Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 132 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to request that the Healthcare Association of Hawaii establish a task force to design a system for the reporting of hospital-acquired infections to the public.

The Department of Health and Queen's Medical Center testified in support of this measure. Also entered into record was supportive testimony from the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology and Healthcare of Association of Hawaii, that was previously provided to the Senate Committee on Health.

Your Committee finds that the public reporting of hospital infection rates is part of a national trend to make more information on health care available for the purpose of public awareness and regulatory oversight. However, there is considerable diversity between hospitals in Hawaii in the patient populations they serve and the services they provide. As a result, the system will also need to include risk adjustment methods that will account for these differences and the effect these dissimilarities have on the likelihood of patient infections.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 132 and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Finance.