Medical Practice Act: health care providers: qualified autism service paraprofessionals.
AB 375
California Bills
20250AB__037598AMD INTRODUCED 2025-02-03 AMENDED_SENATE 2026-06-01 2025 AB AMD Introduced by Assembly Member Nguyen LEAD_AUTHOR ASSEMBLY Nguyen
An act to amend
Section 2290.5 of the Business and Professions Code, relating to healing arts. healing arts Medical Practice Act: health care providers: qualified autism service paraprofessionals. Existing law, the Medical Practice Act, establishes the Medical Board of California and charges it with administrative and enforcement duties related to the provision of medical services under the act. Existing law establishes requirements for the delivery of medical services, including via telehealth by specified health care providers. A violation of the act is a crime.
Under existing law, a “health care provider,” for purpose of the act, includes a qualified autism service provider that is certified by a national entity or a qualified autism service professional, as specified. This bill would expand that definition of “health care provider” to also include a qualified autism service paraprofessional. By expanding the scope of a crime under the act, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state.
Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
MAJORITY NO YES YES NO NO NO NO NO NO NO The people of the State of California do enact as follows: <caml:Num>SECTION 1.</caml:Num><caml:ActionLine action="IS_AMENDED" xlink:href="urn:caml:codes:BPC:caml#xpointer(%2Fcaml%3ALawDoc%2Fcaml%3ACode%2Fcaml%3ALawHeading%5B%40type%3D'DIVISION'%20and%20caml%3ANum%3D'2.'%5D%2Fcaml%3ALawHeading%5B%40type%3D'CHAPTER'%20and%20caml%3ANum%3D'5.'%5D%2Fcaml%3ALawHeading%5B%40type%3D'ARTICLE'%20and%20caml%3ANum%3D'12.'%5D%2Fcaml%3ALawSection%5Bcaml%3ANum%3D'2290.5.'%5D)" xlink:label="fractionType: LAW_SECTION" xlink:type="locator">Section 2290.5 of the <caml:DocName>Business and Professions Code</caml:DocName> is amended to read:</caml:ActionLine><caml:Fragment><caml:LawSection id="id_BBB06161-BC04-42D8-A0E3-A6FCDC1B5611"><caml:Num>2290.5.</caml:Num><caml:LawSectionVersion id="id_B4EC0CE6-3837-4A4B-850C-DC07236E2FD9"><caml:Content><xhtml:p>(a)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>For purposes of this division, the following
definitions apply:</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(1)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>“Asynchronous store and forward” means the transmission of a patient’s medical information from an originating site to the health care provider at a distant site.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(2)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>“Distant site” means a site where a health care provider who provides health care services is located while providing these services via a telecommunications system.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(3)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>“Health care provider” means any of the following:</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(A)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>A person who is licensed under this division.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(B)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>An associate marriage and family therapist or marriage and family therapist trainee functioning pursuant to
Section 4980.43.3.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(C)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>A qualified autism service provider, a qualified autism service professional, or a qualified autism service paraprofessional certified by a national entity pursuant to
Section 1374.73 of the Health and Safety Code and
Section 10144.51 of the Insurance Code.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(D)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>An associate clinical social worker functioning pursuant to
Section 4996.23.2.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(E)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>An associate professional clinical counselor or clinical counselor trainee functioning pursuant to
Section 4999.46.3.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(4)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>“Originating site” means a site where a patient is located at the time health care services are provided via a telecommunications system or where the asynchronous store and forward service originates.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(5)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>“Synchronous interaction” means a real-time interaction between a patient and a health care provider located at a distant site.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(6)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>“Telehealth” means the mode of delivering health care services and public health via information and communication technologies to facilitate the diagnosis, consultation, treatment, education, care management, and self-management of a patient’s health care.
Telehealth facilitates patient self-management and caregiver support for patients and includes synchronous interactions and asynchronous store and forward transfers.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(b)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Before the delivery of health care via telehealth, the health care provider initiating the use of telehealth shall inform the patient about the use of telehealth and obtain verbal or written consent from the patient for the use of telehealth as an acceptable mode of delivering health care services and public health.
The consent shall be documented.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(c)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>This
section does not preclude a patient from receiving in-person health care delivery services during a specified course of health care and treatment after agreeing to receive services via telehealth.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(d)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>The failure of a health care provider to comply with this
section shall constitute unprofessional conduct.
Section shall not apply to this section.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(e)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>This
section does not alter the scope of practice of a health care provider or authorize the delivery of health care services in a setting, or in a manner, not otherwise authorized by law.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(f)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>All laws regarding the confidentiality of health care information and a patient’s rights to the patient’s medical information shall apply to telehealth interactions.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(g)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>All laws and regulations governing professional responsibility, unprofessional conduct, and standards of practice that apply to a health care provider under the health care provider’s license shall apply to that health care provider while providing telehealth services.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(h)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>This
section shall not apply to a patient under the jurisdiction of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation or any other correctional facility.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(i)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>(1)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Notwithstanding any other law and for purposes of this section, the governing body of the hospital whose patients are receiving the telehealth services may grant privileges to, and verify and approve credentials for, providers of telehealth services based on its medical staff recommendations that rely on information provided by the distant-site hospital or telehealth entity, as described in Sections 482.12, 482.22, and 485.616 of Title of the Code of Federal Regulations.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(2)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>By enacting this subdivision, it is the intent of the Legislature to authorize a hospital to grant privileges to, and verify and approve credentials for, providers of telehealth services as described in paragraph (1).</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(3)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>For the purposes of this subdivision, “telehealth” shall include “telemedicine” as the term is referenced in Sections 482.12, 482.22, and 485.616 of Title of the Code of Federal Regulations.</xhtml:p></caml:Content></caml:LawSectionVersion></caml:LawSection></caml:Fragment></caml:BillSection>"?>
SECTION
Section 2290.5 of the Business and Professions Code is amended to read: 2290.5. (
a) For purposes of this division, the following
definitions apply: (1) “Asynchronous store and forward” means the transmission of a patient’s medical information from an originating site to the health care provider at a distant site. (2) “Distant site” means a site where a health care provider who provides health care services is located while providing these services via a telecommunications system. (3) “Health care provider” means any of the following: (
A) A person who is licensed under this division. (
B) An associate marriage and family therapist or marriage and family therapist trainee functioning pursuant to
Section 4980.43.3. (
C) A qualified autism service provider certified by a national entity as defined in
Section 4999.200, a qualified autism service professional as defined in
Section 4999.201, or a qualified autism service paraprofessional as defined in
Section 4999.202. (
D) An associate clinical social worker functioning pursuant to
Section 4996.23.2. (
E) An associate professional clinical counselor or clinical counselor trainee functioning pursuant to
Section 4999.46.3. (4) “Originating site” means a site where a patient is located at the time health care services are provided via a telecommunications system or where the asynchronous store and forward service originates. (5) “Synchronous interaction” means a real-time interaction between a patient and a health care provider located at a distant site. (6) “Telehealth” means the mode of delivering health care services and public health via information and communication technologies to facilitate the diagnosis, consultation, treatment, education, care management, and self-management of a patient’s health care.
Telehealth facilitates patient self-management and caregiver support for patients and includes synchronous interactions and asynchronous store and forward transfers. (
b) Before the delivery of health care via telehealth, the health care provider initiating the use of telehealth shall inform the patient about the use of telehealth and obtain verbal or written consent from the patient for the use of telehealth as an acceptable mode of delivering health care services and public health. The consent shall be documented. (
c) This
section does not preclude a patient from receiving in-person health care delivery services during a specified course of health care and treatment after agreeing to receive services via telehealth. (
d) The failure of a health care provider to comply with this
section shall constitute unprofessional conduct.
Section shall not apply to this section. (
e) This
section does not alter the scope of practice of a health care provider or authorize the delivery of health care services in a setting, or in a manner, not otherwise authorized by law. (
f) All laws regarding the confidentiality of health care information and a patient’s rights to the patient’s medical information shall apply to telehealth interactions. (
g) All laws and regulations governing professional responsibility, unprofessional conduct, and standards of practice that apply to a health care provider under the health care provider’s license shall apply to that health care provider while providing telehealth services. (
h) This
section shall not apply to a patient under the jurisdiction of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation or any other correctional facility. (i)
(1) Notwithstanding any other law and for purposes of this section, the governing body of the hospital whose patients are receiving the telehealth services may grant privileges to, and verify and approve credentials for, providers of telehealth services based on its medical staff recommendations that rely on information provided by the distant-site hospital or telehealth entity, as described in Sections 482.12, 482.22, and 485.616 of Title of the Code of Federal Regulations.
(2) By enacting this subdivision, it is the intent of the Legislature to authorize a hospital to grant privileges to, and verify and approve credentials for, providers of telehealth services as described in paragraph (1).
(3) For the purposes of this subdivision, “telehealth” shall include “telemedicine” as the term is referenced in Sections 482.12, 482.22, and 485.616 of Title of the Code of Federal Regulations.
SEC. 2. No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to
Section of
Article XIII B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of