Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

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 the Healthcare Association of Hawaii to establish a task force to design a system for reporting hospital-acquired infections to the public.

The Department of Health, The Queen's Medical Center, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc., and the Healthcare Association of Hawaii submitted testimony in support of this measure.

There is a national trend to mandate the reporting of hospital-acquired infection data to the public. However, according to the Department of Health, there is currently no nationally recognized methodology for comparing infection rates of dissimilar institutions. In order to use infection surveillance data to compare the quality of care between hospitals, all hospitals would have to collect the same data on the same types of infections and use the same methods to identify infections. This measure will bring relevant stakeholders together to design a uniform system and propose possible legislation on the subject.

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 its adoption.