Read the full summary of legislation passed by the Washington State Legislature.

Summary of the Healthcare IT related bills that were passed by the Washington State Legislature in 2018:

• Telemedicine: Extending the Duration of the Collaborative for the - Advancement of Telemedicine - Extends the termination date for the Collaborative for the Advancement of Telemedicine to December 31, 2021.
• Telemedicine: Concerning Telemedicine Payment Parity – Requires the Collaborative for the Advancement of Telemedicine to review the concept of telemedicine payment parity, develop recommendations including parameters for a payment parity pilot program, and report to the Legislature by December 1, 2018.
• Health Information: Requests for Medical Records to Support an Application for Social Security Benefits - Requires health care facilities, providers, and insurance issuers to provide, upon request, one free copy of a person's health care information if the person is appealing the denial of federal Supplemental Security Income or Social Security disability benefits.
• Health Information: Concerning Bone Marrow Donation Information Provided to Driver's License and Identicard Applicants - Requires the Department of Licensing to provide each driver's license and identicard applicant with written materials about bone marrow donation and being placed on the bone marrow donor registry. Requires the Department of Health to report to the Legislature the results of the efforts to increase public awareness of bone marrow donation.
• Public Health: Safe and Secure Collection and Disposal of Unwanted Medications - Requires manufacturers that sell drugs into Washington to operate a drug take-back program to collect and dispose of prescription and over-the-counter drugs from residential sources.
• Health Insurance: Requiring Health Plans to Cover, with No Cost Sharing, all Preventive Services Required to be Covered Under Federal Law as of December 31, 2016 - Requires health plans to cover the same preventive services required by federal law as of December 31, 2016.
• Behavioral Health: Reassigning Behavioral Health Responsibilities to the Health Care Authority and Department of Health – Transfers responsibilities for the oversight and purchasing of behavioral health services from the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) to the Health Care Authority, except for the operation of the state hospitals. Transfers responsibilities for the certification of behavioral.
• Medical School: Adding the Washington State University College of Medicine to the Family Medicine Residency Network - Adds Washington State University's Elson Floyd College of Medicine to the Family Medicine Residency Network.