Healthcare

Amends the Medicaid Technical Assistance Act. Requires the Medicaid Technical Assistance Center to collaborate with public and private partners throughout the State to identify, establish, and maintain best practices necessary for health providers to ensure their capacity to participate in the Illinois Medical Assistance Program (rather than ensure their capacity to participate in HealthChoice Illinois or YouthCare). Requires the Medicaid Technical Assistance Center to promote equitable delivery systems, remaining committed to the principle that all Medicaid recipients have accessible and equitable physical and mental health care services. Removes provisions concerning the Medicaid Technical Assistance Center's administration of network adequacy reports, and instead requires the Medicaid Technical Assistance Center to administer a network recruitment plan. Provides that by using reports and data provided by the Department of Healthcare and Family Services’ External Quality Review Organization on network adequacy, provider service deserts, and health care disparities by race and ethnicity, the Medicaid Technical Assistance Center shall propose for Department review and approval an annual plan for recruiting providers to participate in the Illinois Medical Assistance Program and report on outcomes of its recruitment efforts to the Department for continuous improvement. Repeals a provision requiring the Department to maximize federal financial participation for any moneys appropriated to the Department for the Medicaid Technical Assistance Center and to deposit all federal financial participation funds into the Medicaid Technical Assistance Center Fund. Repeals a provision creating the Medicaid Technical Assistance Center Fund. Amends the State Finance Act. Provides for the dissolution of the Medicaid Technical Assistance Center Fund on July 1, 2026, or as soon thereafter as practical, after the transfer of all remaining funds into the Healthcare Provider Relief Fund. Effective July 1, 2026.

Creates the Food Reform to Ensure Student Health Act. Requires each school district in the State to begin to eliminate ultraprocessed foods of concern and restricted school foods by July 1, 2029. Provides that, beginning July 1, 2032, a vendor may not offer to a school either an ultraprocessed food of concern or a restricted school food. Requires food vendors to report to the Department of Public Health certain information about ultraprocessed foods of concern and restricted school foods that they have sold to schools. Requires the Department, in consultation with the State Board of Education, to submit to the General Assembly and Governor annual summary reports of the data submitted to it by food vendors. Directs the Department to post these reports on its website. Requires the Department of Public Health to adopt rules establishing definitions of the terms "ultraprocessed foods of concern" and "restricted school foods" for purposes of these requirements. Requires the Department to review those rules and, if needed, update them every 5 years. Requires the Department to consult with the State Board of Education and to provide compliance training for school food service and procurement staff. Describes the topics to be covered by the Department in the training. Provides for the repeal of the Act on January 1, 2034. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement.

Amends the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Administrative Act. Provides that notwithstanding any other law or rule to the contrary, a State-operated developmental center funded, certified, or licensed by the Department of Human Services shall readmit, upon request, any former resident who transferred to and currently receives services at a licensed community-integrated living arrangement, if the former resident consents or if the former resident has a guardian with placement authority and that guardian consents based on a determination that the former resident's medical needs cannot be met by the program of services administered by the community-integrated living arrangement. Effective immediately.

Creates the Limitations on Facility Fees Act. Provides that no health care provider shall charge, bill, or collect a facility fee, except for: (i) services provided on a hospital's campus; (ii) services provided at a facility that includes a licensed hospital emergency department; or (iii) emergency services provided at a freestanding emergency center. Provides that, except as specified, no health care provider shall charge, bill, or collect a facility fee for: (i) outpatient evaluation and management services; or (ii) any other outpatient, diagnostic, or imaging services identified by the Department of Public Health. Requires the Department to annually identify services subject to the limitations on specified facility fees that may reliably be provided safely and effectively in settings other than hospitals. Sets forth provisions concerning reporting, rulemaking, and enforcement of the Act. Amends the Fair Patient Billing Act to make a conforming change. Amends the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. Provides that any person who violates the Limitations on Facility Fees Act commits an unlawful practice.

Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Removes provisions requiring the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to: (i) establish benchmarks for hospitals to measure and align payments to reduce potentially preventable hospital readmissions, inpatient complications, and unnecessary emergency room visits; (ii) publish provider-specific historical readmission data and anticipated potentially preventable targets 60 days prior to the start of the program; and (iii) adopt policies and rates of reimbursement for readmission services and other payments.

Amends the Hospital Licensing Act. Provides that, upon request by a patient, a hospital must transfer the patient to the requested health care facility, regardless of whether the facility is part of the hospital's health care network. Effective immediately.

Amends the Hospital Licensing Act. Removes provisions requiring the Department on Aging to adopt rules to address instances when a case coordination unit is unable to complete an assessment in a hospital prior to the discharge of a patient 60 years or older to a nursing home to ensure that the patient is able to access nursing home care, the nursing home is not penalized for accepting the admission, and the patient's timely discharge from the hospital is not delayed, to the extent permitted under federal law or regulation.

Amends the Illinois Controlled Substances Act. Provides that interstate data sharing agreements shall be mutual. Provides that the Department of Human Services shall only share data if the reciprocal state provides the opportunity to access data from the reciprocating state to licensed healthcare entities and application vendors regardless of their method of connection to the Prescription Monitoring Program for interstate data sharing as defined in administrative rule. Effective immediately.

Amends the Hospital Licensing Act. Provides that a hospital that operates an emergency department shall not use health care kiosks in the hospital's emergency department to assess or determine a patient's medical state, to determine the priority level of a patient's injuries or illness, or to otherwise triage patients. Provides that health care kiosks may be used for data entry of a patient's personal identifying information and billing information in place of paper forms. Amends the University of Illinois Hospital Act to set forth conforming requirements for a University of Illinois Hospital emergency department. Effective January 1, 2027.

Amends the Pharmacy Practice Act. Defines "retail pharmacy". Provides that a retail pharmacy that, on average, receives 150 or more prescription drug orders during its operating hours must satisfy one of the following requirements during all times that the pharmacy remains open for the transaction of business: (1) a pharmacist is present at the location and working in his or her capacity as a pharmacist, or (2) a registered pharmacy technician, registered certified pharmacy technician, student pharmacist, or other supportive staff that is authorized to sell prescriptions is present at the location and working in that capacity pursuant to provisions concerning pharmacy working conditions.