STAND. COM. REP. NO. 167

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1150

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 1150 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SKILLED NURSING FACILITY LICENSING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Allow the Department of Health to accept accreditation or certification of a skilled nursing facility by a nationally recognized accreditation or certification organization; and

(2) Exempt skilled nursing facilities from a licensing inspection on a continuing basis, provided they meet certain requirements.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from Healthcare Association of Hawaii.

Your Committee finds that The Joint Commission and other nationally recognized accrediting agencies have certification standards that are more stringent than those required by state law. Your Committee also finds that the Department of Health conducts state license renewal surveys simultaneously with federally required recertification surveys. This measure allows the Department to accept accreditation surveys from a private accreditation organization or federally mandated recertification surveys for state licensing purposes. This would allow the Department's Office of Healthcare Assurance to deploy staffing resources to other equally important investigations and surveys.

Your Committee heard the testimony of the Healthcare Association of Hawaii, which commented that the use of an outside accreditation or certification program should be voluntary, rather than compulsory. As such, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Amending the measure to reflect that use of an outside accreditation or certification program is voluntary; and

(2) 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 is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1150, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1150, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection.

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

________________________________

JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE, Chair