Final
Telemedicine and Orthopedics
HEALTH CARE TASK FORCE
Votes:
Action Taken:
moved to forward the bill on hospital-acquired inf
PASS
11:18 AM -- Telemedicine and Orthopedics
Ms. Brenda Zorn, RN with Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics, introduced herself and her colleagues Terry Noffsinger and Pamela Hale, also with Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics. Ms. Zorn distributed a copy of her PowerPoint presentation to the committee (Attachment E).
Ms. Zorn explained that they started their experience with telemedicine in 2000 with the Shrine Hospital in Salt Lake City in partnership with The Children's Hospital of Denver. The Shrine Hospital provides health care to underprivileged children. Ms. Zorn noted that The Children's Hospital provided the facility including access to x-ray and telemedicine equipment, Hangar provided a prosthetist and a physician's assistant, and the Shrine Hospital provided the physician via teleconference.
Ms. Zorn described some of challenges they faced including billing payers across state lines, reimbursement, and liability. Since the Shrine physicians are not licensed in Colorado, some insurance companies refused to pay for their services. Ms. Zorn added that they found liability was decreased since the physician was present at the evaluation. Ms. Zorn described some of the factors which make their telemedicine program cost-effective including shorter evaluation times, reduced travel costs, and reduced wage loss for the patients' families. Ms. Zorn stated that their start-up costs for this program were just over $13,000.
Ms. Zorn stated that providers, patients and clinical facilitators have been satisfied with the results of their telemedicine program, and she provided results of satisfaction surveys as listed in Attachment E.
11:27 AM
Chairman Frangas announced that the committee would discuss the draft bill concerning hospital infection rates prior to the lunch break.
11:32 AM
Representative McCluskey and Michael Dohr, Office of Legislative Legal Services, presented a proposed bill related to hospital-acquired infection reporting that the committee had requested at the September 1 meeting (Attachment F). The committee needed to decide whether to forward the bill to the Legislative Council Committee which is meeting on November 15 to consider proposed interim committee legislation. Representative McCluskey stated that the bill is similar to a bill that was introduced last session. It is a modest start to address this issue for Coloradans, and there has been input from many groups in its formulation. Representative McCluskey moved an amendment to page 5, line 10, after "FORMATTING," insert "TYPES OF CASES,", and on page 6 strike line 27 (subparagraph III). The motion was adopted without objection.
Representative Clapp asked whether the bill's reporting requirements would be covering some of the same issues the Executive Director of the Department of Public Health and Environment, Douglas Benevento, recently addressed in rule. Representative McCluskey responded that he is not aware of recent rules implemented by Director Benevento or how they may impact the bill.
BILL:
Telemedicine and Orthopedics
TIME:
11:38:35 AM
MOVED:
McCluskey
MOTION:
moved to forward the bill on hospital-acquired infection reporting, as amended, to the Legislative Council Committee. The motion passed on a 6-0 roll call vote.
SECONDED:
Frangas
VOTE
Butcher
Yes
Clapp
Yes
Gordon
Excused
Johnson
Excused
McCluskey
Yes
Mitchell
Excused
Tochtrop
Yes
Todd
Yes
Frangas
Yes
Keller
Excused
Not Final
YES:
6
NO:
0
EXC:
4
ABS:
0
FINAL ACTION:
PASS
Representative McCluskey and Senator Keller were designated as the bill sponsors.
Co-sponsors were identified as Senator Tochtrop, Representative Todd, Representative Butcher, and Representative Frangas.
Representative Frangas moved, and Representative McCluskey seconded, to allow the drafter to make any needed technical corrections to the bill. There was no objection.
11:40 AM -- Recess
The committee recessed for lunch.