STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2766

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 2575

       H.D. 2

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2010

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 2575, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TRAUMA,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to allow the Department of Health to establish trauma care peer review and quality assurance committees with statutory protection from discovery.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health, the Healthcare Association of Hawaii, The Queen's Medical Center, American Medical Response, Kona Community Hospital, and two individuals.  Testimony in support of the intent of this measure with amendments was received by the Hawaii Association for Justice.  The Office of Information Practices submitted testimony commenting on this measure.  Written testimony presented to the Committee may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

     Your Committee finds that it is in the public interest to continue to improve Hawaii's trauma care facilities.  This measure provides for peer review and quality assurance committees to be established by the Department of Health to examine and make recommendations to improve trauma care in Hawaii.  Your Committee recognizes that for the Department of Health's peer review and quality assurance committees to have maximum effect, they should be exempt from discovery.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Placing authorization for the Department of Health to establish statewide trauma care system peer review and quality assurance committees in section 624-25.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, instead of amending section 321-230, Hawaii Revised Statutes; and

     (1)  Amending the definitions of "quality assurance committee" and "peer review committee" in section 624‑25.5 to include Department of Health multidisciplinary trauma care committees.

     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. 2575, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2575, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Government Operations.

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

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair