HB907

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that telehealth has served as a lifeline of access to essential health care services for residents with adequate broadband coverage. However, many residents that live in rural and underprivileged communities are often cut off from receiving essential health care through telehealth because they lack the broadband coverage necessary to access this care. As a result, many of these residents will put off receiving care until the point of requiring emergency room admission, which in turn adds strain to a system already experiencing resource and staffing shortages.

The legislature further finds that the use of standard telephone contact in telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the effectiveness of this tool as a mode of essential health care delivery, especially for residents living in rural, isolated, and underprivileged communities. For kupuna and others who may have limited digital literacy, the ability to use a landline telephone to receive care was a lifeline resource during the pandemic.

The purpose of this Act is to authorize reimbursement services provided through telehealth by way of an interactive telecommunications system, which is defined to be consistent with federal law and include real time audio-only communication technology for limited uses. Under federal law, the definition for "interactive telecommunications system" is as follows:

"Interactive telecommunications system" means, except as otherwise provided in this paragraph, multimedia communications equipment that includes, at a minimum, audio and video equipment permitting two-way, real-time interactive communication between the patient and distant site physician or practitioner. For services furnished for purposes of diagnosis, evaluation, or treatment of a mental health disorder to a patient in their home, interactive telecommunications may include two-way, real-time audio-only communication technology if the distant site physician or practitioner is technically capable to use an interactive telecommunications system as defined in the previous sentence, but the patient is not capable of, or does not consent to, the use of video technology.

SECTION 2. Section 346-59.1, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended as follows:

1. By amending subsection (b) to read:

"(b) Reimbursement for services provided through telehealth by way of an interactive telecommunications system shall be equivalent to reimbursement for the same services provided via face-to-face contact between a health care provider and a patient. Nothing in this section shall require a health care provider to be physically present with the patient at an originating site unless a health care provider at the distant site deems it necessary."

2. By amending subsection (g) to read:

"(g) For the purposes of this section:

"Distant site" means the location of the health care provider delivering services through telehealth at the time the services are provided.

"Health care provider" means a provider of services, as defined in title 42 United States Code section 1395x(u), a provider of medical and other health services, as defined in title 42 United States Code section 1395x(s), other practitioners licensed by the State and working within their scope of practice, and any other person or organization who furnishes, bills, or is paid for health care in the normal course of business, including but not limited to primary care providers, mental health providers, oral health providers, physicians and osteopathic physicians licensed under chapter 453, advanced practice registered nurses licensed under chapter 457, psychologists licensed under chapter 465, and dentists licensed under chapter 448.

"Interactive telecommunications system" has the same meaning as the term is defined in title 42 Code of Federal Regulations section 410.78, as amended.

"Originating site" means the location where the patient is located, whether accompanied or not by a health care provider, at the time services are provided by a health care provider through telehealth, including but not limited to a health care provider's office, hospital, critical access hospital, rural health clinic, federally qualified health center, a patient's home, and other non-medical environments such as school-based health centers, university-based health centers, or the work location of a patient.

"Telehealth" means the use of telecommunications services, as defined in section 269‑1, to encompass four modalities: store and forward technologies, remote monitoring, live consultation, and mobile health; and which shall include but not be limited to real-time video conferencing-based communication, secure interactive and non‑interactive web-based communication, and secure asynchronous information exchange, to transmit patient medical information, including diagnostic-quality digital images and laboratory results for medical interpretation and diagnosis, for the purpose of delivering enhanced health care services and information while a patient is at an originating site and the health care provider is at a distant site. [~~Standard~~] Except as otherwise provided for in this section, standard telephone contacts, facsimile transmissions, or [~~e-mail~~] electronic mail text, in combination or by itself, does not constitute a telehealth service [~~for the purposes of this section~~]."

SECTION 3. Section 431:10A-116.3, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended as follows:

1. By amending subsection (c) to read:

"(c) Reimbursement for services provided through telehealth by way of an interactive telecommunications system shall be equivalent to reimbursement for the same services provided via face-to-face contact between a health care provider and a patient. Nothing in this section shall require a health care provider to be physically present with the patient at an originating site unless a health care provider at the distant site deems it necessary."

2. By amending subsection (g) to read:

"(g) For the purposes of this section:

"Distant site" means the location of the health care provider delivering services through telehealth at the time the services are provided.

"Interactive telecommunications system" has the same meaning as the term is defined in title 42 Code of Federal Regulations section 410.78, as amended.

"Originating site" means the location where the patient is located, whether accompanied or not by a health care provider, at the time services are provided by a health care provider through telehealth, including but not limited to a health care provider's office, hospital, health care facility, a patient's home, and other nonmedical environments such as school-based health centers, university-based health centers, or the work location of a patient.

SECTION 4. Section 432:1-601.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended as follows:

1. By amending subsection (c) to read:

2. By amending subsection (g) to read:

"(g) For the purposes of this section:

"Interactive telecommunications system" has the same meaning as the term is defined in title 42 Code of Federal Regulations section 410.78, as amended.

"Originating site" means the location where the patient is located, whether accompanied or not by a health care provider, at the time services are provided by a health care provider through telehealth, including but not limited to a health care provider's office, hospital, health care facility, a patient's home, and other nonmedical environments such as school-based health centers, university-based health centers, or the work location of a patient.

SECTION 5. Section 432D-23.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended as follows:

1. By amending subsection (c) to read:

2. By amending subsection (g) to read:

"(g) For the purposes of this section:

"Distant site" means the location of the health care provider delivering services through telehealth at the time the services are provided.

"Interactive telecommunications system" has the same meaning as the term is defined in title 42 Code of Federal Regulations section 410.78, as amended.

"Originating site" means the location where the patient is located, whether accompanied or not by a health care provider, at the time services are provided by a health care provider through telehealth, including but not limited to a health care provider's office, hospital, health care facility, a patient's home, and other nonmedical environments such as school-based health centers, university-based health centers, or the work location of a patient.

SECTION 6. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 7. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:	_____________________________

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	907
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023
STATE OF HAWAII