Healthcare

Amends the Medical Practice Act of 1987. Provides that the rules adopted by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation concerning continuing education shall require that the educational requirements include simulation training.

Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that for the calendar year beginning January 1, 2026, and each calendar year thereafter, a nursing facility must spend at least 90% of its adjusted total revenue on resident care and other resident-related costs, as defined. Requires each nursing facility to provide as part of its financial reporting information necessary for the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to administer and enforce the provisions of the amendatory Act. Provides that such information shall be subject to audit provisions and comply with any applicable uniform standards under the Code. Provides that all non-allowable costs, related party adjustments, or compensation to owners reported shall be excluded from the calculation of the amount spent on resident care and other resident-related costs. Requires 25% of costs associated with contract nursing staff to be deducted from the amount spent on resident care and other resident-related costs. Provides that for the calendar year beginning January 1, 2027, and each calendar year thereafter, the Department shall use the required financial reporting submissions to determine whether each nursing facility has met the minimum resident care percent requirement. Provides that if a facility has not met the minimum resident care percent requirement, the amount defined by the facility's total adjusted revenue shall be treated as a vendor overpayment. Requires the Department to recover the full amount of any vendor overpayment by reducing future payments, requiring direct payment to the Department, or any other method permitted under the Code. Requires the Department to adopt rules.

Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that a group or individual policy of accident and health insurance or managed care plan that is amended, delivered, issued, or renewed after the effective date of the amendatory Act shall provide coverage for hippotherapy and other forms of therapeutic riding. Makes conforming changes in the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971, the Counties Code, the Illinois Municipal Code, the School Code, and the Health Maintenance Organization Act.

Amends the Interagency Children's Behavioral Health Services Act. Requires the Department of Human Services, in coordination with a statewide association representing a majority of hospitals, to establish and offer a voluntary training that will be recorded and made available on the Department's website to all hospital social workers, clinicians, and administrative staff to inform them of BEACON, a centralized resource for Illinois youth and families seeking services for behavioral health needs, with the goal of encouraging families to seek assistance through BEACON and the Interagency Children's Behavioral Health Services Team. Provides that the training shall include how families and hospital staff can access BEACON, the process once a case is entered into BEACON, and State and community programs accessible through BEACON. Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Requires a psychiatric hospital to contact a youth or the youth's parents, guardian, or caregiver about the BEACON portal (rather than the Family Support Program and the Specialized Family Support Program) prior to referring the youth to the Department of Children and Family Services because the youth was left at the psychiatric hospital beyond medical necessity. Amends the School Code. Requires the State Board of Education, in consultation with the Children's Behavioral Health Transformation Team in the Office of the Governor and relevant stakeholders, to report its work and make available resource materials, including model policies and guidance informed by a phased approach to implementing universal mental health screening in schools. Requires the State Board of Education to report its work by September 1, 2026. Provides that mental health screenings shall be offered by school districts to students enrolled in kindergarten through grade 12, at least once a year, beginning with the 2027-2028 school year.

Creates the Certified Anesthesiologist Assistant Practice Act. Provides for the licensure of certified anesthesiologist assistants by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Sets forth provisions concerning: email address and address of record for all applicants and licensees; the function, powers, and duties of the Department; supervision requirements; applications for licensure; qualifications for licensure; endorsement by the Department of certified anesthesiologist assistants from another jurisdictions; criminal history records background checks; and other specified requirements. Amends the Regulatory Sunset Act to repeal the Certified Anesthesiologist Assistant Practice Act on January 1, 2030. Amends the Ambulatory Surgical Treatment Center Act and the Hospital Licensing Act. Provides that, in addition to the specified professionals, a licensed certified anesthesiologist assistant may assist a licensed physician, dentist, or podiatric physician. Provides that, in addition to the specified professionals, a licensed anesthesiologist assistant under the supervision of an anesthesiologist is an individual who, with clinical privileges granted at the hospital, may administer anesthesia services. Amends the Medical Practice Act of 1987. Provides that one member of the Illinois State Medical Board shall be a certified anesthesiologist assistant licensed to practice in Illinois. Establishes delegation of authority from a supervising anesthesiologist to a certified anesthesiologist assistant. Provides that the Act does not preclude a certified anesthesiologist assistant from performing specified actions.

Amends the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Administrative Act. Requires the Department of Human Services to permit any resident of the Clyde L. Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center at Anna to remain at the facility upon request of the resident or the resident's family or legal guardian if the resident maintains an Illinois home address in a county located within the geographically organized service region designated by the Department as Division of Mental Health Region 5, excluding the following counties: Madison, Bond, Fayette, Clay, Jasper, or Crawford.

Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that a group or individual policy of accident and health insurance or a managed care plan that is amended, delivered, issued, or renewed after January 1, 2027 shall provide coverage for disposable incontinence supplies for any person with a disability. Amends the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971, the Counties Code, the Illinois Municipal Code, the School Code, the Health Maintenance Organization Act, the Limited Health Service Organization Act, and the Voluntary Health Services Plans Act to require coverage under those provisions.

Amends the Nurse Practice Act. Provides that one of the criteria that the Board of Nursing shall take into consideration when reviewing a registered professional nurse education program is whether the program satisfies specified criteria in provisions regarding program effectiveness (rather than satisfies the measurement of program effectiveness based on a passage rate of all graduates over the 3 most recent calendar years without reference to first-time test takers). Provides that, in order for a program to obtain initial Department of Financial and Professional Regulation approval and to maintain Department approval, the passage rates of the program's graduating classes on the State-approved licensure exam must meet one of the measurements of program effectiveness (rather than be deemed satisfactory by the Department). Provides that a registered professional nurse education program meeting one of the measurements of program effectiveness shall be deemed in good standing. Provides that the Department may, without hearing, rescind the license of any person who obtained a license or other authorization to practice under the Act based on educational credits received from a registered professional nurse education program that did not meet a set of requirements during the time period when the person obtained the credits. Sets forth requirements for program effectiveness. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Dental Practice Act. Creates a license for dental therapists. Sets forth requirements for licensure, a written collaborative management agreement, the examination of applicants, and the scope of practice. Requires the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation to maintain a list of the names and addresses of all dentists, dental therapists, and dental hygienists and of all persons whose licenses have been suspended or revoked, together with other information relative to the enforcement of the Act. Makes conforming changes.

Amends the Department of Early Childhood Act. Expands the definition of "eligible infants and toddlers" to list infants having a birth weight less than 1,000 grams. Requires the Department of Early Childhood, as the designated lead agency to administer the system of early intervention services on and after July 1, 2026, to develop informational materials and handouts for hospitals to distribute to the parents or legal guardians of severely premature infants, explaining that infants having a birth weight of less than 1,000 grams automatically qualify for early intervention services up until their 3rd birthday. Provides that the informational materials and handouts shall also contain information on the benefits of early intervention services for severely premature infants, the website addresses and phone numbers that parents and legal guardians can access to obtain more information on early intervention services, and the contact information of the early intervention regional intake entity designated to coordinate services for eligible infants. Requires the statewide system of coordinated, comprehensive, interagency and interdisciplinary early intervention programs to include in its public awareness program, a special focus on the early identification of infants who automatically qualify for early intervention services on account of having a birth weight less than 1,000 grams. Amends the Hospital Licensing Act. Requires hospitals to distribute, free of charge, to the parents or legal guardians of each severely premature infant having a birth weight of less than 1,000 grams informational materials and handouts developed by the Department of Early Childhood on the availability of early intervention services for severely premature infants. Requires a nurse or physical therapist to review the proffered materials with the infant's parents or legal guardians prior to discharge and explain that premature infants having a birth weight of less than 1,000 grams automatically qualify for early intervention services up until their 3rd birthday, including speech, physical, occupational, and other therapies.