STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2193

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2816

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 2816 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOSPITAL LICENSING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to permit the Department of Health the option of recognizing full accreditation by The Joint Commission (formerly the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations) as evidence of a hospital's compliance with state licensing requirements for the duration of the accreditation period.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health and Hawaii Health Systems Corporation.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from The Joint Commission (formerly the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations).

     Your Committee finds that The Joint Commission maintains rigorous and regularly revised standards that are recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality that reflects an organization's commitment to meeting certain performance standards.  Your Committee further finds that by recognizing the accreditation by The Joint Commission, resources may be used to focus on hospitals without accreditation or other health care organizations, such as nursing homes, which have historically not requested or acquired national accreditation.

     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 S.B. No. 2816 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection.

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

____________________________

JOSH GREEN, M.D., Chair