Highlights 77th Texas Legislature - Senate

__ HEALTH AND HUMAN
ERVICES/Health Care
UMAN SERVICES
77 th Texas Legislature
Requires the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) and the Telecommunications Infrastructure
Fund Board to establish and adopt minimum standards for an operating system used in the provision of
telemedicine medical services.
Requires HHSC and designated state health and human service agencies to establish certain telemedicine
and teledentistry pilot programs in designated areas of the state.
Requires HHSC, in consultation with the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners, to monitor and regulate
the use of telemedicine.
Testing for Accidental Exposure to Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C - S.B. 1006
by Senator Van De Putte
House Sponsor: Representative Uresti
Currently, licensed hospitals are required to test patients for hepatitis B or C following accidental exposure
of a health care worker to a patient's blood or other body fluids. However, emergency medical service
personnel and other persons who render assistance and are exposed to the patient's body fluids are not
included under this testing requirement.
Requires the hospital, in a case of accidental exposure of certified emergency medical services personnel,
a firefighter, a peace officer, or a first responder who renders assistance at the scene of an emergency or
during transport to the hospital, to take reasonable steps to test potentially exposed patients for hepatitis B
or hepatitis C.
Provides that the person exposed, or the organization that employs the person or for which the person
works as a volunteer in connection with rendering the assistance, is responsible for paying for the test.
Training and Regulation of Promotoras and Community Health Workers - S.B. 1051
by Senators Shapleigh and Madla
House Sponsors: Representatives Chavez and Capelo
A promotora provides a liaison between health care providers and patients. Promotoras and community
health workers can help individuals living in economically distressed areas with health and social services.
Although state law currently provides for a promotora training and certification program, participation is
voluntary. This Act makes training and certification mandatory for promotoras and community health
workers who are compensated for their services.
Expands a program designed to train and educate persons who act as promotoras established by the
Texas Department of Health (TDH) to include community health workers. In establishing the training
program, TDH, to the extent possible, must consider any findings and implement applicable
recommendations of the Promotora Program Development Committee (committee).
Provides that participation in a training and education program is voluntary for promotoras or community
health workers who provide services without compensation, but makes it mandatory for those providing
services for compensation. The Texas Board of Health (TBH) may adopt rules exempting from mandatory
training a promotora or community health worker who has served for three or more years or has 1,000 or
more hours of experience.
Senate Research Center 125