Summary: Provider contracts; pharmacies; refusal to fillcertain prescriptions. Requires a provider contract between ahealth carrier or its pharmacy benefits manager and a pharmacy orits contracting agent to contain a specific provision allowing thepharmacy to refuse to fill a prescription for a drug that is reimbursedbelow the actual cost of the medication.

Summary: Adoption; parental placement and agency adoption. Makesvarious changes to statutes governing parental placement and agency adoptions.The bill authorizes a hospital to release a child to his adoptive parents when thebirth parent has executed a health care power of attorney. The bill providesthat when a juvenile and domestic relations district court enters an orderwaiving the consent of one or both birth parents who have failed, without goodcause, to appear at a hearing to execute consent for which they were givenproper notice and transferring custody of a child who has been in the physicalcare and custody of prospective adoptive parents, such adoption shall beconsidered a parental placement adoption. The bill also allows the juvenile anddomestic relations court to find, even if a birth parent has been given propernotice and appears at a hearing to execute consent or withholds consent, thatthe consent of such birth parent is withheld contrary to the best interest ofthe child or is unobtainable. The bill also clarifies that the effect of anorder of the juvenile and domestic relations district court accepting a birthparent's consent and finding that any applicable revocation period has expiredis to terminate a consenting birth parent's residual parental rights. The billprovides that a juvenile and domestic relations court shall accept consent froman out-of-state birth parent. Under current law, a juvenile and domesticrelations district court is required to request consent from an out-of-statecourt having jurisdiction over custody matters in the jurisdiction where abirth parent resides when such birth parent does not reside in theCommonwealth.The bill adds licensed child-placing agencies and prospectiveadoptive parents to those with the authority to consent to surgical and medicaltreatment of certain minors, subject to certain requirements. The billdecreases from 45 to 10 days the time for which a hearing is required to beheld upon the filing of a petition for the approval of an entrustment agreementby a local board of social services or a child welfare agency. The bill alsomakes technical amendments.

Summary: Emergency medical services regulations; police dogs. Requires the State Board of Health to promulgate regulations, in consultation with the State Veterinarian, to provide emergency treatment to police dogs injured in the line of duty and for the transportation of such police dogs by emergency medical services vehicles to veterinary care facilities equipped to provide emergency treatment to such dogs.

Summary: Health insurance; health care provider panels; continuity of care. Requires a provider to continue to render health care services to any of the carrier's enrollees who have an existing provider-patient relationship with the provider for a period of at least 90 days from the date of a provider's termination from the carrier's provider panel, except when a provider is terminated for cause. The bill provides that for an enrollee who has an existing provider-patient relationship with a provider, and, at the time of the provider's termination, (i) has been medically confirmed to be pregnant, the provider is required to continue care through the postpartum period; (ii) is determined to be terminally ill, the provider is required to continue care for the remainder of the enrollee's life; (iii) has been determined by a medical professional to have a life-threatening condition, the provider is required to continue care for up to 180 days; and (iv) is admitted to and receiving treatment in an inpatient facility, the provider is required to continue care until the enrollee is discharged from the inpatient facility. Under current law, the carrier is required to permit the provider to provide such continuity of care. The bill provides that the continuity of care provisions also apply to plans administered by the Department of Medical Assistance Services that provide benefits pursuant to Title XIX or Title XXI of the Social Security Act.

Summary: Task Force on Maternal Health Data and Quality Measures; report. Directs the State Health Commissioner to reestablish the Task Force on Maternal Health Data and Quality Measures for the purpose of evaluating maternal health data collection processes to guide policies in the Commonwealth to improve maternal care, quality, and outcomes for all birthing people in the Commonwealth. The bill directs the Task Force to report its findings and conclusions to the Governor and General Assembly by December 1 of each year regarding its activities. This bill reestablishes the Task Force on Maternal Health Data and Quality Measures that concluded on December 1, 2023. This bill was incorporated into HB 781.

Summary: Department of Medical Assistance Services; reimbursement rates for Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers withDisabilities; work group; report. Directs the Department of MedicalAssistance Services to convene a work group of relevant stakeholdersto assess and make recommendations related to reimbursement ratesfor the federal Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlerswith Disabilities. The bill requires the work group to report itsrecommendations to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Health,Welfare and Institutions and the Senate Committee on Education andHealth by November 1, 2024.

Summary: Maternal Mortality Review Team; membership. Adds a representative of the Department of Corrections and a representative of the State Board of Local and Regional Jails, both appointed by the Governor, to the membership of the Maternal Mortality Review Team.