Senate Bill 716 Summary

• Changes meningococcal vaccination requirement for college students residing on-campus from waiver sign-off to mandatory vaccination unless medical or religious exemption is filed with the institution.

• Establishes the "Show-Me Healthy Babies Program" as a separate children's health insurance program (CHIP) providing prenatal care and pregnancy-related services to unborn children in families with income up to 300% of federal poverty level.

• Creates new "assistant physician" licensure category for recent medical graduates to practice primary care in medically underserved areas under physician collaborative practice arrangements.

• Expands pharmacy practice to allow pharmacists to administer vaccines (including influenza, pneumonia, hepatitis, meningitis) with physician authorization and adds pharmacist vaccine administration reporting requirements.

• Reduces health carrier utilization review decision timeline for initial determinations from two working days to 36 hours including one working day, and establishes a "Show-Me Extension for Community Health Care Outcomes (ECHO) Program" to use telehealth for treating chronic diseases in rural and underserved areas.