STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3468

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.C.R. No. 78

       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 Committees on Health and Human Services, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 78, H.D. 1, entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO CONVENE A FAMILY CAREGIVERS WORKING GROUP TO EXAMINE AND ASSESS THE ROLE OF CAREGIVING FOR PATIENTS RELEASED FROM HOSPITALS AND THE OVERALL CIRCUMSTANCES OF PATIENTS RELEASED FROM HOSPITALS AS WELL AS THE RESOURCES IN THE COMMUNITY NEEDED AND AVAILABLE TO ASSIST THEM,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Department of Health to convene a family caregivers working group to examine and assess the role of caregiving for patients released from hospitals, the state of their overall circumstances, and the resources in the community needed and available to assist them.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health; Executive Office on Aging; Office of the Mayor, County of Hawaii; Office of Aging, County of Hawaii; Hawaii Pacific Health; American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network; Hawaii Family Caregiver Coalition; Policy Advisory Board for Elder Affairs; Hawaii Alliance for Retired Americans; AARP Hawaii; and nine individuals.  Your Committees received comments on this measure from The Queen's Health Systems and one individual.

     Your Committees find that the role of family caregivers is expanding to include medical and nursing tasks.  Your Committees further find that due to health care costs and other factors, untrained family caregivers are increasingly called upon to provide medical care.  This measure will encourage hospitals, caregiver organizations, and other stakeholders to examine the role of family caregivers in Hawaii, who are essential to long-term support and service systems for patients released from hospitals.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

     (1)  Inserting additional findings;

     (2)  Requiring the working group to also assess the state of current practice of caregiver designation, notification, and involvement in discharge planning;

     (2)  Requiring the working group to also assess legislative and regulatory recommendations on how best to involve caregivers in patient discharge and prepare caregivers for after-care tasks;

     (3)  Inviting the participation of one representative from the AARP, instead of two representatives;

     (4)  Inviting the participation of family caregiver representatives from AARP Hawaii, a home health care organization, Kokua Council, American Cancer Society, Papa Ola Lokahi, an Alzheimer's Disease treatment organization, Kokua Mau, and a hospice organization;

     (5)  Inviting the participation of either one representative from each Oahu hospital facility or one representative from each hospital or health care system where multiple private Oahu or neighbor island hospitals are under a single hospital or health care system;

     (6)  Inviting the participation of a representative from a home health care organization, rather than specifying Home Health Care;

     (7)  Inviting the participation of a representative from Hawaii's health insurance or mutual benefit society health plans, rather than specifying Ohana Health Plan;

     (8)  Inviting the participation of a representative from a hospice organization, rather than specifying Hospice Hawaii;

     (9)  Removing the Governor, or designee; the Chief of the Office of Healthcare Assurance, or designee; and representatives from the Healthcare Association of Hawaii member hospitals from the list of individuals invited to participate in the working group;

     (10) Designating the members of the Senate and House of Representatives as co-chairs of the working group;

     (11) Amending the title of the measure to read, "REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO CONVENE A FAMILY CAREGIVERS WORKING GROUP TO EXAMINE AND ASSESS THE ROLE OF CAREGIVING FOR PATIENTS RELEASED FROM HOSPITALS, THE STATE OF THEIR OVERALL CIRCUMSTANCES, AND THE RESOURCES IN THE COMMUNITY NEEDED AND AVAILABLE TO ASSIST THEM"; and

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

     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 concur with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 78, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend that it be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No. 78, H.D. 1, S.D. 1.

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

____________________________ SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair

____________________________ JOSH GREEN, Chair