Bill to modernize HIV laws among legislation to pass Georgia Senate this week  
Keeping in mind that there are just nine days remaining in this year’s state legislative session, key health care bills that the Georgia Senate passed this week include…
S.B. 164, a bill by Sen. Chuck Hufstetler (R-Rome) that would modernize Georgia’s 1980s-era HIV laws by 1) aligning services and policies with best public health practices and 2) making certain high-risk conduct by individuals who have HIV unlawful. It would also reconcile some statutory conflicts with the “needle exchange” law that passed in 2019. MAG is watching this measure, which has been assigned to the House Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee.
S.B. 256, legislation by Sen. Dean Burke, M.D. (R-Bainbridge) that would give the Georgia Commissioner of Public Health the sole authority to hire district public health directors in the state. MAG is tracking bill, which is also going to the House HHS Committee.  
H.B. 93, a bill by Rep. Sharon Cooper (R-Marietta) that would eliminate duplicative state licensure and regulation of clinical laboratories. MAG is watching this legislation, which will now be sent to Gov. Brian Kemp. 
H.B. 163, legislation by Rep. Cooper that would require the Georgia Department of Community Health to submit a plan to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to get approval to implement an “express lane” enrollment feature for Medicaid and direct the Georgia Department of Human Services to automatically enroll and renew eligible children in Medicaid based on application data it receives for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. MAG supports this legislation, which is also on its way to Gov. Kemp. 
H.B. 245, a bill by Rep. John LaHood (R-Valdosta) that would enable the Georgia Composite Medical Board to perform background checks so the state can participate in the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact. This measure would also enable the State Board of Podiatry Examiners to perform background checks. MAG supports this legislation, which is headed to the full Senate. 
Georgia House passes array of bills, including kickback prohibition  
Important health care bills that the Georgia House passed this week include…
S.B. 4, a bill by Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick, M.D. (R-Marietta) that would 1) “prohibit kickbacks, commissions, bribes, benefits, rebates, and bonuses by substance abuse care providers or solicited by substance abuse care providers to induce referral of a patient and outlaws fraudulent marketing techniques designed to deceive individuals into expensive long term recovery facilities” and 2) prohibit “high-tech drug testing” (i.e., testing an individual’s specimen for numerous substances and billing and receiving payment separately for each substance that is tested). MAG supports this legislation, which needs the Senate’s agreement (i.e., it was amended to address some potential unintended consequences for pain management physicians) before it can be sent to Gov. Brian Kemp. 
H.B. 117, legislation by Rep. Mike Wilensky (D-Dunwoody) that would add ulcerative colitis to the list of conditions that qualify for Georgia’s ‘Low THC Oil Registry.’ The MAG Institute for Excellence in Medicine’s Cannabis Task Force reviewed this legislation, which will now go to the Senate Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee. 
H.B. 290, a bill by Rep. Ed Setzler (R-Acworth) that would require hospitals and long-term care facilities to institute and post “distinct and independent policies related to legal representatives, essential caregivers, and visitors.” Under this measure, hospitals and long-term care facilities 1) would be required to allow patients who stay at least 12 hours to have access to in-person physical contact with their designated legal representative for at least one hour each day – although the attending physician could postpone this for up to 48 hours for patients who are in operating rooms, transplant wards, or require physical isolation for exceptional immunocompromised conditions and 2) could institute reasonable safety requirements related to patients/residents’ in-person physical contact with their legal representatives – passing the reasonable costs associated with these requirements along to the legal representative(s). If a hospital or long-term facility failed to comply with these requirements, the patient could bring a civil action in court – but they would have to demonstrate “gross negligence, willful and wanton misconduct, reckless infliction of harm, or intentional infliction of harm.” The bill would require hospitals and long-term care facilities to institute visitor policies that are no more restrictive than the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ minimum standards. MAG will continue to track this legislation, which has been assigned to the Senate HHS Committee. 
H.B. 346, a measure by Rep. Dominic LaRiccia (R-Douglas) that would allow paramedics to administer hydrocortisone sodium succinate intramuscularly for the purpose of providing emergency care to a patient who 1) has congenital adrenal hyperplasia and 2) is in adrenal crisis and 3) possesses hydrocortisone sodium succinate in packaging that clearly states the appropriate dosage and has an unbroken seal. MAG is watching this legislation, which was also assigned to the Senate HHS Committee. 
H.B. 454, a bill by Rep. Mark Newton, M.D. (R-Augusta), that would require insurers who advertise a provider as a participating provider in their provider directory when a prospective covered person selects his or her health benefit plan to cover the provider charges at in-network rates for 90 days after the contract is ended for that covered person, regardless of whether the provider remains a participating provider in the insurer's network plan. The measure would also require insurers to ensure that the covered patient not be responsible for more than he or she would have been responsible had the services been delivered by an in-network provider, although this wouldn’t be applicable when the provider is out-of-network due to suspension, expiration, or revocation of their license or the provider unilaterally terminates their participation in the insurer’s network plan for reasons other than default or breach by the insurer of a contract with the provider for the provision of health care services. MAG supports this legislation, which is going to the Senate Insurance and Labor Committee as a next step. 
H.B. 567, legislation by Rep. Sharon Cooper (R-Marietta) that would create the Newborn Screening and Genetics Advisory Committee to make recommendations to the Georgia Department of Public Health when a new disorder is added to the federal Recommended Uniform Screening Panel. MAG is monitoring this legislation, which has been assigned to the Senate HHS Committee. 
H.B. 653, a bill by Rep. Rick Jasperse (R-Jasper) that would allow pharmacists to administer and interpret the results of COVID-19 antigen and serology tests for a one-year period after the conclusion of the federal public health emergency. Before it was amended with MAG’s input, this bill would have allowed pharmacists to administer and interpret these test results with no end date. MAG is tracking this bill, which is also going to the Senate HHS Committee. 
H.B. 697, a bill by Rep. Newton that would allow the state to collect hospital data to assess the status of meaningful electronic health records user standards and interoperability standards and certified electronic health records technology standards. This legislation would also enable the state to conduct surveys to determine whether 1) a hospital is a “meaningful electronic health records (EHR) user” and 2) whether there are any legal or practical barriers that are preventing a hospital from becoming a meaningful electronic technology user and 3) whether a hospital uses interoperable health information technology and 4) whether there are any legal or practical barriers preventing a hospital from using interoperable health information technology and 5) whether a hospital uses certified EHR technology and 6) whether there are any legal or practical barriers preventing a hospital from using certified EHR technology and 7) whether a hospital has established a timeline for becoming a meaningful user of certified EHR technology. MAG is monitoring this legislation, which has been assigned to the Senate HHS Committee. 
In other noteworthy developments…
Rep. Sharon Cooper (R-Marietta) introduced a bill (H.B. 752) that would establish a psychiatric advance directive. It would allow a competent adult to express their preferences for mental health care treatment with written instructions and by designating an agent to make mental health care decisions on their behalf. MAG supports this legislation, which was assigned to the House Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee.
The Senate Judiciary Committee passed a bill (H.B. 112) by Rep. Trey Kelley (R-Cedartown) that would extend the COVID-19 liability protections that were enacted by the state in 2020 by one year (i.e., until July 14, 2022). MAG supports this legislation, which is headed to the Senate Rules Committee. 
The Senate HHS Committee passed…
H.B. 119, a bill by Rep. Karen Mathiak (R-Griffin) that would allow chiropractors to own professional corporations with physicians. MAG is watching this legislation, which is moving into the Senate Rules Committee.
H.B. 234, a bill by Rep. Lee Hawkins (R-Gainesville) that would allow self-funded health care plans – which are exempt from state regulations as a result of federal law – to opt into Georgia’s Surprise Billing Consumer Protection Act (2020’s H.B. 888). MAG supports this legislation, which now goes to the Senate Rules Committee.
H.B. 34, which is the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact by Rep. Dave Belton (R-Buckhead), H.B. 268, which is the Occupational Therapy Licensure Compact by Rep. Bill Werkheiser (R-Glennville), and H.B. 395, which is the Professional Counselors Licensure Compact by Rep. Belton. MAG is keeping tabs on these bills, which are all headed to the Senate Rules Committee. 
The House HHS Committee passed…
S.B. 5, a bill by Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick, M.D. (R-Marietta) that would 1) require the Georgia Composite Medical Board to establish rules and regulations for the in-office use of sedation in “MediSpas” and 2) prohibit anyone who doesn’t have a license to practice dentistry to administer conscious sedation in a dental facility or during the practice of dentistry in a MediSpa. MAG supports this legislation, which is scheduled for a full House vote on Monday. 
S.B. 46, a bill by Sen. Dean Burke, M.D. (R-Bainbridge) that would allow pharmacists to administer all Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended adult vaccines under a protocol with a physician. Pharmacists would be required to check the Georgia Immunization Registry (GRITS) for the patient’s immunization status before they administer these vaccines, and they would have to notify the patient’s primary care physician and record the vaccination in the GRITS system. MAG Government Relations Director Derek Norton explains that, “This bill also cleans up other language in the vaccine protocol law as it relates to public health emergencies.” MAG supports this legislation, which is consistent with MAG policy (HOD Resolution 304C.20). It will now go to the House Rules Committee. 
The House Insurance Committee passed a bill (S.B. 43) by Sen. Matt Brass (R-Newnan) that would eliminate the need for an in-person examination to write a valid contact lens prescription and allow Georgians to use online vision testing services that are outside of their ophthalmologist or optometrist’s office. MAG is neutral on this legislation, which is also being sent to the House Rules Committee.
Finally, the House Insurance Life and Health Subcommittee heard testimony on a bill (S.B. 82) by Sen. Michelle Au, M.D. (D-Duluth) that would prohibit insurers from denying coverage for emergency care based solely on the final diagnosis. MAG supports this measure, which remains in this subcommittee. 
MAG thanks & applauds this week's ‘Doctor of the Day’ volunteers
MAG is thanking and applauding the physicians who served as its ‘Doctor of the Day’ volunteers for the week of March 8, which include…
Chris Walsh, M.D.
Priyanka Patel, M.D.
Joseph Hobbs, M.D.
Snehal Dalal, M.D.

MAG Doctor of the Day volunteers work in the Medical Aid Station at the state Capitol. They provide free minor medical care to legislators and their staff.
Go to www.mag.org/dod for additional information on the MAG ‘Doctor of the Day’ program, including logistical details and FAQ. 
MAG’s 2021 legislative education seminar canceled
The Medical Association of Georgia’s 2021 Legislative Education Seminar – which was scheduled to take place at the Brasstown Valley Resort & Spa in Young Harris on May 14-16 – has been canceled as a result of ongoing concerns surrounding COVID-19 and the lack of hotel/venue space availability in the second half of the year.
MAG is making plans to hold next year’s event at Brasstown in May.
Contact Derek Norton at dnorton@mag.org with questions.
MAG’s 2021 legislative priorities

COVID-19 Relief

– Providing relief and assistance for Georgia’s physicians and patients during the COVID-19 pandemic
 
Health Insurance

– Streamlining and improving the prior authorization process

– Promoting insurance coverage of non-narcotic alternative therapies

– Ensuring that patients have access to every physician who is advertised as “in network” for the duration of a contract year to ensure continuity of care

Tax Credits for Uncompensated Care

– Creating tax credits for physicians who provide uncompensated care

Public Health

– Increasing Georgia’s tobacco tax to improve public health

Medicaid

– Continuing to support the process to ensure coverage of the uninsured
 
Scope of Practice

– Addressing scope of practice issues that undermine patient safety

Tort Reform

– Addressing Georgia’s tort environment, including exploring CANDOR (Communication and Optimal Resolution)
Follow MAG at the Capitol 24/7 
Whether you are using a laptop or a tablet or a handheld device, you can always get the latest state legislative news in Georgia by following MAG on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MAG1849, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MAG1849, or by visiting www.mag.org/advocacy/government-relations
MAG’s Government Relations Team 
Derek Norton – Director
dnorton@mag.org or 404.274.4210  
Bethany Sherrer – Legal Counsel & GAMPAC Manager
bsherrer@mag.org or 404.354.1863  
Christiana Craddock – Legislative Assistant
ccraddock@mag.org or 678.303.9271
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