SF 1395

as introduced - 91st Legislature (2019 - 2020) Posted on 02/18/2019 03:05pm

A bill for an act
relating to health care; establishing telemonitoring services pilot project; requiring
reports.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1. new text begin TELEMONITORING SERVICES PILOT PROJECT.
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new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Establishment; services provided. new text end

new text begin (a) The commissioner of human
services shall establish a telemonitoring services pilot project that awards two grants, with
one grantee serving eligible individuals residing in a geographic area within the seven-county
metropolitan area and one grantee serving eligible individuals residing in a geographic area
outside the seven-county metropolitan area. Each grant shall be awarded for a four-year
period to an eligible provider of telemonitoring services to provide telemonitoring services
to eligible individuals. Each grant must serve at least 30 eligible individuals. The
commissioner shall award the two grants through a request for proposal process. The pilot
project design, including the payment rates for the services provided, must be agreed upon
by the commissioner and the grantee.
new text end

new text begin (b) To be eligible to participate in the pilot project, a grant applicant must be a home
health provider licensed under Minnesota Statutes, chapter 144A, or other qualified provider
approved by the commissioner. The monitoring and interpreting of the health information
transmitted by telemonitoring must be performed by one of the following licensed health
care professionals: physician, podiatrist, registered nurse, advanced practice registered nurse,
physician assistant, respiratory therapist, or a licensed professional working under the
supervision of a medical director.
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new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Eligibility. new text end

new text begin To be eligible to participate in the pilot project, an individual must:
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new text begin (1) be eligible for medical assistance and not have other insurance;
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new text begin (2) be diagnosed and receiving services with at least one of the following chronic
conditions: hypertension, cancer, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease, asthma, or diabetes;
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new text begin (3) require monitoring at least five times weekly to manage the condition, as ordered by
the individual's health care provider;
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new text begin (4) have had two or more emergency room or inpatient hospitalization stays within the
last 12 months due to one of the conditions or diseases identified in clause (2), or the
individual's health care provider has identified that telemonitoring services would likely
prevent the admission or readmission to a hospital, emergency department, or nursing
facility;
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new text begin (5) reside in the community and not in a setting with health care staff on site; and
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new text begin (6) be willing to participate in the pilot project and receive services through
telemonitoring.
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new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Payment for services. new text end

new text begin (a) The payment rates must include:
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new text begin (1) all necessary equipment, computer systems, connections, software, in-home
installation of the equipment, equipment maintenance, patient education and support, and
equipment removal when the services are no longer needed;
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new text begin (2) monitoring services that would otherwise require a home visit including the
interpretation of the health information transmitted by the equipment and ongoing assessment
and management of the telemonitored data; and
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new text begin (3) contact with the individual at least once a month to determine whether the equipment
is being utilized and is operating correctly.
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new text begin (b) A payment rate may be paid on a per person per month basis for each individual who
receives telemonitoring services from the grantee.
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new text begin (c) The commissioner shall ensure that the services provided by the grantee as a part of
the pilot project are not a duplication of services.
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new text begin Subd. 4. new text end

new text begin Performance measures. new text end

new text begin The commissioner shall develop performance measures
to evaluate the pilot project. These performance measures shall include:
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new text begin (1) the reduction of emergency department use, hospitalizations, and nursing facility
stays;
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new text begin (2) patient functional status and satisfaction; and
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new text begin (3) the effect on workforce usage in relation to addressing workforce shortages and
health care access.
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new text begin Subd. 5. new text end

new text begin Report. new text end

new text begin The commissioner shall submit an interim report by January 15, 2022,
and a final report by January 15, 2023, to the chairs and ranking minority members of the
legislative committees with jurisdiction over health and human services policy and finance.
Each report shall include an evaluation of the project based on the performance measures
developed under subdivision 4. The final report may also include a recommendation on
increasing access to telemonitoring services as a medical assistance service.
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new text begin Subd. 6. new text end

new text begin Definition. new text end

new text begin For the purpose of this section, "telemonitoring services" means
the remote monitoring of data related to an individual's health, including the individual's
vital signs or biometric data by a monitoring device that transmits the data electronically
to a provider for analysis.
new text end