STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1174

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2009

RE:   S.B. No. 1094

      S.D. 2

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Health and Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 1094, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to improve patient care, reduce errors, and save overall costs to the State's health care system by requiring the Department of Health (DOH) to establish a Patient-Centered Health Care Homes Pilot Project (Pilot Project) to direct payment of certain state funds received from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) to federally qualified health centers (FQHC) to support FQHCs as patient-centered health care homes.

     The Kokua Council, Waikiki Health Center, and Hawaii Primary Care Association supported this bill.  DOH opposed this measure.

     Your Committees have amended this bill by replacing its contents with the similar contents of H.B. No. 1375.  As amended this bill:

(1)  Deletes the requirement that the funding for the Pilot Project derive solely from the ARRA;

(2)  Reestablishes requirements that DOH report its findings and recommendations in the 2012 and 2013 legislative sessions;

(3)  Removes requirements that DOH include in the 2011 report to the Legislature, progress and final recommendations on whether to make the Pilot Project permanent and any proposed legislation; and

(4)  Makes technical, nonsubstantive changes for clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Human Services that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1094, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1094, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Health and Human Services,

____________________________ JOHN M. MIZUNO, Chair

____________________________ RYAN I. YAMANE, Chair