HB659: HB659 Health; rural assistance; expand medical education funding and the service cancelable loan program to include optometrists

26 HB 659/AP House Bill 659 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE) By: Representatives Greene of the 154th, Taylor of the 173rd, Hawkins of the 27th, Jasperse of the 11th, and Hagan of the 156th A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Chapters 7 and 34 of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating1 to regulation and construction of hospitals and other health ca re facilities and medical2 professionals for rural assistance, respectively, so as to perm it administration of certain3 medications to residents of personal care homes and assisted li ving facilities; to expand4 medical education funding and the service cancelable loan program to include optometrists;5 to provide for related matters; to provide for an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and6 for other purposes.7 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:8 SECTION 1.9 Chapter 7 of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to regulation and10 construction of hospitals and other health care facilities, is amended by revising11 subparagraph (h)(4)(B) of Code Section 31-7-12, relating to personal care homes, licensing12 and registration, requirements, exemptions, and enforcement, as follows:13 "(B) Administer insulin, epinephrine, GLP-1, and B12 pursuant to physician direction14 and protocol;"15 H. B. 659 - 1 - 26 HB 659/AP SECTION 2.16 Said chapter is further amended by revising subparagraph (g)(7) (B) of Code17 Section 31-7-12.2, relating to assisted living communities, lic ensing and regulation,18 medication aides, certification, and requirements, as follows:19 "(B) Administer insulin, epinephrine, GLP-1, and B12 pursuant to physician direction20 and protocol;"21 SECTION 3.22 Chapter 34 of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotate d, relating to medical23 professionals for rural assistance, is amended by revising Code Section 31-34-2, relating to24 purpose and intent of article, as follows:25 "31-34-2.26 It is the purpose of this article to increase the number of physicians, dentists, optometrists,27 physician assistants, and advanced practice registered nurses in underserved rural areas of28 Georgia by making loans to physicians, dentists, optometrists, physician assistants, and29 advanced practice registered nurses who have completed their me dical or health care30 education and to dental students and allowing such loans to be repaid by such physicians,31 dentists, optometrists, physician assistants, advanced practice registered nurses, and dental32 students agreeing to practice medicine or provide health care services in such rural areas33 and by making grants to hospitals and, as determined by the Georgia Board of Health Care34 Workforce, other health care entities, local governments, and c ivic organizations in35 underserved rural areas of Georgia that agree to provide matching funds to the grant, with36 the intent to enhance recruitment efforts in bringing physician s, dentists, optometrists,37 physician assistants, and advanced practice registered nurses to such areas. It is the intent38 of the General Assembly that if funds are available to the Georgia Board of Health Care39 Workforce to make loans, grants, or scholarships under this art icle or under other40 applicable state law, the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforc e shall give priority to41 H. B. 659 - 2 - 26 HB 659/AP loans and scholarships under Part 6 of Article 7 of Chapter 3 of Title 20 and to loans under42 Code Section 31-34-4."43 SECTION 4.44 Said chapter is further amended by revising paragraph (1) of subsection (a) and paragraph (1)45 of subsection (c) of Code Section 31-34-4, relating to loan applicant qualifications and rules46 and regulations, as follows:47 "(a)(1) A physician, dentist, optometrist, physician assistant, or advanced practice48 registered nurse who receives a loan under the program provided for in this article shall49 be a citizen or national of the United States licensed to pract ice his or her health care50 profession within the State of Geo rgia at the time the loan is made, and shall be a51 graduate of an accredited graduate medical education program or other applicable52 accredited health care education program located in the United States which has received53 accreditation or provisional accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Graduate54 Medical Education, or the American Osteopathic Association, or such other applicable55 accreditation for other health care education programs, as determined by the board."56 "(c)(1) The board is authorized to consider, among other criteria for granting loans under57 the provisions of this article, the state residency status and home area of the applying58 physician, dentist, optometrist, physician assistant, or advanced practice registered nurse59 and to give priority to those applicants who are physicians, de ntists, optometrists,60 physician assistants, and advanced practice registered nurses a ctively practicing or61 beginning active practice in specialties experiencing shortages or distribution problems62 in rural areas of this state as determined by the board pursuan t to rules and regulations63 adopted by it in accordance with this article."64 H. B. 659 - 3 - 26 HB 659/AP SECTION 5.65 Said chapter is further amended by revising subsections (a) and ( b ) o f C o d e S e c t i o n66 31-34-4.1, relating to grants to hospitals and other entities, use of funds, and rules and67 regulations authorized, as follows:68 "(a) After providing priority consideration to granting loans p ursuant to Code Section69 31-34-4, the board is authorized to make grants to hospitals an d, as determined by the70 board, other health care entities, local governments, and civic organizations in underserved71 rural areas of Georgia, provided that any such hospital, health care entity, local72 government, or civic organization matches such grant in an amou nt not less than such73 grant. Such grants shall be for the purpose of enhancing recru itment efforts in bringing74 physicians, dentists, optometrists, physician assistants, and advanced practice registered75 nurses to such areas.76 (b) Acceptable expenditures of grant funds by a hospital or other health care entity, local77 government, or civic organization include, but are not limited to, medical or health care78 education loan repayment, salary supplements for physicians, de ntists, optometrists,79 physician assistants, and advanced practice registered nurses, and additional support staff80 for a physician's, dentist's, optometrist's, physician assistant's, or advanced practice81 registered nurse's office. Grant funds shall not be used for h iring or paying a recruiting82 firm or individual recruiter."83 SECTION 6.84 Said chapter is further amended by revising Code Section 31-34- 5, relating to service85 cancelable loan, amount, repayment, and determination of unders erved rural areas, as86 follows:87 "31-34-5.88 (a)(1) The board shall have the authority to grant to each applicant approved by the board89 on a one-year renewable basis a service cancelable loan for a period not exceeding four90 H. B. 659 - 4 - 26 HB 659/AP years; provided, however, that, for applicants that w h o are dental students, service91 cancelable loans shall be for a period of four years. The amou nt of the loan shall be92 determined by the board, but such amount shall be related to the applicant's outstanding93 obligations incurred as a direct result of completing medical or health care education and94 training.95 (2) A loan or loans to each approved applicant shall be granted on the condition that the96 full amount of the loan or loans shall be repaid to the State of Georgia in services to be97 rendered by the applicant's practicing his or her profession in a board approved physician,98 dentist, optometrist, physician assistant, or advanced practice registered nurse99 underserved rural area of Georgia. For each full year of practicing his or her profession100 in such underserved rural area, the physician, dentist, optometrist, physician assistant, or101 advanced practice registered nurse who obtained the loan shall receive credit for the full102 amount of one year's loan plus regular interest which accrued on such amount.103 (b)(1) The board shall have the authority to make grants to ea ch applicant hospital or104 other health care entity, local government, or civic organization approved by the board105 on a yearly basis, renewable each year at the discretion of the board. The amount of the106 grant shall be determined by the board, but such amount shall be related to and shall not107 exceed the applicant's proposed expenditures to enhance recruitment efforts in bringing108 one or more physicians, dentists, optometrists, physician assistants, or advanced practice109 registered nurses to the underserved rural area.110 (2) A grant to an approved applicant shall be made on any cond ition or conditions111 determined by the board, which may include, but not be limited to, that one or more112 physicians, dentists, optometrists, physician assistants, or advanced practice registered113 nurses are employed and retained in the underserved rural area for a prescribed minimum114 length of time.115 (c) In making a determination of physician, dentist, optometri st, physician assistant, or116 advanced practice registered nurse underserved rural areas of Georgia, the board shall seek117 H. B. 659 - 5 - 26 HB 659/AP the advice and assistance of the Department of Public Health, t he University of Georgia118 Cooperative Extension Service, the Department of Community Affa irs, and such other119 public or private associations or organizations as the board determines to be of assistance120 in making such determinations. Criteria to determine physician , dentist, optometrist,121 physician assistant, or advanced practice registered nurse unde rserved rural areas shall122 include, but shall not be limited to, relevant statistical data related to the following:123 (1) The ratio of physicians, dentists, optometrists, physician assistants, or advanced124 practice registered nurses to population in the area;125 (2) Indications of the health status of the population in the area;126 (3) The poverty level and dependent age groups of the population in the area;127 (4) Indications of community support for more physicians, dent ists, optometrists,128 physician assistants, or advanced practice registered nurses in the area; and129 (5) Indications that access to the physician's, dentist's, optometrist's, physician assistant's,130 or advanced practice registered nurse's services is available t o every person in the131 underserved area regardless of ability to pay."132 SECTION 7.133 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.134 H. 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