0001| HOUSE BILL 356 | 0002| 43rd legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 1997 | 0003| INTRODUCED BY | 0004| NICK L. SALAZAR | 0005| | 0006| | 0007| | 0008| FOR THE HEALTH CARE REFORM COMMITTEE | 0009| | 0010| AN ACT | 0011| RELATING TO HEALTH; ENACTING THE COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH | 0012| PLAN ACT; MAKING AN APPROPRIATION. | 0013| | 0014| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO: | 0015| Section 1. SHORT TITLE.--This act may be cited as the | 0016| "County Comprehensive Health Plan Act". | 0017| Section 2. PURPOSE OF ACT.--The purpose of the County | 0018| Comprehensive Health Plan Act is to encourage the development | 0019| of countywide or multicounty comprehensive health plans to | 0020| promote better allocation of health care resources and better | 0021| delivery of health services to underserved populations. | 0022| Section 3. DEFINITIONS.--As used in the County | 0023| Comprehensive Health Plan Act: | 0024| A. "board" means the board of county commissioners | 0025| of a county; | 0001| B. "department" means the department of health; and | 0002| C. "planning council" means the county | 0003| comprehensive | 0004| health planning council. | 0005| Section 4. PLANNING COUNCIL CREATED--MEMBERSHIP.-- | 0006| A. The board may create a county comprehensive | 0007| health planning council and may appoint members for terms | 0008| designated by the board. The members of the planning council | 0009| shall be selected to represent a broad spectrum of interests | 0010| related to county health issues. | 0011| B. The planning council shall elect from its | 0012| members a chairman for a term designated by the board. The | 0013| planning council shall meet at the call of the chairman. | 0014| C. Planning council members shall not be paid, but | 0015| they may receive per diem and mileage expenses paid by the | 0016| county as provided in the Per Diem and Mileage Act. | 0017| Section 5. COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH PLANS.-- | 0018| A. The board or its designee with the advice of the | 0019| planning council may prepare a county comprehensive health | 0020| plan. The plan shall have the approval of the planning council | 0021| and the board before it may be submitted by the board to the | 0022| department for approval. | 0023| B. Two or more boards may agree to establish a | 0024| multicounty comprehensive health plan. | 0025| C. Each county comprehensive health plan shall | 0001| include: | 0002| (1) a county needs assessment that identifies | 0003| and quantifies: | 0004| (a) those populations whose health care | 0005| needs are not being met; | 0006| (b) the major factors that affect | 0007| accessibility to health services; | 0008| (c) the gaps in available health | 0009| services; and | 0010| (d) the extent to which county residents | 0011| use health services available in other counties; | 0012| (2) a county inventory that identifies | 0013| existing public and private providers, services and health | 0014| plans, medicaid and other governmental and charitable | 0015| resources, program duplications and the county's current | 0016| monetary contributions to health programs; and | 0017| (3) recommendations on how to improve and fund | 0018| health services in the county based on the county's needs | 0019| assessment and inventory of existing services and resources. | 0020| In its recommendations, the county shall include proposals to | 0021| eliminate duplication of services, improve access to health | 0022| care for underserved populations and initiate new services as | 0023| needed. The county shall also include conclusions about the | 0024| need to rely on services available in other counties and on the | 0025| level of charitable, federal, state and county funding and in- | 0001| kind contributions that are required to implement its plan | 0002| fully. | 0003| D. Development of the county comprehensive health | 0004| plan and recommendations may include consideration of: | 0005| (1) financing of care for persons not eligible | 0006| for medicaid; | 0007| (2) proposals to expand provider capacity; | 0008| (3) recruitment and retention of health | 0009| professionals; | 0010| (4) outreach and health education projects; | 0011| (5) projects that enhance use of preventive | 0012| care; and | 0013| (6) projects that coordinate local community | 0014| services, including those services provided by the public | 0015| health office in the county. | 0016| E. The county comprehensive health plan shall be | 0017| updated at the request of the board or the department if the | 0018| plan as implemented is not achieving the stated goals or if the | 0019| needs of the local population change. | 0020| Section 6. COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH PLAN FUNDS-- | 0021| A. The department may require a county to have a | 0022| department-approved comprehensive health plan as a condition of | 0023| the department contracting for health services in the county. | 0024| B. The department may require a county to | 0025| contribute | 0001| funds or services to the development or implementation or both | 0002| of the county's comprehensive health plan as a condition of the | 0003| department contracting for health services to implement the | 0004| plan. | 0005| Section 7. DEPARTMENT--POWERS AND DUTIES.-- | 0006| A. The department shall review, evaluate and | 0007| approve or reject a county comprehensive health plan, and the | 0008| department may require that a county update its county | 0009| comprehensive health plan. | 0010| B. The department is authorized to contract for | 0011| health services to implement county comprehensive health plans, | 0012| subject to the availability of appropriations for that purpose. | 0013| C. The department shall monitor and evaluate the | 0014| contracts funded by the department and assess whether delivery | 0015| of health services to previously underserved populations has | 0016| increased. | 0017| D. The department shall provide technical | 0018| assistance and training to assist each county as needed in | 0019| developing its comprehensive health plan. | 0020| E. The department may gather information necessary | 0021| to evaluate the effectiveness of services it contracts for | 0022| through the provisions of the County Comprehensive Health Plan | 0023| Act. | 0024| F. The department shall adopt rules and regulations | 0025| necessary to carry out the purposes of the County Comprehensive | 0001| Health Plan Act, including: | 0002| (1) the procedures and format for applying for | 0003| department approval of a county comprehensive health plan; | 0004| (2) the format for county comprehensive health | 0005| plans; | 0006| (3) the criteria to review, evaluate and | 0007| approve or reject a county comprehensive health plan; | 0008| (4) the procedures and format for requesting | 0009| that the department procure services under an approved county | 0010| comprehensive health plan; | 0011| (5) the formula used to determine a county's | 0012| required contribution to implement its comprehensive health | 0013| plan; | 0014| (6) the procedure to determine a county's need | 0015| for health services; | 0016| (7) the procedure to determine the | 0017| distribution of state funds appropriated to implement county | 0018| comprehensive health plans; | 0019| (8) the procedure for gathering and reporting | 0020| programmatic and financial information necessary to evaluate | 0021| the effectiveness of health services that the department | 0022| contracts for through the provisions of the County | 0023| Comprehensive Health Plan Act; and | 0024| (9) definitions that set an acceptable minimum | 0025| standard for the services provided. | 0001| Section 8. APPROPRIATION.--One million dollars | 0002| ($1,000,000) is appropriated from the general fund to the | 0003| department of health for expenditure in fiscal year 1998 for | 0004| grants to counties for development of county comprehensive | 0005| health plans and for administrative costs of the department of | 0006| health in assisting counties with development of county | 0007| comprehensive health plans. Any unexpended or unencumbered | 0008| balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 1998 shall revert | 0009| to the general fund. | 0010| - 7 - |