STAND. COM. REP. NO.  467-08

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2008

RE:   H.B. No. 2173

      H.D. 2

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 2173, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to improve the ability of health care providers to provide appropriate care for patients in the State mental health system by authorizing the disclosure of mental health certificates, applications, records, and reports made by a person's health care provider within that system, to another health care provider.

     The Department of Health, Department of Public Safety, Hawaii Primary Care Association, Hawaii Psychiatric Medical Association, Kaiser Permanente Hawaii, The Queen's Medical Center, and Healthcare Association of Hawaii supported this bill.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by changing its effective date to January 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion.

     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. 2173, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2173, H.D. 2, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

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

____________________________

JOSHUA B. GREEN, M.D., Chair