HOUSE BILL REPORT

                 SHB 2842

                      As Passed House:

                      February 10, 1998

Title:  An act relating to professional liability risk management training.

Brief Description:  Requiring physicians to include professional risk liability management as part of their continuing education.

Sponsors:  By House Committee on Health Care (originally sponsored by Representative Dyer).

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Health Care:  1/27/98, 1/29/98 [DPS].

Floor Activity:

Passed House:  2/10/98, 96-0.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH CARE

Majority Report:  The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill 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:  Bill Hagens (786-7131).

Background:  Current law requires medical malpractice insurance companies to verify that a physician or other independent health care practitioner has met certain risk management training requirements before the insurer issues a new malpractice policy or renews an existing policy.  The Department of Health was to define independent health practitioner by rule; however, their statutory authority to do so was repealed before the department adopted a definition.  Therefore, some ambiguity exists regarding which practitioners, other than physicians, must complete the risk management training.  The Office of the Insurance Commissioner's interpretation is that MDs and osteopaths must comply with the risk management training requirements, but other independent health care practitioners do not since this term was never defined.

Summary of Bill:  The requirement that physicians and independent health care practitioners complete a liability risk management training program every three years before insurance companies can provide them malpractice insurance is repealed.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

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

Testimony For:  The bill removes unnecessary risk management training requirement.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Ron Weaver, Department of Health (pro on substitute).