STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1368

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  S.C.R. No. 113
                                        S.D. 1




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Health and Human Services and Education
and Technology, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 113 entitled: 

     "SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF
     HEALTH, WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF THE HAWAII HEALTH SYSTEMS
     CORPORATION AND THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII SCHOOL OF NURSING,
     TO DEVELOP A PROGRAM ENABLING NURSES EMPLOYED BY THE STATE
     OF HAWAII TO OBTAIN ADVANCED NURSING DEGREES,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to request the Department of
Health (DOH), with the assistance of the Hawaii Health Systems
Corporation (HHSC) and the University of Hawaii School of Nursing
(UH), to develop a program enabling nurses employed by the State
of Hawaii to obtain advanced nursing degrees.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this
measure from the UH, HHSC, Hawaii Nurses' Association, and Hawaii
Government Employees Association.  The DOH supported the intent
of this measure, but had some concerns.

     Your Committees find that advanced degree nurses can perform
a wide range of responsibilities as primary care providers who
can effectively respond to the dynamic changes in the health care
system as clinical nurse specialists, nurse practitioners, or
nurse midwives.  Highly trained nurses improve health care
services, especially in rural areas where access to physicians
may be difficult.  This measure is intended to facilitate those
outcomes.  Your Committees also find that since nurses with

 
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advanced degrees can bill third-party insurers for reimbursement
for their services, the State could receive more insurance moneys
from billings by advanced degree nurses working for the State.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by clarifying the
title and the body to reflect that the DOH, Department of Human
Resources Development, and the HHSC, with the assistance of the
UH, are requested to develop the program.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your
Committees on Health and Human Services and Education and
Technology that are attached to this report, your Committees
concur with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 113, as amended
herein, and recommend that it be referred to the Committee on
Ways and Means, in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 113,
S.D. 1.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committees on Health and Human
                                   Services and Education and
                                   Technology,



____________________________       ______________________________
DAVID Y. IGE, Chair                SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair

 
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