Cecilia Aguiar-Curry
- Democratic
- Assemblymember
- District 4
Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Under existing law, subject to federal approval, in-person, face-to-face contact is not required under Medi-Cal when covered health care services are provided by video synchronous interaction, asynchronous store and forward, audio-only synchronous interaction, remote patient monitoring, or other permissible virtual communication modalities, when those services and settings meet certain criteria. Existing law defines "asynchronous store and forward" as the transmission of a patient's medical information from an originating site to the health care provider at a distant site. This bill would expand that definition, for purposes of the above-described Medi-Cal provisions, to include asynchronous electronic transmission initiated directly by patients, including through mobile telephone applications. Existing law prohibits a health care provider from establishing a new patient relationship with a Medi-Cal beneficiary via asynchronous store and forward, telephonic (audio-only) synchronous interaction, remote patient monitoring, or other virtual communication modalities, except as specified. Among those exceptions, existing law authorizes a health care provider to establish a new patient relationship using an audio-only synchronous interaction when the visit is related to sensitive services, as defined, and when established in accordance with department-specific requirements and consistent with federal and state law, regulations, and guidance. This bill would expand that exception to include asynchronous store and forward when the visit is related to sensitive services, as specified. The bill would also authorize a health care provider to establish a new patient relationship using asynchronous store and forward when the patient requests an asynchronous store and forward modality, as specified. Existing law authorizes a health care provider to establish a new patient relationship using an audio-only synchronous interaction when the patient requests an audio-only modality or attests that they do not have access to video, as specified. This bill would remove, from that exception, the option of the patient attesting that they do not have access to video.
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
From committee: Be ordered to second reading pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8.
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 0.) (June 19). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 71. Noes 0.)
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (May 16).
In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to suspense file.
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (April 2). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
From printer. May be heard in committee March 14.
Read first time. To print.
Bill Text Versions | Format |
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AB2339 | HTML |
02/12/24 - Introduced |
Document | Format |
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03/28/24- Assembly Health | |
04/15/24- Assembly Appropriations | |
05/20/24- ASSEMBLY FLOOR ANALYSIS | |
06/17/24- Senate Health | |
07/02/24- Sen. Floor Analyses |
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