BILL REQ. #:  S-2300.1 

READ FIRST TIME 03/02/09.   

     AN ACT Relating to developmental screening for children; amending RCW 74.09.520; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature finds that:
     (1) Early identification and treatment of problems such as language delay, mental retardation, learning disabilities, and emotional and behavioral problems can prevent these conditions from becoming costly and intractable issues later.
     (2) Research indicates that health care providers who use standardized developmental screening and assessment tools can more readily identify children at risk for developmental delay.
     (3) Research indicates that reliance on clinical impressions or developmental milestone reviews alone leads to significantly fewer children receiving timely and appropriate intervention. Physician surveillance during physical exams detected fewer than thirty percent of developmental delays compared to over seventy percent of delays detected by formal screening tests.
     (4) Developmental screening identifies children with delays at a more treatable time when they can be referred to early intervention programs. Children involved with early intervention programs are more likely to live independently, graduate from high school, and save society significant long-term expenses.

Sec. 2   RCW 74.09.520 and 2007 c 3 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The term "medical assistance" may include the following care and services: (a) Inpatient hospital services; (b) outpatient hospital services; (c) other laboratory and X-ray services; (d) nursing facility services; (e) physicians' services, which shall include prescribed medication and instruction on birth control devices; (f) medical care, or any other type of remedial care as may be established by the secretary; (g) home health care services; (h) private duty nursing services; (i) dental services; (j) physical and occupational therapy and related services; (k) prescribed drugs, dentures, and prosthetic devices; and eyeglasses prescribed by a physician skilled in diseases of the eye or by an optometrist, whichever the individual may select; (l) personal care services, as provided in this section; (m) hospice services; (n) other diagnostic, screening, preventive, and rehabilitative services; and (o) like services when furnished to a child by a school district in a manner consistent with the requirements of this chapter. For the purposes of this section, the department may not cut off any prescription medications, oxygen supplies, respiratory services, or other life-sustaining medical services or supplies.
     "Medical assistance," notwithstanding any other provision of law, shall not include routine foot care, or dental services delivered by any health care provider, that are not mandated by Title XIX of the social security act unless there is a specific appropriation for these services.
     (2) The department shall amend the state plan for medical assistance under Title XIX of the federal social security act to include personal care services, as defined in 42 C.F.R. 440.170(f), in the categorically needy program.
     (3) The department shall adopt, amend, or rescind such administrative rules as are necessary to ensure that Title XIX personal care services are provided to eligible persons in conformance with federal regulations.
     (a) These administrative rules shall include financial eligibility indexed according to the requirements of the social security act providing for medicaid eligibility.
     (b) The rules shall require clients be assessed as having a medical condition requiring assistance with personal care tasks. Plans of care for clients requiring health-related consultation for assessment and service planning may be reviewed by a nurse.
     (c) The department shall determine by rule which clients have a health-related assessment or service planning need requiring registered nurse consultation or review. This definition may include clients that meet indicators or protocols for review, consultation, or visit.
     (4) The department shall design and implement a means to assess the level of functional disability of persons eligible for personal care services under this section. The personal care services benefit shall be provided to the extent funding is available according to the assessed level of functional disability. Any reductions in services made necessary for funding reasons should be accomplished in a manner that assures that priority for maintaining services is given to persons with the greatest need as determined by the assessment of functional disability.
     (5) Effective July 1, 1989, the department shall offer hospice services in accordance with available funds.
     (6) For Title XIX personal care services administered by aging and disability services administration of the department, the department shall contract with area agencies on aging:
     (a) To provide case management services to individuals receiving Title XIX personal care services in their own home; and
     (b) To reassess and reauthorize Title XIX personal care services or other home and community services as defined in RCW 74.39A.009 in home or in other settings for individuals consistent with the intent of this section:
     (i) Who have been initially authorized by the department to receive Title XIX personal care services or other home and community services as defined in RCW 74.39A.009; and
     (ii) Who, at the time of reassessment and reauthorization, are receiving such services in their own home.
     (7) In the event that an area agency on aging is unwilling to enter into or satisfactorily fulfill a contract or an individual consumer's need for case management services will be met through an alternative delivery system, the department is authorized to:
     (a) Obtain the services through competitive bid; and
     (b) Provide the services directly until a qualified contractor can be found.
     (8) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, effective July 1, 2007, the department may offer medicare part D prescription drug copayment coverage to full benefit dual eligible beneficiaries.
     (9) Effective July 1, 2011, the department shall select developmental screening tools consistent with nationally accepted pediatric guidelines and, within funds specifically appropriated for this purpose, reimburse family physicians and pediatricians, in addition to psychologists, using such tools to conduct developmental screenings of children. The department shall also recommend a schedule for administering these developmental screens consistent with nationally accepted pediatric guidelines.