STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2106

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2487

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health and Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 2487 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to amend the definition of "quality assurance committee" as used in section 663-1.7, Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS), to match the definition of the same term in section 624-25.5, HRS, to ensure the consistent use of this term in statute and allow the establishment of a quality assurance committee outside of a single health plan or hospital.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Insurance Division, University of Hawaii at Hilo College of Pharmacy, Hawaii Fire Department, Healthcare Association of Hawaii, Hilo Medical Center, and Community First.

Your Committees find that quality assurance committees provide hospitals, health plans, long term care facilities, and other healthcare organizations with a mechanism to evaluate, monitor, and improve quality of care; reduce patient risk and error; and assess the overall effectiveness of care provided to patients. As such, quality assurance committees are essential to the healthcare delivery system.

Your Committees further find that there are two separate, inconsistent definitions of the term "quality assurance committee" in the HRS. One definition applies to chapter 624, HRS, relating to depositions and discovery, while the other applies to chapter 663, HRS, relating to tort actions. Due to this inconsistency, quality assurance committees established under chapter 624, HRS, to monitor, improve, and evaluate patient care within the statewide trauma systems may be established outside of a single health plan or hospital, whereas quality assurance committees established under chapter 663, HRS, may not. This measure seeks to correct this inconsistency and provide quality assurance committees established under chapters 624 and 663, HRS, with the same confidentiality and liability protections.

Your Committees find that this measure will support the important goals of providing community-based, interdisciplinary health care and will enable healthcare organizations to better plan, coordinate, and manage patients' care.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health and Human Services that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2487 and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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

________________________________ JOSH GREEN, Chair

________________________________ ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair