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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

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ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2/8/06

HB 654

SHORT TITLE Children’s Health Telemedicine Program

SB

ANALYST Lewis

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY06

FY07

50.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to HB217/SB 89 (Geriatric Disorder Telemedicine Program)

Relates to HB289 (Rural NM Chronic Medical Disease Treatment)

Relates to HB303 (UNM Health Sciences Center Telehealth Program)

Relates to HB858 (Telehealth Program Development)

Relates to SB626 (Internet to the Hogans Initiative)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Higher Education Department (HED)

Department of Health (DOH)

Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD)

Health Policy Commission (HPC)

Public Education Department (PED)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 654 appropriates $50,000 from the general fund to the Board of Regents of the

University of New Mexico for the Center for Development and Disability to

fund infrastructure for an outreach program using telemedicine to support a network of

early intervention providers, families and children with special needs, and

to provide training, education, case conferencing and clinical consultation.

House Bill 654 – Page

2

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $50,000 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general

fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2007

shall revert to the general fund.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

According to the Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD), HB 654 comple-

ments the Governor’s New Mexico Telehealth Commission which is working to expand

telemedicine/telehealth capacity statewide, and to ensure sustainability and effectiveness

of this vital technology resource by providing funding for training, case conferencing and

clinical consultation. CYFD is a member of the Commission.

The Department of Health (DOH) notes that the UNM Center for Development and Dis-

ability (CDD) currently operates the REACH (Rural Early Access to Children’s Health)

project, funded under a 3-year grant from the federal Health Services & Resources Ad-

ministration (HRSA). The grant has funded a telehealth network for ongoing training,

technical assistance, and consultation to early intervention providers in rural communities

that are often hours away from medical and therapeutic specialty staff in Albuquerque.

Issues addressed through the telehealth system have included children with autism, sen-

sory processing and the effects of early exposure to drugs, as well as consultation specific

to the needs of individual children with disabilities or special health care needs.

The Department of Health’s Children’s Medical Services (CMS) notes that there remains

difficulty in recruiting specialists in outlying rural areas for children and youth with spe-

cial health care needs. The utilization of telemedicine for rural areas can be effective for

diagnosis and intervention, and to promote family involvement when specialists are not

available locally.

According to the Higher Education Department (HED),

the Center for Development and

Disability was established in 1990 as New Mexico’s University Center for Excellence in

Developmental Disabilities Education, Research and Service. These centers are authorized

by the federal Developmental Disabilities Act to build the capacities of states and commu-

nities to respond to the needs of individuals with developmental disabilities and their fami-

lies. The CDD is designated by the federal Administration on Developmental Disabilities

(ADD), and is one of a national network of University Centers for Excellence that is coor-

dinated by and receives core funding from the Association of University Centers on Dis-

abilities (AUCD).

HED adds that,

though housed at and administered through UNM, CDD projects involve

clinical, training, and/or technical assistance activities in every county in New Mexico.

The CDD

provides training on a variety of different disability-related topics;

responds to technical assistance requests from agencies throughout New Mexico;

provides various clinical programs and services; and

responds to requests for information from family members, students, self advocates,

providers, and state agencies.

House Bill 654 – Page

3

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

CYFD notes that

increased telehealth capacity and distribution may positively impact the

quality and timeliness of behavioral health planning for CYFD client children and fami-

lies, which in turn may improve client clinical behavioral health functioning and reduce

recidivism among juvenile justice clients.

ML/nt