STAND. COM. REP. NO.  650

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2011

RE:   H.B. No. 597

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 597 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to improve the quality of health care through full and free discussion within health care quality control entities by expanding the protections on discoverable information to include interdisciplinary committees composed of representatives of various health care organizations.

     The Queen's Medical Center and Healthcare Association of Hawaii testified in support of this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Clarifying that the new interdisciplinary quality assurance committees' proceedings and records are awarded the same protection from discovery as a quality assurance committee;

     (2)  Changing the effective date to January 7, 2059, to encourage further discussion; and

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive revisions for clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 597, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 597, H.D. 1.

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

____________________________

GILBERT KEITH-AGARAN, Chair