Massachusetts continues to issue additional directives and guidance for the health care provider community in response to COVID-19. In this post we highlight new orders by Massachusetts Governor Baker, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH), and MassHealth. Updates include expanded license reciprocity for non-physicians, independent practice of certain Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs), waiver of certain MassHealth requirements in the discharge and transfer of long-term care patients, and authorization for EOHHS to establish temporary rates, supplemental payments, or alternative rates and payment methodologies for certain providers. MassHealth has also issued FAQs for behavioral health providers utilizing telehealth to provide services.
Continue Reading Massachusetts Issues Further COVID-19 Updates for Providers

On July 15, 2019, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo signed into law “An Act Relating To Businesses and Professions – Physician Assistants” (H5572/S0443), which significantly revises the supervision requirements and expands certain aspects of the scope of practice for physician assistants (PAs) in Rhode Island, effective immediately. Among other things, the Act removes the current supervision requirements for PAs, changes the nature of the relationship between PAs and physicians to a “collaborative” arrangement, and removes the requirement that hospitals and other health care practices have written PA supervision agreements on file for PAs.
Continue Reading Rhode Island Removes Supervision Requirements for PAs in Favor of Expanded “Collaboration” Standard for PA Practice

On June 14, 2018, Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy signed into law Public Act No. 18-166 “An Act Concerning the Prevention and Treatment of Opioid Dependency and Opioid Overdoses in the State” (PA 18-166).

This legislation seeks to address the ongoing opioid crisis in Connecticut in part by: (i) implementing a new opioid overdose reporting requirement for hospitals and emergency medical services (EMS) personnel, (ii) establishing a statutory framework under which health care practitioners and pharmacists may partner with law enforcement or other government agencies, EMS providers, or community health organizations to expand distribution and availability of naloxone and similar drugs, (iii) enacting statutory limitations on the circumstances in which providers may prescribe controlled substances for family members or themselves, and (iv) commissioning a study of the feasibility of opioid intervention courts. This legislation has varying effective dates, which are noted below.
Continue Reading Connecticut Legislature Again Addresses Opioid Crisis