This bill updates Montana's medical licensure laws to clarify definitions for medical residents, internships, and residency programs while removing unlicensed trainees from licensing exemptions. The legislation establishes that residents must hold degrees from accredited medical schools and be enrolled in programs approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education or the American Osteopathic Association. It also revises how telemedicine and emergency care are defined, specifying that certain remote communication methods do not constitute practicing medicine without a license. These changes primarily affect medical training programs and the state medical board, ensuring clearer standards for who qualifies as a licensed resident in Montana.
This bill updates Montana's telehealth and telemedicine laws to allow out-of-state health care providers to register and offer services to patients within the state. It establishes registration requirements for non-Montana providers, including verification of active licenses from other jurisdictions and checks for disciplinary history over the past five years. The legislation also mandates that registered providers notify state authorities within five business days of any license restrictions or disciplinary actions in their home state, with the Department of Labor and Industry empowered to discipline noncompliant providers. Additionally, the bill removes the requirement for applicants to appear in person during registration and defines key terms like synchronous and asynchronous telehealth services.
This bill establishes parental rights to access their children's health care information in Montana, requiring medical providers to share records with parents unless specific exceptions apply. The law mandates that hospitals obtain parental consent before performing surgery on minors and requires providers to supply health information to parents within 10 days of a request, unless the parent is under investigation for abuse or neglect or a court has limited their decision-making authority. Key provisions allow parents to consent to medical procedures, including telemedicine visits, with identity verification requirements, while maintaining emergency exceptions for situations involving imminent harm to the child. The bill also clarifies that minors who can legally consent to their own care without parental permission retain exclusive rights to access information related to those specific treatments.
This bill adopts the Social Work Licensure Compact, which would allow licensed social workers to practice across multiple states with a single multistate license instead of needing separate licenses in each state. The legislation creates a commission to oversee the compact and establish a shared data system for tracking licensure, disciplinary actions, and continuing education among member states. Key provisions include mutual recognition of licenses, support for military families, and the ability to use telehealth services while maintaining each state's authority to protect public health and safety. Social workers would remain accountable to the laws of the state where their client is located at the time care is provided, even while holding a multistate license.
HB 454 revises the required frequency of patient visits by a licensed physical therapist when supervising a physical therapy assistant. This bill directly affects licensed physical therapists, physical therapy assistants, and the patients they serve. It changes the supervisory requirement, allowing a physical therapist to make an onsite or telehealth visit once for every eight visits made by an assistant, rather than six. Additionally, the time-based supervisory visit is extended from every two weeks to every 30 days, whichever occurs first.
SB 140 would adopt Montana into the Social Work Licensure Compact, enabling social workers licensed in Montana (their "home state") to practice in other participating states without obtaining separate licenses. The bill creates a "multistate license" system, allowing licensed social workers to provide services across state lines while maintaining each state's authority to regulate practice and address disciplinary issues in the state where the client is located. This directly affects licensed social workers seeking to practice beyond Montana, particularly those serving military families or addressing workforce shortages in rural areas. The compact aims to reduce licensing barriers, improve access to social work services, and facilitate telehealth practice while preserving state-level regulatory oversight for public safety.
LC 2774 was a draft bill proposing to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates for healthcare providers. It was assigned to a drafter in December 2024 but died in the legislative process without further action, as noted in its "Draft Died in Process" status on May 27, 2025. The bill did not advance to committee or floor votes, so no policy changes were implemented. It would have directly affected Medicaid-participating healthcare providers by potentially increasing their payments. Since the bill never became law, no concrete policy changes were enacted.
SB 438 establishes a registration system for out-of-state health care providers offering telehealth services to Montana patients. It requires these providers to register with Montana’s Department of Labor and Industry if they hold an active license in another state, have no recent disciplinary actions, and meet scope-of-practice standards. The bill mandates providers to notify Montana authorities within 5 business days of any disciplinary action against their license in another state and allows Montana to impose disciplinary actions like registration suspension for noncompliance. It also defines key terms like "asynchronous" and "synchronous" telehealth and designates patient location as the venue for legal actions. The bill directly affects out-of-state telehealth providers, not patients, by creating new administrative and compliance requirements.
