AB 296

This bill defines “free and charitable clinics” as health care organizations that

use a volunteer and staff model to provide health services to uninsured,

underinsured, underserved, economically and socially disadvantaged, and

vulnerable populations and that meet criteria specified in the bill. The bill

incorporates into statutory language an allocation made in the biennial budget act,

2019 Wisconsin Act 9

, that requires the Department of Health Services to give

$500,000 in grants annually to free and charitable clinics.

Additionally, this bill incorporates the definitions of “telehealth” and other

related terms from the Medical Assistance program into the statutory chapters that

pertain to occupational licensing. “Telehealth” means a practice of health care

delivery, diagnosis, consultation, treatment, or transfer of medically relevant data

by means of audio, video, or data communications that are used either during a

patient visit or a consultation or are used to transfer medically relevant data about

a patient. The bill requires the Department of Safety and Professional Services and

any attached examining board or affiliated credentialing board to define and use

“telehealth” and related terms consistent with this bill in all promulgated rules.