Bill > HB4935

This bill, titled "HEALTH-TECH," amends the Hearing Screening for Newborns Act, renaming it the "Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Act" and introducing new definitions for "Department" (referring to the Department of Public Health) and "medical care facility" (which includes hospitals, birthing centers, and other licensed facilities providing obstetrical and newborn nursery services). Key changes mandate that all medical care facilities must conduct bilateral hearing screenings on newborns before discharge, unless medically contraindicated or the infant is transferred, in which case the receiving facility must complete the screening. Facilities must also arrange for outpatient screenings for infants born outside a medical care facility and report screening results to the Department of Public Health within seven days, referring infants who don't pass for follow-up care and documenting this referral. The bill expands reporting requirements to include various healthcare providers and programs, detailing audiological, medical, language, and intervention outcomes for children up to six years old, and establishes provisions for information sharing between the Department and other entities for care coordination, while also providing liability protection for those acting in compliance. Finally, it clarifies that the Department of Public Health, not the Department of Human Services, will adopt rules to implement the Act.