STAND. COM. REP. NO.  901

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

RE:   H.B. No. 1147

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 1147, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to assist in the effective case management of emergency medical situations and enhance communication among patients, medical providers, and families by:

(1)  Establishing and funding a two-year, 24-hour, on-call pilot Emergency Services Failsafe Program to assist physicians and patients in obtaining the opinion of another physician in high-risk cases, in situations when consultation is warranted, and when a patient, a patient's family member, or hospital patient advocate disagrees with a diagnosis or treatment plan; and

(2)  Authorizing the Department of Health to convene a committee to facilitate the sharing of best practices and benchmarking data for patient advocacy in the emergency department setting.  

A former state senator, former state representative, and two individuals testified in support of this measure.  An individual opposed this measure.  The Department of Health and an individual commented on this measure.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1147, H.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

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

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair