SB 6889

SENATE BILL REPORT
SB 6889

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

As Reported By Senate Committee On:
Health & Long-Term Care, February 07, 2008

Title: An act relating to the development of a secure internet-based format for health care quality data.

Brief Description: Developing a secure internet-based format for health care quality data.

Sponsors: Senators Pflug, Keiser, Parlette, Kohl-Welles, Oemig, Rasmussen, Weinstein and McCaslin.

Majority Report: Do pass and be referred to Committee on Ways & Means.Signed by Senators Keiser, Chair; Franklin, Vice Chair; Pflug, Ranking Minority Member; Carrell, Fairley, Kastama, Kohl-Welles and Marr.

Background: There is a growing interest in measuring and reporting on the quality of provider performance, and in linking performance with evidence-based practice standards. Some examples of leaders in the quality field include the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), which sponsors research efforts to assess evidence-based practice and measure outcomes and effectiveness, and the Puget Sound Health Alliance, a local non-profit organization, which recently released the first Community Checkup Report with measures on 21 types of care provided to more than 1.6 million patients in King, Pierce, Snohomish, Kitsap, and Thurston Counties.

Summary of Bill: A standing work group is created to develop an accessible secure internet-based format for evidence-based information for all state residents to understand health records and the quality of performance of providers. The work group must develop a method to promote provider behavior change for a set of carefully selected measures; develop a method to communicate to providers the insurance plan's management data on total patient episode cost; and develop a method to communicate to the public accurate provider performance comparison data.

The work group is chaired jointly by the Governor and the Attorney General, who jointly appoint representatives who are issue and technical experts, representatives of tribes, business, labor, insurance, provider groups, health care consumer groups, and higher education health professional training centers. The Health Care Authority's Quality Forum must report to the work group quarterly on recommendations and findings of the Puget Sound Health Alliance and others. Staff support for the work group is provided by the Legislature, with assistance from state agencies that purchase health care and the Attorney General's Office. The work group must report to the Legislature each November 1 on statutory or funding changes necessary to support the goal of the act.

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

Staff Summary of Public Testimony: PRO: This is an initial step to improve transparency for consumers and will help provide additional tools for our citizens to manage their care and choose quality providers.