HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  HB 1424

             As Reported By House Committee On:

                         Health Care

Title:  An act relating to kidney dialysis centers.

Brief Description:  Revising provisions for kidney dialysis centers.

Sponsors:  Representatives Skinner and Murray.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:

Health Care:  2/7/97, 2/11/97 [DP].

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH CARE

Majority Report:  Do pass.  Signed by 11 members:  Representatives Dyer, Chairman; Backlund, Vice Chairman; Skinner, Vice Chairman; Cody, Ranking Minority Member; Murray, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Anderson; Conway; Parlette; Sherstad; Wood and Zellinsky.

Staff:  Antonio Sanchez (786-7383).

Background:  The 1995 Legislature, in SHB 1205, required various health care settings to be considered a new category of health care facility entitled Health Care Entities.  These new entities include kidney dialysis centers.  Kidney dialysis centers are included as health care entities regulated by the Board of Pharmacy, and are required to be licensed by the Department of Health in order to purchase, administer, and dispense legend drugs.  Kidney dialysis centers utilize a few different types of drugs for treating dialysis patients.  These drugs are regulated by other statutory and administrative rules and are not considered addictive.

The Board of Pharmacy reported that the costs of licensing and regulation can be considerable without bringing a proportional increase in public safety.  Kidney dialysis centers have served dialysis patients for over thirty years without a significant incidence of harm to patients involving drugs.  The board has not received any information that drug utilization by kidney dialysis centers has resulted in significant harm to any patient.

Summary of Bill:  Kidney dialysis centers are no longer considered health care entities requiring licensing and regulation under the Department of Health.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  The current law is a financial and logistic burden that is not needed.  The Board of Pharmacy voted to support the bill.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Christopher Blagg, Northwest Kidney Centers (pro); and Don Williams, State Board of Pharmacy (pro).