SB 5839 - DIGEST

Requires the department of health to study and report on the need for the state to license and regulate free-standing health clinics. The study shall consider: (1) Trends in the number and type of procedures performed in free-standing health clinics that at one time were exclusively performed in hospitals;

(2) The extent to which the lack of state licensing and regulation of free-standing health clinics impacts the health, safety, or welfare of clinic patients;

(3) The potential statewide impact of licensing and regulation on patient access to affordable care;

(4) The extent to which free-standing health clinics are subject to licensure and regulation in other states, the nature of that regulation, and evidence of its effect on patient safety and access to affordable care; and

(5) Any other factors the department of health determines relevant to the question of whether the state should license and regulate free-standing health clinics.

Provides that, in conducting the study, the department of health shall consult with all relevant parties and report its findings and recommendations to the legislature by December 1, 2005.