Clinician
This page tracks California legislation that could potentially impact clinician practice at Urban Indian clinics. This tracker is updated regularly and provides links to the California Legislative Information website for additional resources.
Click here to view an recently chaptered bills.
AB 1917: Assembly member Obernolte (District 33)
Mental Health care professionals: qualifications
Summary: This bill would, require the board to accept specified education an applicant gained from an out-of-state school. This bill would specify that the face-to-face counseling requirement of the practicum coursework be face-to-face counseling of individuals, couples, families, or groups. This bill would require that this counseling be supervised for applicants seeking licensure as a professional clinical counselor. This bill would require that the degree’s practicum and field study experience involve direct client contact. This bill would prohibit remediation of the core content area of assessment, appraisal, and testing of individuals, as specified. The bill also would prohibit the remediation of the core content area of the principles of the diagnostic process and the use of diagnostic tools, as specified.
Last Action: 07/22/2016 Approved by the Governor and chaptered by the Secretary of State
For more information on this bill please check the Official California Legislative Information site here
SB 1261: Senator Stone (District 28)
Physicians and surgeons: licensure exemption
Summary:The Medical Practice Act generally requires that an application for a certificate be accompanied by the fee required by the act, but requires the waiver of the fee for a physician and surgeon residing in California who certifies to the board that the license is for the sole purpose of providing voluntary, unpaid service. The act establishes a parallel fee waiver requirement for the renewal of a physician and surgeon’s certificate. This bill would remove from those application and renewal fee waiver provisions the requirement that a physician and surgeon reside in California
Last Action: 08/11/2016 Read for the third time, pass and ordered to Senate.
For more information on this bill please check the Official California Legislative Information site here
AB 2372: Assemblymember Burke (District 62)
Health care coverage: HIV specialists
Summary: The bill would require a health care service plan contract or health insurance policy that is issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2017, to include an HIV specialist, as defined, as an eligible primary care physician, provided that he or she meets the plan’s or health insurer’s eligibility criteria for all specialists seeking primary care physician status.
Last Action:05/27/2016 In committee: held under submission
For more information on this bill please check the Official California Legislative Information site here
AB 2179: Assemblymember Gipson (District 43)
Hepatitis C testing
Summary:Existing law authorizes an HIV counselor who receives specified training and works in specified counseling and testing sites to perform HIV, hepatitis C virus (HCV), or combined HIV/HCV tests, including performing skin punctures for purposes of withdrawing blood for purposes of these tests, as specified.This bill would authorize a hepatitis C counselor who receives specified training and works in described counseling and testing sites to perform HCV tests and add hepatitis C counselors performing those tests to the specified professionals and others referred to above.
Last Action: 08/31/2016 Enrolled and presented to the Governor
For more information on this bill please check the Official California Legislative Information site here
AB 1863: Jim Wood (District 2 )
Improving Access to Behavioral Health Services (MFT Bill)
Summary: This bill will increase Californians’ access to culturally appropriate behavioral health services by permitting Marriage and Family Therapists (MFT) services at an FQHC or RHC to be reimbursed on a per-visit basis, just as services provided by other mental health professionals are reimbursed. Adding MFT’s would require a rate adjustment.
This is the same MFT Bill that was vetoed by the Governor last round because of the MCO tax, a substantial Medi-Cal revenue source, had not been resolved. With bipartisan support and momentum from the last session, FQHCs are optimistic. It is important to highlight, however, that adding MFT services will require a scope change.
Last Action: 08/11/2016 From committee: Do pass.
For more information on this bill please check the Official California Legislative Information site here
AB 840: Assemblymember Ridley-Thomas (District 54)
Nurses and certified nurse assistants: overtime
Summary: The State Civil Service Act generally requires the workweek of state employees to be 40 hours, and the workday of state employees to be 8 hours. This bill, commencing January 1, 2017, would prohibit a nurse or Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), employed by the State of California from working hours beyond their regularly scheduled workweek. The bill would authorize a nurse or CNA to work additional hours or volunteer, however the rejection of those hours would not constitute patient abandonment or be a cause of any employment penalty or decision adverse to the nurse or CNA. The author contends that mandatory overtime causes stress on the job, less patient comfort and mental and physical fatigue that contributes to errors.
According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee, the annual General Fund (GF) would accrue costs greater than $3 million to the Department of State Hospitals (DSH) and the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to support the costs of hiring additional nurses to cover additional hours for CNA’s or nurses.
Last Action: 06/11/2015 Referred to Committee on Public Employment and Retirement.
For more information on this bill please check the Official California Legislative Information site click here
