04/13/2023 03:30 PM Senate HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES

         SB  91-TELEHEALTH: MULTIDISCIPLINARY CARE TEAM                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
4:01:50 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR   WILSON  reconvened   the   meeting   and  announced   the                                                               
consideration  of  SENATE  BILL  NO.   91  "An  Act  relating  to                                                               
telehealth;  relating   to  multidisciplinary  care   teams;  and                                                               
relating to the practice of medicine."                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
4:02:33 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR WILSON said  Amendment A.8 ("Amendment 2"),  work order 33-                                                               
LS0193\A.8, was pending from the previous hearing on the bill.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
4:02:43 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR GIESSEL summarized that  Amendment 2 allows a physician's                                                               
multidisciplinary  care  team  to provide  health  care  services                                                               
through telehealth  to a  patient located in  Alaska only  if the                                                               
health  care service  is not  otherwise available.  The physician                                                               
must also meet the requirements  of an in-state license. Sections                                                               
3 and  4 address the  professions that cannot  provide telephonic                                                               
services, such  as dental hygienist or  direct-entry midwife. The                                                               
multidisciplinary  team  members  must  also  register  with  the                                                               
Department  of  Commerce,   Community  and  Economic  Development                                                               
(DCCED).                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
4:05:04 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR WILSON asked  if there was further  discussion on Amendment                                                               
2.                                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
4:05:10 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  DUNBAR  asked Senator  Giessel  if  she would  agree  to                                                               
change the word "otherwise" to "reasonably." on page 1, line 4.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
4:05:32 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  GIESSEL  replied  that  she was  open  to  changing  the                                                               
language.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
4:05:58 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  DUNBAR  asked  Senator Giessel  if  she  would  consider                                                               
allowing physical  and occupational  therapists to  be part  of a                                                               
telephonic multidisciplinary team.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
4:06:25 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR GIESSEL said  she would agree to  the change reluctantly.                                                               
She stated there is cognitive  dissonance when the state seeks to                                                               
prohibit out-of-state  companies from operating  in-state without                                                               
paying taxes but allows  out-of-state healthcare professionals to                                                               
provide   telehealth  services   when   in-state  providers   are                                                               
available. As  an example,  she mentioned  out-of-state employees                                                               
working on the North Slope.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
4:08:51 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  DUNBAR   moved  to  adopt  Conceptual   Amendment  1  to                                                               
Amendment 2 for SB 91.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
             CONCEPTUAL AMENDMENT 1 TO AMENDMENT 2                                                                          
                                                                                                                              
          Page 1, line 4:                                                                                                   
               Delete "otherwise"                                                                                           
               Insert "reasonably"                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
          Section 3:                                                                                                          
          Insert: "physical therapy" and "occupational                                                                      
     therapy"                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
4:09:15 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR  WILSON  asked  Senator Dunbar  to  repeat  the  conceptual                                                               
amendment.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR DUNBAR repeated the conceptual amendment.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
4:09:24 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR WILSON  found no  objection and  Conceptual Amendment  1 to                                                               
Amendment 2 was adopted.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
4:09:41 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  CLAMAN, District  H, Alaska  State Legislature,  Juneau,                                                               
Alaska, thanked the committee for its discussion on SB 91.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
4:09:50 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR WILSON withdrew his objection.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
4:09:54 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR WILSON  found no  further objection  and Amendment  2, work                                                               
order 33-LS0193\A.8 as amended, was adopted.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
4:10:07 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR WILSON solicited a motion.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
4:10:09 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR KAUFMAN  moved to report  SB 91, work  order 33-LS0193\A,                                                               
as amended,  from committee  with individual  recommendations and                                                               
attached fiscal note(s).                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
4:10:36 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR WILSON found no objection and CSSB 91(HSS) was reported                                                                   
from the Senate Health and Social Services Standing Committee.