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SF 3178

as introduced - 90th Legislature (2017 - 2018) Posted on 03/13/2018 09:11am

KEY: stricken = removed, old language.
underscored = added, new language.

Current Version - as introduced

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A bill for an act
relating to health; adding alcohol and drug counselors to the health professional
education loan forgiveness program; amending Minnesota Statutes 2016, sections
144.1501, subdivisions 1, 3; 144.608, subdivision 1; 147A.08; Minnesota Statutes
2017 Supplement, section 144.1501, subdivision 2.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2016, section 144.1501, subdivision 1, is amended to read:


Subdivision 1.

Definitions.

(a) For purposes of this section, the following definitions
apply.

(b) "Advanced dental therapist" means an individual who is licensed as a dental therapist
under section 150A.06, and who is certified as an advanced dental therapist under section
150A.106.

(c)new text begin "Alcohol and drug counselor" means an individual who is licensed as an alcohol and
drug counselor under chapter 148F.
new text end

new text begin (d)new text end "Dental therapist" means an individual who is licensed as a dental therapist under
section 150A.06.

deleted text begin (d)deleted text end new text begin (e)new text end "Dentist" means an individual who is licensed to practice dentistry.

deleted text begin (e)deleted text end new text begin (f)new text end "Designated rural area" means a statutory and home rule charter city or township
that is outside the seven-county metropolitan area as defined in section 473.121, subdivision
2, excluding the cities of Duluth, Mankato, Moorhead, Rochester, and St. Cloud.

deleted text begin (f)deleted text end new text begin (g)new text end "Emergency circumstances" means those conditions that make it impossible for
the participant to fulfill the service commitment, including death, total and permanent
disability, or temporary disability lasting more than two years.

deleted text begin (g)deleted text end new text begin (h)new text end "Mental health professional" means an individual providing clinical services in
the treatment of mental illness who is qualified in at least one of the ways specified in section
245.462, subdivision 18.

deleted text begin (h)deleted text end new text begin (i)new text end "Medical resident" means an individual participating in a medical residency in
family practice, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, or psychiatry.

deleted text begin (i)deleted text end new text begin (j)new text end "Midlevel practitioner" means a nurse practitioner, nurse-midwife, nurse anesthetist,
advanced clinical nurse specialist, or physician assistant.

deleted text begin (j)deleted text end new text begin (k)new text end "Nurse" means an individual who has completed training and received all licensing
or certification necessary to perform duties as a licensed practical nurse or registered nurse.

deleted text begin (k)deleted text end new text begin (l)new text end "Nurse-midwife" means a registered nurse who has graduated from a program of
study designed to prepare registered nurses for advanced practice as nurse-midwives.

deleted text begin (l)deleted text end new text begin (m)new text end "Nurse practitioner" means a registered nurse who has graduated from a program
of study designed to prepare registered nurses for advanced practice as nurse practitioners.

deleted text begin (m)deleted text end new text begin (n)new text end "Pharmacist" means an individual with a valid license issued under chapter 151.

deleted text begin (n)deleted text end new text begin (o)new text end "Physician" means an individual who is licensed to practice medicine in the areas
of family practice, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, or psychiatry.

deleted text begin (o)deleted text end new text begin (p)new text end "Physician assistant" means a person licensed under chapter 147A.

deleted text begin (p)deleted text end new text begin (q)new text end "Public health nurse" means a registered nurse licensed in Minnesota who has
obtained a registration certificate as a public health nurse from the Board of Nursing in
accordance with Minnesota Rules, chapter 6316.

deleted text begin (q)deleted text end new text begin (r)new text end "Qualified educational loan" means a government, commercial, or foundation
loan for actual costs paid for tuition, reasonable education expenses, and reasonable living
expenses related to the graduate or undergraduate education of a health care professional.

deleted text begin (r)deleted text end new text begin (s)new text end "Underserved urban community" means a Minnesota urban area or population
included in the list of designated primary medical care health professional shortage areas
(HPSAs), medically underserved areas (MUAs), or medically underserved populations
(MUPs) maintained and updated by the United States Department of Health and Human
Services.

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2017 Supplement, section 144.1501, subdivision 2, is amended
to read:


Subd. 2.

Creation of account.

(a) A health professional education loan forgiveness
program account is established. The commissioner of health shall use money from the
account to establish a loan forgiveness program:

(1) for medical residents and mental health professionals agreeing to practice in designated
rural areas or underserved urban communities or specializing in the area of pediatric
psychiatry;

(2) for midlevel practitioners agreeing to practice in designated rural areas or to teach
at least 12 credit hours, or 720 hours per year in the nursing field in a postsecondary program
at the undergraduate level or the equivalent at the graduate level;

(3) for nurses who agree to practice in a Minnesota nursing home; an intermediate care
facility for persons with developmental disability; a hospital if the hospital owns and operates
a Minnesota nursing home and a minimum of 50 percent of the hours worked by the nurse
is in the nursing home; a housing with services establishment as defined in section 144D.01,
subdivision 4
; or for a home care provider as defined in section 144A.43, subdivision 4; or
agree to teach at least 12 credit hours, or 720 hours per year in the nursing field in a
postsecondary program at the undergraduate level or the equivalent at the graduate level;

(4) for other health care technicians agreeing to teach at least 12 credit hours, or 720
hours per year in their designated field in a postsecondary program at the undergraduate
level or the equivalent at the graduate level. The commissioner, in consultation with the
Healthcare Education-Industry Partnership, shall determine the health care fields where the
need is the greatest, including, but not limited to, respiratory therapy, clinical laboratory
technology, radiologic technology, and surgical technology;

(5) for pharmacists, advanced dental therapists, dental therapists, new text begin alcohol and drug
counselors,
new text end and public health nurses who agree to practice in designated rural areas; and

(6) for dentists agreeing to deliver at least 25 percent of the dentist's yearly patient
encounters to state public program enrollees or patients receiving sliding fee schedule
discounts through a formal sliding fee schedule meeting the standards established by the
United States Department of Health and Human Services under Code of Federal Regulations,
title 42, section 51, chapter 303.

(b) Appropriations made to the account do not cancel and are available until expended,
except that at the end of each biennium, any remaining balance in the account that is not
committed by contract and not needed to fulfill existing commitments shall cancel to the
fund.

Sec. 3.

Minnesota Statutes 2016, section 144.1501, subdivision 3, is amended to read:


Subd. 3.

Eligibility.

(a) To be eligible to participate in the loan forgiveness program, an
individual must:

(1) be a medical or dental resident; a licensed pharmacist; or be enrolled in a training or
education program to become a dentist, dental therapist, advanced dental therapist, mental
health professional, new text begin alcohol and drug counselor, new text end pharmacist, public health nurse, midlevel
practitioner, registered nurse, or a licensed practical nurse. The commissioner may also
consider applications submitted by graduates in eligible professions who are licensed and
in practice; and

(2) submit an application to the commissioner of health.

(b) An applicant selected to participate must sign a contract to agree to serve a minimum
three-year full-time service obligation according to subdivision 2, which shall begin no later
than March 31 following completion of required training, with the exception of a nurse,
who must agree to serve a minimum two-year full-time service obligation according to
subdivision 2, which shall begin no later than March 31 following completion of required
training.

Sec. 4.

Minnesota Statutes 2016, section 144.608, subdivision 1, is amended to read:


Subdivision 1.

Trauma Advisory Council established.

(a) A Trauma Advisory Council
is established to advise, consult with, and make recommendations to the commissioner on
the development, maintenance, and improvement of a statewide trauma system.

(b) The council shall consist of the following members:

(1) a trauma surgeon certified by the American Board of Surgery or the American
Osteopathic Board of Surgery who practices in a level I or II trauma hospital;

(2) a general surgeon certified by the American Board of Surgery or the American
Osteopathic Board of Surgery whose practice includes trauma and who practices in a
designated rural area as defined under section 144.1501, subdivision 1, paragraph deleted text begin (e)deleted text end new text begin (f)new text end ;

(3) a neurosurgeon certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery who
practices in a level I or II trauma hospital;

(4) a trauma program nurse manager or coordinator practicing in a level I or II trauma
hospital;

(5) an emergency physician certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine
or the American Osteopathic Board of Emergency Medicine whose practice includes
emergency room care in a level I, II, III, or IV trauma hospital;

(6) a trauma program manager or coordinator who practices in a level III or IV trauma
hospital;

(7) a physician certified by the American Board of Family Medicine or the American
Osteopathic Board of Family Practice whose practice includes emergency department care
in a level III or IV trauma hospital located in a designated rural area as defined under section
144.1501, subdivision 1, paragraph deleted text begin (e)deleted text end new text begin (f)new text end ;

(8) a nurse practitioner, as defined under section 144.1501, subdivision 1, paragraph deleted text begin (l)deleted text end new text begin
(m)
new text end , or a physician assistant, as defined under section 144.1501, subdivision 1, paragraph
deleted text begin (o)deleted text end new text begin (p)new text end , whose practice includes emergency room care in a level IV trauma hospital located
in a designated rural area as defined under section 144.1501, subdivision 1, paragraph deleted text begin (e)deleted text end new text begin
(f)
new text end ;

(9) a physician certified in pediatric emergency medicine by the American Board of
Pediatrics or certified in pediatric emergency medicine by the American Board of Emergency
Medicine or certified by the American Osteopathic Board of Pediatrics whose practice
primarily includes emergency department medical care in a level I, II, III, or IV trauma
hospital, or a surgeon certified in pediatric surgery by the American Board of Surgery whose
practice involves the care of pediatric trauma patients in a trauma hospital;

(10) an orthopedic surgeon certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery or
the American Osteopathic Board of Orthopedic Surgery whose practice includes trauma
and who practices in a level I, II, or III trauma hospital;

(11) the state emergency medical services medical director appointed by the Emergency
Medical Services Regulatory Board;

(12) a hospital administrator of a level III or IV trauma hospital located in a designated
rural area as defined under section 144.1501, subdivision 1, paragraph deleted text begin (e)deleted text end new text begin (f)new text end ;

(13) a rehabilitation specialist whose practice includes rehabilitation of patients with
major trauma injuries or traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries as defined under
section 144.661;

(14) an attendant or ambulance director who is an EMT, EMT-I, or EMT-P within the
meaning of section 144E.001 and who actively practices with a licensed ambulance service
in a primary service area located in a designated rural area as defined under section 144.1501,
subdivision 1
, paragraph deleted text begin (e)deleted text end new text begin (f)new text end ; and

(15) the commissioner of public safety or the commissioner's designee.

Sec. 5.

Minnesota Statutes 2016, section 147A.08, is amended to read:


147A.08 EXEMPTIONS.

(a) This chapter does not apply to, control, prevent, or restrict the practice, service, or
activities of persons listed in section 147.09, clauses (1) to (6) and (8) to (13), persons
regulated under section 214.01, subdivision 2, or persons defined in section 144.1501,
subdivision 1
, paragraphs deleted text begin (i), (k), anddeleted text end new text begin (j),new text end (l)new text begin , and (m)new text end .

(b) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to require licensure of:

(1) a physician assistant student enrolled in a physician assistant educational program
accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant
or by its successor agency approved by the board;

(2) a physician assistant employed in the service of the federal government while
performing duties incident to that employment; or

(3) technicians, other assistants, or employees of physicians who perform delegated
tasks in the office of a physician but who do not identify themselves as a physician assistant.