STAND. COM. REP. NO. 245

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1176

       S.D. 1

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection, to which was referred S.B. No. 1176 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MANDATORY HEALTH COVERAGE FOR USE OF THE LIFEBED INTELLIGENT MEDICAL VIGILANCE SYSTEM,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to require all health insurers, mutual benefit societies, and health maintenance organizations to provide reimbursements for the use of the Lifebed Intelligent Medical Vigilance System as part of hospital care.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from Hoana Medical Systems, Inc. and Hawaii Medical Assurance Association.  Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from Healthcare Association of Hawaii and Hawaii Medical Service Association.   Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Insurance Commissioner of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.

     Your Committee finds that the Lifebed Intelligent Medical Vigilance System is a monitoring technology that allows for the monitoring of hospital patients' heart and respiration rates and alerts staff when any abnormalities are detected or when the patient attempts to exit the bed unassisted.  The Lifebed Intelligent Medical Vigilance System may reduce the risk of injury or death from falls and from failure to rescue patients in cardiac or respiratory distress.  Your Committee further finds that early and effective intervention for patients in distress will increase the overall quality and reduce the cumulative cost of health care available to patients in this State.  It is the intent of your Committee that this measure will create incentives for the use of the Lifebed Intelligence Medical Vigilance System in hospitals by requiring reimbursement for its use.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Adding a provision to repeal this measure on July 1, 2015, to allow the Legislature to evaluate the measure's effectiveness in terms of patient safety and cost; and

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1176, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1176, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection,

____________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair