BILL NUMBER: S7690

SPONSOR: WEBB
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the social services law, in relation to providing Medi-
caid coverage for remote ultrasound scans and remote fetal non-stress
tests

 
PURPOSE:

An act to amend the social services law, in relation to providing Medi-
caid coverage for remote ultrasound scans and remote fetal non-stress
tests.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends section 365-a of the social services law to provide
that remote ultrasound scans and remote fetal non-stress tests are
covered by Medicaid.

Section 2 provides the effective date.
              

 
JUSTIFICATION:

The rate of maternal mortality in the United States is approximately
23.5 deaths per 100,000 live births, the worst rate of any country.  In
the United States, New York ranks 22nd for highest maternal mortality
rate. From 2018-2020, the NYS Department of Health reported a maternal
mortality rate of 19.3 per 100,000 live births.

The Commonwealth Fund has demonstrated the United States' maternal
mortality crisis can be attributed to a few factors, most prominently,
poor access to prenatal care and skipping necessary health care due to
cost barriers like insurance coverage, transportation, or an inability
to take off work to get to appointments.*

Telemedicine, specifically remote patient monitoring, has been proposed
by many as a solution to the maternal health crisis. Remote patient
monitoring (RPM) is a technology that allows a provider to monitor a
patient outside of a traditional clinical setting, like a patient's home
or a remote area. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecolo-
gists (AGOG) have endorsed the use of RPM services to improve maternal
morbidity and mortality. In fact, AGOG has recommended State Medicaid
agencies urge their participating health care practitioners to utilize
RPM services where appropriate. **

While NYS Medicaid provides coverage for RPM services, the guidance is
ambiguous for providers and therefore, services like remote ultrasound
scans and remote fetal non-stress tests are not utilized to the extent
they should be. This bill would clarify and codify in statute that
remote ultrasound scans and remote fetal non-stress tests are fully
covered by Medicaid.  Other states have also begun to address this
issue. Ohio's FY 24 budget includes language to require Medicaid cover-
age for remote fetal non-stress tests and remote ultrasounds and Georgia
recently established a 2-year pilot program to ensure coverage for all
maternal health related RPM services. New Jersey and Pennsylvania
lawmakers have introduced similar legislation to ensure coverage of
these services.
By clarifying coverage of remote ultrasounds and fetal non-stress tests,
providers will be more likely to utilize these services which will
enhance access to prenatal care for birthing people who reside in
healthcare desserts or for those that struggle with cost barriers like
transportation or taking time off from work for a doctor's visit. While
RPM services are not meant to replace the traditional standard of prena-
tal care, access to these remote interventions will undeniably enhance
access to care and ultimately improve health outcomes for New York's
mothers and babies.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
* Gunja, M. Z., Tikkanen, R., Seervai, S., Collins, S.R. (2018, December
19). What is the status of women's health and health care in the U.S.
compared to ten other countries? The Commonwealth Fund.
https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-
briefs/2018/dec/womens-healthus-compared-ten-other-countries
** American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. (2020, May).
Telehealth and remote patient monitoring for pregnant and postpartum
woman.  https://www.acog.org/advocacyNmedia
/a211a70996ab47a28c3a0afdb43d2f86.ashx