An Act To Facilitate Patient Education
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §2142, sub-§3, as amended by PL 1993, c. 331, §1, is further amended to read:
3. Home health care provider. "Home health care provider" means any business entity or subdivision thereof, whether public or private, proprietary or not for profit, that is engaged in providing acute, restorative, rehabilitative, maintenance, preventive or health promotion services through professional nursing or another therapeutic service, such as physical therapy, home health aides, nurse assistants, medical social work, nutritionist services or personal care services, either directly or through contractual agreement, in a client's place of residence. This term does not apply to any sole practitioner providing private duty nursing services or other restorative, rehabilitative, maintenance, preventive or health promotion services in a client's place of residence or to municipal entities providing health promotion services in a client's place of residence. This term does not apply to a federally qualified health center or a rural health clinic as defined in 42 United States Code, Section 1395x, subsection (aa) (1993) that is delivering case management services or health education in a client's place of residence. This term does not apply to a registered nurse educator. For purposes of this subsection, "registered nurse educator" means a registered nurse licensed under Title 32, chapter 31 who provides postprescription training to a patient or caregiver in a patient's place of residence when the registered nurse educator does not provide health care services, does not deliver the prescription drug, does not touch the patient, does not administer the prescription drug to the patient and does not seek payment from the patient, caregiver or any health care payor. Beginning October 1, 1991, "home health care provider" includes any business entity or subdivision thereof, whether public or private, proprietary or nonprofit, that is engaged in providing speech pathology services.
summary
This bill exempts a registered nurse educator who provides postprescription training to a patient or caregiver in a patient's place of residence from the laws governing the licensure of home health care providers.