HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  HB 2842

             As Reported By House Committee On:

                         Health Care

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:  Representative Dyer.

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Health Care:  1/27/98, 1/29/98 [DPS].

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of Health was to define independent health practitioner by rule; however, their statutory authority to do so was repealed before the department adopted a definition.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 Substitute 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risk management training program every three years before insurance companies can provide them malpractice insurance is repealed.

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:  Deletes requirement that physicians and osteopathic physicians take professional liability risk management courses.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date of Substitute Bill:  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).