AARON WINTERS
Executive Director
Healthcare Council
847-334-6411
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July 23, 2018
Good morning, Healthcare Council. We hope your summer is treating you well. The general election is 106 days away, with Veto Session scheduled for the week after on November 13. While we had some hiccups with our quarterly meeting due to transitions at HFS, rest assured we are working on another great event in the near future. On to the update!
Governor's Office Continues to Work Through Legislation
It's the middle of summer, which means the governor's office is continuing to work through their bill review process for legislation passed by the General Assembly. As of this morning there are 557 pieces of legislation awaiting either a gubernatorial signature or veto/amendatory veto. The Healthcare Council alone is tracking approximately 80 of those bills. For a full list of our tracked bills, please click here.
As an FYI, the governor's office staffer (Chris Kantas) who handles most healthcare-related issues has taken the Deputy Director position at the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. However, Chris will continue his bill review duties through the summer. If you have taken a position on any bills before the Governor's office and have not let us know yet, please drop me a note.
Here is a rundown on legislation that has been acted upon by the Governor:
Signed - HB 5537 - Jesiel
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Amends the Community-Integrated Living Arrangements Licensure and Certification Act. Removes language requiring the Department of Human Services to adopt a State plan for the distribution of community-integrated living arrangements throughout the State and makes related changes. Effective immediately.
Signed - HB5551 - Pritchard
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Amends the Community-Integrated Living Arrangements Licensure and Certification Act. Provides that for community-integrated living arrangements licensed under the Act, the Office of the State Fire Marshal shall provide the necessary fire inspection to comply with licensing requirements. Provides that the Office of the State Fire Marshal may enter into an agreement with another State agency to conduct this inspection if qualified personnel are employed by that agency. Removes language providing that code enforcement inspection of the facility by the local authority may occur if the local authority having jurisdiction enforces code requirements that are equal to those enforced by the State Fire Marshal. Provides that nothing in provisions concerning fire inspections shall limit a local authority with jurisdiction from conducting local code inspection and enforcement or (rather than shall prohibit a local fire authority) from conducting fire incident planning activities. Effective immediately.
Signed - SB2904 - Steans
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Amends the Medical Practice Act of 1987. Provides that entering into an excessive number of written collaborative agreements with licensed physician assistants resulting in an inability to adequately collaborate and repeated failure to adequately collaborate with a physician assistant constitute grounds for disciplinary actions. Provides that a physician licensed to practice medicine in all its branches may not collaborate with more than 7 (rather than 5) full-time equivalent physician assistants except in a hospital, hospital affiliate, or ambulatory surgical treatment center. Provides that a physician licensed to practice medicine in all its branches may collaborate with more than 7 physician assistants when the services are provided in a federal primary care health professional shortage area with a Health Professional Shortage Area score greater than or equal to 12. Amends the Physician Assistant Act of 1987. Provides that a collaborating physician may collaborate with a maximum of 7 (rather than 5) full-time equivalent physician assistants. Provides that entering into an excessive number of written collaborative agreements with licensed physicians resulting in an inability to adequately collaborate and repeated failure to adequately collaborate with a collaborating physician constitute grounds for disciplinary actions. Effective January 1, 2019.
Signed - SB3491 - Holmes -
Amends the Network Adequacy and Transparency Act. Provides that the Act also does not apply to a limited health service organization with a network plan. Further amends the Network Adequacy and Transparency Act. In provisions requiring a network plan to demonstrate to the Director of Insurance a minimum ratio of providers to plan beneficiaries, provides that the Department of Insurance shall not establish ratios for vision or dental providers who provide services under dental-specific or vision-specific benefits. Effective immediately.
JCAR Update
In the July 20 edition of the Illinois Register, HFS proposed amendments to Medical Payment (89 IAC 140; 42 Ill Reg 14043) concerning Medicaid mental health services. The rulemaking implements an Integrated Assessment and Treatment Planning (IATP) process, using a standardized assessment and service planning tool, for determining an individual's need for services.
Healthcare In the News
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