SENATE BILL 175

53rd legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2017

INTRODUCED BY

Gerald Ortiz y Pino

AN ACT

RELATING TO PUBLIC ASSISTANCE; ENACTING A NEW SECTION OF THE PUBLIC ASSISTANCE ACT TO REQUIRE THE SECRETARY OF HUMAN SERVICES TO ESTABLISH A PROGRAM TO PROVIDE HOME VISITING SERVICES TO MEDICAID-ELIGIBLE INFANTS, TODDLERS AND THEIR FAMILIES TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF NEW MEXICO FAMILIES; PROVIDING FOR RULEMAKING.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

     SECTION 1. A new section of the Public Assistance Act is enacted to read:

     "[NEW MATERIAL] MEDICAID INFANT, TODDLER AND FAMILY HOME VISITING PROGRAM.--

          A. Consistent with federal law and subject to the appropriation and availability of state and federal funds, the secretary shall establish an infant, toddler and family home visiting program.

          B. The medical assistance division of the department shall work with eligible home visiting program providers to execute provider participation agreements and, in accordance with department rules, establish procedures for establishing home visiting providers as eligible for reimbursement for furnishing home visiting services to medical assistance recipients.

          C. A home visiting program shall:

                (1) use home visiting as a primary service delivery strategy;

                (2) include regular, voluntary visits provided in the homes of infants and toddlers, from birth to three years of age, and their families;

                (3) be evidence-based and grounded in best practices that are designed to produce and measure the following outcomes:

                     (a) improvement of infant, toddler and parental health outcomes;

                     (b) positive parenting practices;

                     (c) healthy parent and child relationships;

                     (d) child well-being and prevention of adverse childhood experiences;

                     (e) enhanced social-emotional development;

                     (f) support of cognitive development in infants and toddlers;

                     (g) increased school readiness; and

                     (h) delivery of a variety of information, education, developmental, referral and other supports to an infant or toddler and the infant or toddler's family;

                (4) have comprehensive home visiting standards that ensure high-quality service delivery and continuous quality improvement;

                (5) have demonstrated significant, sustained positive outcomes;

                (6) follow program standards that the secretary has established by rule and that specify the purpose, outcomes, duration and frequency of home visiting services;

                (7) follow research-based protocols;

                (8) employ well-trained and competent staff and provide continual professional supervision and development relevant to the specific program or model being delivered;

                (9) demonstrate strong links to other community-based services;

                (10) continually evaluate performance to ensure fidelity to the program standard;

                (11) collect data on program activities and outcomes; and

                (12) be culturally and linguistically appropriate.

          D. The human services department and the children, youth and families department shall cooperate to:

                (1) ensure that the home visiting services provided under this section align with children, youth and families department standards for home visiting and are not duplicative in the provision of services; and

                (2) develop a mechanism for reimbursing home visiting program providers for services to prevent duplicative payments and to maximize available federal funding, including federal funding for any services that are federally reimbursable through the medical assistance division, including:

                     (a) case management services;

                     (b) licensed practitioner services;

                     (c) preventive services;

                     (d) services that meet federal requirements under the early and periodic screening, diagnostic and treatment benefit;

                     (e) rehabilitative services;

                     (f) therapy services;

                     (g) home health services as recommended or prescribed by a physician;

                     (h) health homes for individuals with chronic conditions; and

                     (i) extended services to pregnant women.

          E. The secretary shall adopt and promulgate rules in accordance with the provisions of this section.

          F. In consultation with New Mexico's Indian tribes, nations and pueblos, providers of home visiting services and one or more experts in home visiting, the department shall:

                (1) jointly develop an outcomes measurement plan to monitor outcomes for infants, toddlers and families receiving services through home visiting programs;

                (2) develop indicators that measure each outcome measure established pursuant to Paragraph (3) of Subsection C of this section; and

                (3) complete and submit the outcomes measurement plan by December 1, 2017 to the governor, legislative finance committee, the legislative health and human services committee and the chief executive of each Indian tribe, nation and pueblo in the state.

          G. Beginning July 1, 2018, and by July 1 each year thereafter, the department shall produce a written report on annual outcomes of the home visiting programming implemented pursuant to this section to the governor, the chief executive of each Indian nation, tribe and the pueblo in the state, the legislative finance committee and the legislative health and human services committee. The annual outcomes report shall include:

                (1) achieved outcomes in each area outlined in Paragraph (3) of Subsection C of this section, as measured by the outcomes measurement plan; and

                (2) data regarding:

                     (a) the cost per family served;

                     (b) the number of families served;

                     (c) demographic data of families served;

                     (d) percentages of families served in rural, tribal and urban areas;

                     (e) recommendations for health outcome and program quality improvements; and

                     (f) recommendations to ensure that reimbursement is effective and maximizing federal match dollars."

- 6 -