STAND. COM. REP. NO. 12-00

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 2000

                                 RE: H.B. No. 2013
                                     




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No.
2013 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MEDICAL RESEARCH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to improve the collection of
Hawaii's cancer statistics by requiring cancer cases detected in
physician's offices, laboratories, free-standing radiation
oncology facilities, and other treatment and pathology facilities
to be reported to the Hawaii Tumor Registry or hospital-based
registries.

     The Department of Health, the American Cancer Society, and
the Hawaii Medical Association testified in support of this
measure.

     Under current law, hospitals, skilled nursing homes, and
intermediate care homes are required to report cancer cases to
either the Hawaii Tumor Registry or hospital-based registries.
However, with advances in medical technology, it is common for
physicians to treat many cases of cancer outside a hospital
setting.  For example, dermatologists often diagnose and treat
melanoma cancer in their offices, without their patients ever
setting foot in a hospital.

     Your Committee finds that this measure would ensure more
accurate statistics on the incidence rate of cancer in the State,
which is essential to adjust efforts in the prevention and early

 
 
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detection of cancer, as well as for research, grant monies, and
national statistical purposes.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your
Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No.
2013 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred
to the Committees on Consumer Protection and Commerce and
Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Health,



                                   ______________________________
                                   ALEXANDER C. SANTIAGO, Chair