STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1683

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 212

       H.D. 2

       S.D. 2

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 212, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH CARE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds for the state health planning and development agency to develop and maintain a statewide comprehensive health care workforce map and database.

     Your Committee received comments in support of this measure from the University of Hawaii John A. Burns school of medicine, the Mayor of Hawaii county, Hawaii Pacific Health, and fifteen individuals.  The Department of Human Services, one Maui county council member, and five individuals offered comments.

     Upon further consideration, your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Inserting, as Part I of the measure, a temporary Maui health initiative task force to develop a comprehensive strategic health plan for the county of Maui that will:

(A)  Determine the current and future health care needs of Maui county;

(B)  Develop an integrated plan for providing health care, including primary, acute, and long-term care, urgent and emergency care, and disaster preparedness;

(C)  Determine an appropriate role for Maui county health care facilities within the statewide system of emergency and trauma care; and

(D)  Reporting to the Legislature, the Mayor of Maui county, and State Health Planning and Development Agency no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2008;

(2)  Requiring the State Health Planning and Development Agency, within sixty days of receipt of the task force's report, to integrate the report into the Hawaii health performance plan;

(3)  Requiring the State Health Planning and Development Agency to grant expedited approval to any application for a certificate of need for a health care facility or hospital or medical or emergency services in Maui county that demonstrates financial viability and meets the Hawaii health performance plan relating to Maui county;

(4)  Appropriating an unspecified amount out of the state health planning and development special fund to the task force;

(5)  Designating the original contents of the measure as part II and requiring the John A. Burns School of Medicine, rather than the State Health Planning and Development Agency, to:

(A)  Compile and analyze existing data on the supply and distribution of licensed health care practitioners, technicians, and other health care workers in the State by profession, specialty, and practice location;

(B)  Develop projections through 2020 of the workforce supply and demand to identify shortages;

(C)  Develop a plan to address and reduce any identified shortages of health care workers;

(D)  Develop a plan to collect and systematically update the data; and

(E)  Ensure that data collected is accurate and secure and that data specific to any practitioner is disclosed only with the express written consent of the practitioner; and

(6)  Appropriating an unspecified amount out of the state health planning and development special fund for fiscal year 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 for the John A. Burns School of Medicine.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 212, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 212, H.D. 2, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair