Healthcare

Comprehensive plan; social determinants of health. Encourages localities to utilize relevant and available data and research related to social determinants of health to consider how the locality's adopted comprehensive plan will impact the locality's overall public health and access to health care services.

Newborn screening; process for evaluation of disorders for inclusion. Directs the Department of Health to establish a process for considering the addition of disorders to the Commonwealth's newborn screening program that are not included on the federal Recommended Uniform Screening Panel, which process shall include criteria and a timeline for consideration of disorders and a timeline for initiation of rulemaking.

Tax Commissioner; information sharing; eligibility for medical assistance. Authorizes the Tax Commissioner to provide to the Virginia Health Benefit Exchange information voluntarily provided by taxpayers for the purposes of identifying persons who meet the income eligibility requirements for medical assistance and would like to newly enroll in medical assistance. The bill authorizes the Virginia Health Benefit Exchange to divulge to the Department of Medical Assistance Services and the Department of Social Services, upon entering into a written agreement, such information to facilitate such enrollments and applications, as applicable. The bill contains technical amendments and is effective for taxable years beginning on and after January 1, 2026.

Service member community members; medical care facilities; health care equity. Permits medical care facilities to screen each patient for information on their eligibility as a service member community member, as defined by the bill. The bill permits medical care facilities to identify service member community members as a vulnerable population and comply with the most recent health care equity standards published by The Joint Commission.

Health care planning; statewide emergency medical services system and services; provision of emergency medical services for events. Requires the Department of Health to publish on its website a document for event planners and event venues to provide to prospective clients containing (i) notice that emergency medical services personnel may be made available for events, (ii) information regarding the benefits of appropriate medical support for large or high-risk events, and (iii) a list of emergency medical services providers available to provide services at event venues in each locality of the Commonwealth.

Board of Education; Board of Nursing; High School Certified Nurse Aide Training and Certification Program established; requirements; report. Establishes the High School Certified Nurse Aide Training and Certification Program for the purpose of creating a pathway for qualified high school students, as defined by the bill, to prepare for and obtain certification as a certified nurse aide (CNA) in the Commonwealth by approving and supporting the establishment of approved training programs, as that term is defined by the bill, whereby any qualified high school student may participate in a program of instruction that (i) is designed to prepare such students for certification as a CNA, in accordance with the requirements of the Board of Nursing; (ii) is taught by an individual who is qualified to provide such instruction, consistent with the requirements of the Board of Education and the Board of Nursing; and (iii) supports each participating student in meeting the requirements for and obtaining certification as a CNA. The bill directs the Board of Education, in collaboration with the Board of Nursing, to administer the Program and to establish policies and procedures for the administration of the Program. Finally, the bill requires the Board of Education to submit to the Chairs of the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the House Committee on Education by November 1 of each year a report on the activities of the Program for the preceding year.

Board of Medicine and Board of Nursing; continuing education; bias reduction training. Directs the Board of Medicine and Board of Nursing to require certain licensees to complete continuing learning activities on implicit and explicit bias reduction in health care as part of their continuing education and continuing competency requirements for licensure and authorizes the Board of Nursing to require certain continuing learning activities or courses in a specific subject area. Under current law, the Board of Medicine has such authority.

Contraception; right to contraception; applicability; enforcement. Establishes a right to obtain contraceptives and engage in contraception, as such terms are defined in the bill. The bill clarifies that none of its provisions shall be construed to permit or sanction the performance of any sterilization procedure without a patient's voluntary and informed consent. The bill creates a cause of action that may be instituted against anyone who infringes on such right. This bill is identical to SB 596.

Health insurance; carrier contracts; required provisions regarding prior authorization for prescription drugs. Amends existing required provisions for health carrier contracts related to prior authorizations for prescription drugs. Current law requires that if prior authorization is approved for prescription drugs and such prescription drugs have been scheduled, provided, or delivered to the patient consistent with the authorization, health carriers may not revoke, limit, condition, modify, or restrict that authorization except in certain circumstances. The bill requires this limitation on carriers to apply for the duration of the authorization, which the bill requires to be a minimum of six months for initial authorizations and a minimum of 12 months for continued authorizations. The bill adds circumstances under which a prior authorization may be revoked, limited, conditioned, modified, or restricted by a carrier, including (i) a final action by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, other regulatory agencies, or the manufacturer communicating a patient efficacy issue that would affect the authorization and (ii) when additional safety and efficacy monitoring is clinically appropriate or recommended by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, other regulatory agencies, or the manufacturer.

Hospitals; psychiatric emergency departments. Allows hospitals with psychiatric emergency departments located in the City of Hampton to operate without a physician on duty when certain conditions are met, including having written agreements in place with emergency medical service providers and being immediately adjacent to a non-psychiatric emergency department. The bill requires such psychiatric emergency departments to submit treatment data to the General Assembly on an annual basis by November 1. This bill is identical to HB 1318.