of bills described above can be obtained online at:http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/session.cfm

Respectfully submitted,
Richard Christoph, O.D.
Chair, POA State and National Education Committee
doctorc@verizon.net

Special thanks to Ted Mowatt, POA Lobbyist, for preparing the content.
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