Senate Bill 361 Summary

• Enacts the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact, effective March 1, 2021, allowing licensed psychologists to practice telepsychology and provide temporary in-person services across state lines through a multi-state regulatory framework.

• Authorizes licensed marriage and family therapists to conduct first-level commitment examinations for involuntary psychiatric commitments, effective October 1, 2020.

• Eliminates redundancy in adult care home inspections by preventing licensing inspectors from citing physical plant and life-safety violations already cited during separate inspections, unless conditions specific to ongoing non-compliance are met.

• Revises step therapy protocols for prescription drug coverage by requiring insurers to update protocols based on new evidence and establishing expedited exception processes with 72-hour response times for non-urgent requests and 24-hour response times for urgent requests, effective October 1, 2020.

• Clarifies that $5 million in COVID-19 relief funds allocated to the North Carolina Community Health Centers Association may be used for infection control supplies, training, telehealth expansion, and patient transportation related to pandemic response.