Sexually transmitted diseases.

Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Existing law prohibits a Medi-Cal managed care plan from restricting a beneficiary's choice of a qualified provider from whom the beneficiary may receive covered family planning services. Under existing law, the Medi-Cal program administers the Family Planning, Access, Care, and Treatment (Family PACT) Program within the department to provide comprehensive clinical family planning services to a person with a family income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. Existing law requires reimbursement rates for office visits billed as comprehensive clinical family planning services by Family PACT providers or Medi-Cal providers to receive a rate augmentation equal to the weighted average of at least 80 percent of the amount that the federal Medicare program reimburses for the same or similar office visits. This bill would specify that family planning services for which a Medi-Cal managed care plan may not restrict a beneficiary's choice of a qualified provider include sexually transmitted disease (STD) testing and treatment. The bill would, subject to an appropriation by the Legislature and any potential draw down of federal matching funds, authorize an office visit to a Family PACT provider or Medi-Cal provider for specified STD-related services for uninsured, income-eligible patients, or patients with health care coverage who have confidentiality concerns, who are not at risk experiencing or causing an unintended pregnancy, and who are not in need of contraceptive services, to be reimbursed at the same rate as comprehensive clinical family planing services. Existing law authorizes a specified health care provider who diagnoses an STD, as specified, to prescribe, dispense, furnish, or otherwise provide prescription antibiotic drugs to that patient's sexual partner or partners without examination of that patient's partner or partners. The Pharmacy Law provides for the licensure and regulation of pharmacists by the California State Board of Pharmacy. The Pharmacy Law requires a pharmacist to dispense a prescription in a container that, among other things, is correctly labeled with the name of the patient or patients. This bill would name the above practice "expedited partner therapy." The bill would require a health care provider to include "expedited partner therapy" or "EPT" on a prescription if the practitioner is unable to obtain the name of a patient's sexual partner, and would authorize a pharmacist to dispense an expedited partner therapy prescription and label the drug without an individual's name if the prescription includes "expedited partner therapy" or "EPT." The bill would specify that a health care provider is not liable in a medical malpractice action or professional disciplinary action if the use of expedited partner therapy is in compliance with the law, except in cases of intentional misconduct, gross negligence, or wanton or reckless activity.