CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 50-14

Honolulu, Hawaii

                 , 2014

RE:    S.B. No. 2469

       S.D. 2

       H.D. 3

       C.D. 1

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Madam and Sir:

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 2469, S.D. 2, H.D. 3, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TELEHEALTH,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

     The purpose of this measure is to improve access to health care services in the State by:

     (1)  Requiring equivalent insurance reimbursement for services provided by a health care provider to a patient, regardless of whether the service is provided through telehealth or via face-to-face contact between a health care provider and patient;

     (2)  Clarifying the definition of "health care provider" for telehealth purposes; and

     (3)  Replacing references to "telemedicine" with "telehealth" and clarifying the definition of "telehealth" throughout the Hawaii Revised Statutes.

     Your Committee on Conference finds that the effective use of telehealth is vitally important in Hawaii, where many segments of the population, especially on the neighbor islands, face geographical challenges to accessing quality health care.  Your Committee on Conference further finds that this measure will assist in the delivery of enhanced statewide health care services, increase access to services, and provide timely information to patients and health care providers.

     Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Not requiring a second health care provider to accompany the patient when behavioral health services are provided as a condition for reimbursement for a telehealth consultation;

     (2)  Requiring reimbursement for behavioral health services provided through telehealth to be equivalent to reimbursement for the same services provided via face-to-face contact between a health care provider and a patient;

     (3)  Making the measure effective upon approval; and

     (4)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2469, S.D. 2, H.D. 3, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2469, S.D. 2, H.D. 3, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

____________________________ DELLA AU BELATTI, Co-Chair	____________________________ JOSH GREEN, Chair
____________________________ ANGUS L.K. MCKELVEY, Co-Chair	____________________________ GLENN WAKAI, Co-Chair
____________________________ SCOTT Y. NISHIMOTO, Co-Chair	____________________________ ROSALYN H. BAKER, Co-Chair