The California bill AB 2315 on pupil health was re-referred to the Committee on Health as of April 17, 2018. This bill requires that the State Department of Education with the State Department of Health Care Services to develop regulations surrounding the use of telehealth technology in California schools. The current bill also seeks to address barriers to care for mental and behavioral health disorders through school-based mental health services.
HIMSS appreciates that the State of California has been at the forefront as an innovator in telehealth and a strong proponent of telehealth as an effective strategy in underserved communities and we support the work underway to find additional applications for telehealth technology.
The Department of Health Care Services states that the current coverage and reimbursement for telehealth follows the California Telehealth Advancement Act of 2011 as well as Federal regulations. These regulations focus on telecommunications inclusion of audio and video for a real-time two-way communication according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
HIMSS California Chapters will hold their State HIT Day on May 16, 2018 where the chapters will advocate for expanded use of telehealth across the state.