S-1880               _______________________________________________

                                         SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL NO. 5481

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                               51st Legislature                              1989 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Health Care & Corrections (originally sponsored by Senators West, Wojahn, Sellar and Vognild)

Read first time 2/17/89.

AN ACT Relating to the impaired physician program; amending RCW 18.72.301 and 18.72.306; and declaring an emergency.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

        Sec. 1.  Section 1, chapter 416, Law of 1987 and RCW 18.72.301 are each amended to read as follows:

          Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout RCW 18.72.306 through 18.72.321.

          (1) "Board" means the medical disciplinary board of this state.

          (2) "Committee" means a nonprofit corporation formed by physicians who have expertise in the areas of alcoholism, drug abuse, or mental illness and who broadly represent the physicians of the state and that has been designated to perform any or all of the activities set forth in RCW 18.72.306(1) pursuant to rules adopted by the board under chapter ((34.04)) 34.05 RCW.

          (3) "Impaired" or "impairment" means the presence of the diseases of alcoholism, drug abuse, ((or)) mental illness, or other debilitating conditions.

          (4) "Impaired physician program" means the program for the prevention, detection, intervention, and monitoring of impaired physicians established by the board pursuant to RCW 18.72.306(1).

          (5) "Physician" means a person licensed under chapter 18.71 RCW.

          (6) "Treatment program" means a plan of care and rehabilitation services provided by those organizations or persons authorized to provide such services to be approved by the board for impaired physicians taking part in the impaired physician program created by RCW 18.72.306.

        Sec. 2.  Section 2, chapter 416, Laws of 1987 and RCW 18.72.306 are each amended to read as follows:

          (1) The board shall enter into a contract with the committee to implement an impaired physician program.  The impaired physician program may include any or all of the following:

          (a) Contracting with providers of treatment programs;

          (b) Receiving and evaluating reports of suspected impairment from any source;

          (c) Intervening in cases of verified impairment;

          (d) Referring impaired physicians to treatment programs;

          (e) Monitoring the treatment and rehabilitation of impaired physicians including those ordered by the board;

          (f) Providing post-treatment monitoring and support of rehabilitative impaired physicians; ((and))

          (g) Performing such other activities as agreed upon by the board and the committee; and

(h) Providing prevention and education services.

          (2) A contract entered into under subsection (1) of this section shall be financed by a surcharge of up to ((fifteen)) twenty-five dollars on each license renewal or issuance of a new license to be collected by the department of licensing from every physician and surgeon licensed under chapter 18.71 RCW in addition to other license fees and the medical discipline assessment fee established under RCW 18.72.380.  These moneys shall be placed in the health professions account to be used solely for the implementation of the impaired physician program.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.     This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and shall take effect immediately.