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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T
SPONSOR Heaton
ORIGINAL DATE
LAST UPDATED
2/08/07
HB 693
SHORT TITLE Primary Care Clinic Electronic Records
SB
ANALYST Geisler
APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)
Appropriation
Recurring
or Non-Rec
Fund
Affected
FY07
FY08
$2,000.0
Recurring
General Fund
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
ESTIMATED ADDITIONAL OPERATING BUDGET IMPACT (dollars in thousands)
FY07
FY08
FY09 3 Year
Total Cost
Recurring
or Non-Rec
Fund
Affected
Total
$61.4
$61.4
$122.8 Recurring General
Fund
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
Duplicates: SB 656
Relates to HB 78, SB 91
Relates to Appropriation in the General Appropriation Act
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
LFC Files
Responses Received From
Department of Health (DOH)
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Bill
House Bill 693, for the Legislative Health and Human Services Committee, would appropriate
$2 million from the General Fund to the Department of Health (DOH) in FY 2008 to implement
electronic patient health records in primary care clinics eligible to receive funds under the Rural
Primary Health Care Act (RPHCA).
The funds are to assist these primary care clinics in developing analyzable, comprehensive
patient records, including laboratory and radiology test results. The new records systems are to
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House Bill 693 – Page
2
export information or data to state, federal and regional registries and databases; improve
practitioner access to evidence-based protocols, decision support tools and best practices in
disease management and prevention programs; permit prescribing of medications with alerts for
adverse drug reactions; allow measurement of patient outcomes; involve patients in their health
care through personal health records and web portals; lead to reduction of medical errors; and
achieve cost savings through elimination of unnecessary or duplicative treatment and diagnostic
tests. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY08 shall revert to
the general fund.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
DOH notes that the funds included in HB 693 to implement electronic medical records for rural
primary clinics are not part of the Governor’s executive budget recommendation. The executive
is supporting a $2 million special appropriation for telehealth which includes funding to create an
electronic medical records and health information exchange system.
The executive and Legislative Finance Committee recommendations for FY08 include
$10,330,700 from general funds and $2,328,000 from County Supported Medicaid Funds for
RPHCA contracts. The executive recommendation includes an additional $3.0 million
expansion for general clinic operations, bringing the total general fund recommended by the
Executive to $13,330,700.
DOH notes that the bill will have an operational impact on DOH. They estimate that one
additional FTE at a cost of $61,410.53 would be required to oversee this project.
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
The RPHCA program, administered by DOH, provides financial support to 82 clinics statewide
through contracts with nonprofit organizations and governmental entities. In FY 06, these clinics
reported over 780,000 primary care patient visits.
The New Mexico Primary Care Association (NMPCA) has indicated, in presentations before
interim Legislative committees, that a total investment of $4 million over two fiscal years would
permit widespread implementation of these systems, supporting 200 providers in the primary
care center network. The proposed appropriation represents the first year’s portion of the
NMPCA request.
DUPLICATION AND RELATIONSHIP
HB 693 is duplicated by SB 656. HB 693 relates to HB 78/SB 91 which would appropriate
$3 million from the general fund to the DOH in FY 2008 pursuant to the Rural Primary Health
Care Act (RPHCA) to support operating costs associated with providing uncompensated care to
low income, rural and underserved New Mexicans and to maintain the state’s primary care safety
net.
GG/nt