On page 2, beginning on line 12, after "(4)" strike all material through "(6)" on line 31

Renumber the remaining subsections consecutively and correct any internal references accordingly.

On page 2, beginning on line 38, after "assessments," strike all material through "section," on line 40

On page 3, beginning on line 7, strike all of section 2 and insert the following:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2.  "The Washington state institute for public policy shall conduct a study to estimate the comparative costs to each state hospital of adopting the Baldrige excellence framework. The institute must examine the costs and resources associated with undergoing Baldrige assessments, and applying for a national quality award. The study must also include an examination of any estimated performance improvements and cost savings associated with implementation of the Baldrige framework compared to other recognized quality management systems. The study also shall identify the assessment questions most relevant to the state hospitals and the questions that are not relevant, in order to promote the most efficient use of state and federal resources. A report is due to the appropriate committees of the legislature by December 1, 2017."

On page 1, line 3 of the title, after "and" strike the remainder of the title and insert "creating a new section."

EFFECT: Removes the requirement for each hospital to complete a Baldrige assessment every two years, and the requirement to apply for a Baldrige National Quality Award. Requests the Washington State Institute for Public Policy to study and report back to the legislature regarding the Baldrige framework, completing the Baldrige assessments, and applying for a national quality award.