ANALYSIS OF HOUSE BILL 2452

   Making technical changes and corrections to department of health statutes.

Health Care Committee                          January 24, 2000

Washington State House of Representatives

SPONSORS:  Representatives Cody and Parlette.

BACKGROUND:  The Department of Health (DOH) regulates over 50 health professions and 33 categories of health care facilities.  The department is requesting minor revisions in a number of chapters to update terminology, make corrections, and eliminate obsolete provisions.

SUMMARY:  Technical and housekeeping changes are made to the statutory chapters relating to the regulated health professions under the DOH.  Terminology is updated and obsolete requirements are eliminated.

Licensed hearing instrument fitters/dispensers, certified audiologists, and permit holders must sign an affidavit verifying compliance with the requirement to hold a surety bond and the responsibility of the department to retain a copy of the licensee=s surety bond is repealed.  A cash deposit or negotiable security in a banking institution can be substituted for a bond.  Up to 25 percent of practitioners may be randomly audited for the requirement of holding the surety bond or equivalent.  Duplicate sections are repealed. (Sections 1-4,42).

The requirement that adult family home providers must register separately for each home they operate is repealed, as the license is held by the operator not the home.  If the home is sold by the operator to another, the license lapses, and the buyer must apply for a separate license. (Section 5 and 41).

The authority of the Board of Nursing Home Administrators to address administrative requirements for nursing homes temporarily without administrators is repealed, as the administrator holds the license and the board has no jurisdiction over nursing homes. (Section 6).

Reference to the Examining Board of Psychology as a committee is changed, and its Sunset termination dates of June 30 of 2004 and 2005 are repealed. (Sections 7 and 41).

Reference to Aanimal technician@ is changed to Aveterinary technician@. (Sections 8-15).

For emergency medical care, definitions of Aambulance operator@, Aambulance director@, Aaid vehicle@, and Aaid director@ are replaced by Aambulance service@ and Aaid service@ respectively, and are conformed in the chapter.  Variances in statutory requirements for paramedics and intermediate life support personnel are permissible. (Sections 16-20).

Reference to Aalcoholic@ is changed to Achemically dependent person@ in treatment establishments and institutions.  Licensees are required to conform to rules adopted by the department, and  the issuing of licenses are conditioned on an examination of all phases of its operation.  (Sec. 21-28).

The definition of Amaternity home@ is changed to Abirthing center@, and means a health facility that provides facilities and staff to support a birth service to low-risk maternity clients.  It replaces the definition as a place caring for up to four persons maintaining care during pregnancy and within 10 days after delivery.  Definitions of Alow-risk@ and Aperson@ are also added.  (Sections 29-40).

The authority of osteopathic physicians= assistants to practice acupuncture is repealed, as persons practicing acupuncture are licensed as acupuncturists. (Section 41).