Status: Vetoed by Governor.

This bill would provide that an FQHC or RHC “visit” within Medi-Cal includes an encounter between an FQHC or RHC patient and a health care provider using telehealth by synchronous real time or asynchronous store and forward. This bill would also create the E-Consult Services and Telehealth Assistance Program within the department to award grants, contingent upon an appropriation, to health center-controlled networks, health centers, and rural health clinics to conduct projects to implement and test the effectiveness of e-consult services and related telehealth services. The bill would require the department to submit a report to the Legislature that, among other things, provides an overview of supported projects and identifies successes and failures.