STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2130

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2445

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 2445 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to expand the authorized scope of practice for physician assistants.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Hawaii Medical Board, Kaiser Permanente Hawaii, The Queen's Health Systems, Hawai‘i Academy of Physician Assistants, Occupational Therapy Association of Hawaii, and thirty individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Disability and Communication Access Board.

Your Committee finds that the State faces a critical physician shortage, which has resulted in an increase in physician assistant practice throughout the State. Despite the increase in the number of physician assistants, Hawaii has some of the most restrictive physician assistant practice laws in the country, and physician assistants are unable to perform services within their training and education due to these restrictive laws. This measure ensures greater access to health care for Hawaii residents, especially those who reside on the neighbor islands where the need is greatest, by expanding physician assistants' authorized scope of practice.

Your Committee acknowledges the testimony of the Hawai‘i Academy of Physician Assistants, which noted that under existing law, physician assistants can sign orders and plans of care for both physical and speech therapies but not for occupational therapy. Authorizing physician assistants to sign occupational therapy orders ensures that patient access to occupational therapy is timely.

Therefore, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Adding a provision that authorizes physician assistants to sign occupational therapy orders and plans of care;

(2) Inserting an effective date of January 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

(3) 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. 2445, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2445, 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