HCS/SCS/SB 197 - This act modifies provisions relating to healthcare professionals, disease reporting to DHSS, and establishes the Perinatal Advisory Council and the Joint Committee on MO HealthNet. DISEASE REPORTING TO DHSS - 192.020, 192.667 This act requires the Department of Health and Senior Services to include carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae (CRE) in its list of communicable or infectious diseases which must be reported to the Department. Under current law, the Department is required to disseminate reports to the public based on data compiled showing infection incidence rate for certain infections for hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers. This act adds other infections to be reported including hospital and ambulatory surgical center procedure infections that meet certain requirements, central line-related bloodstream infections, health care-associated infections specified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and other categories of infections established by the Department through rule. The Department shall make such reports available to the public for at least 2 years. This act requires the Infection Control Advisory Panel to make recommendations to the Department regarding the appropriateness of using CMS' reporting requirements by January 1, 2016. The panel recommendations shall address which hospitals shall be required, as a condition of licensure, to use specified national networks for data collection, risk analysis and adjustment, or public reporting of infection data. After considering the panel's recommendations, the Department shall implement guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Healthcare Safety Network, or its successor. As a condition of licensure, those hospitals that meet the minimum public reporting requirements shall participate in the National Healthcare Safety Network program. Those hospitals shall permit the program to disclose facility-specific data. Those facilities not participating in the program shall submit facility-specific data to the Department as a condition of licensure. This act also provides that no later than August 28, 2016, each hospital and ambulatory surgical center, excluding mental health facilities, shall establish an antibiotic stewardship program for evaluating the judicious use of antibiotics, especially antibiotics that are the last line of defense against resistant infections. The stewardship program procedures shall be made available upon inspection to the Department. Hospitals shall meet specified national standards for reporting antimicrobial usage or resistance and shall authorize the National HealthCare Safety Network, or its successor, to disclose to the Department facility-specific reported data. Such data shall not be disclosed to the public except under specific circumstances. Beginning January 1, 2017, and every year thereafter, the Department shall report the General Assembly on the incidence, type, and distribution of antimicrobial-resistant infections in the state. These provisions are identical to HCS/SCS/SB 10 (2015), HCS/SCS/SB 230 (2015), HCS/SS/SCS/SB 354 (2015), and HCS/SCS/SB 380 (2015), and similar to SCS/HCS/HB 1066 (2015) and SB 910 (2014). PERINATAL ADVISORY COUNCIL - 192.380 This act establishes the Perinatal Advisory Council, which shall be comprised of representatives from specified community and health organizations and professions. After receiving public input, the Council shall make recommendations for the division of the state into neonatal and maternal care regions. The Council shall establish criteria for levels of birthing center care and base its levels of care designations upon evidence and best practices as identified by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. By January 1, 2017, and every year thereafter, hospital license applications shall include the appropriate level of maternal care and neonatal care designations as determined by the Council. By the same date, any hospital operated by a state university shall report to the Department of Health and Senior Services, upon the Department's request, the appropriate level of maternal care designation and neonatal care designation. The Department may partner with appropriate nationally recognized nonprofit organizations with relevant expertise to administer the provisions of this act. This provision is identical to provisions in HCS/SB 533 (2015), HCS/SCS/SB 146 (2015), HCS/SCS/SB 38 (2015), and HCS/SCS/SB 107 (2015), and similar to provisions in HB 735 (2015), SCS/SB 342 (2015), HCS/SS/SCS/SB 354 (2015), and HCS/SCS/SB 230 (2015). JOINT COMMITTEE ON MO HEALTHNET - 208.952 This act amends the Joint Committee on MO HealthNet to have as its purpose of study the efficacy of the program as well as the resources needed to continue and improve the MO HealthNet program over time. The Committee shall receive and obtain information from the departments of Social Services, Mental Health, Health and Senior Services and Elementary and Secondary Education as applicable, regarding the projected budget of the entire MO HealthNet program including projected MO HealthNet enrollment growth, categorized by population and geographic area. The Committee shall meet at least twice a year and shall provide public notice of such meetings thirty days in advance. A portion of the meeting shall be set aside for public testimony. The committee is authorized to hire an employee or enter into employment contracts, including an executive director to conduct an audit, special review, or investigation of the MO HealthNet program, including any contracts between MO HealthNet and a vendor. This act is similar to provisions contained in SB 9 (2015), SB 301 (2015), HCS/SCS/SB 38 (2015), SB 230 (2015), SCS/SB 739 (2014), HCS/SS/SB 575 (2014), and HCS/SCS/SB 524 (2014). DISABLED PLACARDS AND LICENSE PLATES - 301.142 This act adds physical therapists and assistant physicians to the list of authorized health care practitioners who may issue a statement for his or her patient to receive a disabled placard or license plate. This provision is identical to provisions in HCS/SCS/SB 230 (2015) and HCS/SS/SCS/SB 354 (2015) and similar to provisions contained in CCS#2/HCS/SB 254 (2015), HCS/HB 720(2015), SCS/HCS/HB 1002 (2015), HCS/SCS/SB 38 (2015), HCS/SCS/SB 380 (2015), HCS/SB 458 (2015), HCS/SCS/SB 107 (2015), and HCS/SCS/SB 146 (2015). HEALTHCARE WORKFORCE DATA COLLECTION - 324.001 This act provides that the State Board of Nursing, Board of Pharmacy, Missouri Dental Board, State Committee of Psychologists, and State Board of Registration for the Healing Arts may enter into contractual agreements with the Department of Health and Senior Services, public institutions of higher education, and nonprofit entities in order to collect and analyze workforce data from its licensees for the purpose of future workforce planning and to assess the accessibility and availability of qualified health care services and practitioners in Missouri. Data collection is controlled by the applicable state board requesting the collection, and the boards may release identifying data to the contractor to facilitate data analysis of the health care workforce. The data collected is the property of the board requesting the data, and shall be maintained as provided in existing law. Data shall only be released in the aggregate form in a manner that cannot be used to identify a specific individual. A board cannot request or collect income or other financial earnings information. Contractors shall maintain the confidentiality of data received and shall not release any data without approval from the applicable board. These provisions are identical to HCS/HB 112 (2015) and provisions in HCS/SCS/SB 230 (2015) and HCS/SS/SCS/SB 354 (2015). INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY - 376.1235 This act adds services rendered by licensed occupational therapists to services that cannot require a higher co-payment or coinsurance than is required for the services of a primary care physician office visit. This act also requires health carriers to clearly state the availability of occupational therapy services. This act requires the oversight division of the Joint Committee on Legislative Research to perform an actuarial analysis of the cost impact health carriers, insureds, and other payers for occupational therapy coverage beginning September 1, 2015, and submit a report by December 31, 2015. This act is identical to HB 548 (2015) and the perfected version of SB 316 (2015). JESSI BAKER