STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3467

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.C.R. No. 122

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 1

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 122, H.D. 1, entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION URGING THE DIRECTOR OF HEALTH TO CONVENE A TASK FORCE TO ASSESS THE SCOPE AND FEASIBILITY OF ESTABLISHING AN EMERGENCY SERVICES PATIENT ADVOCATE PROGRAM,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to urge the Director of Health to convene a task force to assess the scope and feasibility of establishing an emergency services patient advocate program.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health, Community Alliance for Mental Health, Healthcare Association of Hawaii, and two individuals.

     Your Committee finds that patients and their families can easily become overwhelmed within the medical system, especially when emergency medical attention is necessary.  Moreover, emergency room professionals have the highest rate of burnout in the health care profession.  Your Committee further finds that a patient advocate program may be necessary to assist in the effective case management of patients and health care providers in emergency situations.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Amending the membership of the task force to include four representatives from the Subarea Health Planning Councils of the Statewide Health Coordinating Council; one representative from the Hawaii Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians; one representative of the Emergency Medical Services and Advisory Committee; managers of emergency departments of hospitals located in Hawaii; Healthcare Association staff; and individuals with direct experience in patient advocacy, and remove the directors of emergency rooms, or their designees, from hospitals located in Hawaii;

     (2)  Removing the requirement that the task force make recommendations on how to effectively implement an emergency services patient advocate program, including a timetable for implementation;

     (3)  Removing the requirement that the task force determine the costs of implementing, and the resources necessary to implement, an emergency services patient advocate program;

     (4)  Requiring the task force to make recommendations on whether a statewide emergency services patient advocate program is necessary;

     (5)  Requiring the task force to make recommendations on whether a statewide emergency services patient advocate program would be cost-effective;

     (6)  Removing the requirement that the report to the Legislature include the task force's actions in assessing the scope and feasibility of establishing an emergency services patient advocate program; and

     (7)  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 Health that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 122, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No. 122, H.D. 1, S.D. 1.

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

____________________________

JOSH GREEN, Chair