Relating to the provision of behavioral health services including via telemedicine in a school setting

This bill provides for the provision of behavioral health screenings and services through a school setting both in person and via telemedicine. The bill authorizes a school district, an accredited nonpublic school, or an area education agency to contract with a mental health professional or a nationally accredited behavioral health care organization to provide behavioral health screenings to students in person or via telemedicine, upon written consent by the student’s parent or guardian and to allow for the release of the results of the screening to the student’s primary care provider. The bill specifies the requirements for the establishment of a provider-patient relationship for purposes of mental health professionals providing behavioral health services via telemedicine in a public school, an accredited nonpublic school, or an area education agency setting. The bill authorizes a public school, accredited nonpublic school, and area education agency to provide access to behavioral health services via telemedicine on the premises of the public school, accredited nonpublic school, or area education agency, specifies the parameters for the provision of such services, and provides immunity for entities that provide such services acting reasonably and in good faith. The bill requires that both private health insurance coverage and the Medicaid program are to provide coverage and treat as equivalent services, behavioral health services provided by a mental health professional to a student through an in-person encounter or via telemedicine pursuant to the bill.