HOUSE BILL REPORT
HB 2399
As Reported by House Committee On:
Health Care
Appropriations
Title: An act relating to health care providers.
Brief Description: Creating a survey for health care providers.
Sponsors: Representative Cody.
Brief History:
Health Care: 1/13/06, 1/20/06 [DPS];
Appropriations: 2/1/06 [DP2S(w/o sub HC)].
Brief Summary of Second Substitute Bill |
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HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH CARE
Majority Report: The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass. Signed by 14 members: Representatives Cody, Chair; Morrell, Vice Chair; Hinkle, Ranking Minority Member; Curtis, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Alexander, Appleton, Bailey, Clibborn, Condotta, Green, Lantz, Moeller, Schual-Berke and Skinner.
Staff: Chris Blake (786-7392).
Background:
The Department of Health (Department) regulates over 57 health care professions. Currently,
over 290,000 people hold a health care provider credential issued by the Department. Of
those, 170,000 are licensed health care providers.
The Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board (Board) convened a task force to
examine the extent to which there is a shortage of trained health care providers in
Washington and to develop recommendations for increasing the number of providers. In its
2002 report, the task force noted that there were shortages of health care professionals in
several professions including dental hygienists, dentists, medical aides, nurses, pharmacists,
physicians, and radiology technologists. One of the recommendations of the task force was
to "develop a data collection and analysis system to assess health workforce supply and
demand." The 2004 report from the Joint Select Committee on Health Disparities also
recommended that the state identify and collect "relevant and accurate data on health care
professionals" as one way to reduce health disparities.
Summary of Substitute Bill:
The Department shall gather data related to the supply of health care providers and
demographics of the health care work force through surveys that will be sent on a biannual
basis to licensed health care providers. In developing the surveys, the Department shall
collaborate with the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board and seek advice
from researchers that are likely to use the survey data.
At a minimum, the surveys must include questions related to:
The Department may approve proposals to distribute surveys requesting additional data to
individual professions if: (1) there is a legitimate research interest; (2) the burden on
members is not unreasonable; (3) the effect on survey response rates is not unreasonable; and
(4) funds are available. The Department may accept funds from other entities to support the
enhanced surveys.
Data elements from the surveys are confidential and exempt from public disclosure, unless
they are released for study and analysis pursuant to a data sharing agreement. The
Department shall make a public data set available that maintains the confidentiality of
individual health care providers.
The failure to complete a survey may not be grounds for disciplinary action against a health
care provider.
Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:
The authority to distribute the survey, create a distribution schedule, seek the advice of
researchers, and include minimum data requests is changed from permissive to mandatory.
The group to be surveyed is reduced from all credentialed health care providers to only
licensed health care providers.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Available.
Effective Date of Substitute Bill: The bill takes effect on July 1, 2006.
Testimony For: (In support) This data will promote economic development and help local
educational institutions plan class sizes and types of programs to offer. This will provide a
uniform measurement of health care work force data. Performance measures can only
succeed with good data and this will increase the availability of that data. There is a
recognized need for this information about the health care work force.
(Comments only) There is data about demand for health care providers and a portion of the
necessary data about supply. This data will help target resources.
Testimony Against: None.
Persons Testifying: (In support) Representative Cody, prime sponsor; Laurie Jinkins,
Department of Health; Ed Phippen, Health Workforce Institute; and Craig McLaughlin, State
Board of Health.
(Comments only) Maddy Thompson, Workforce Training and Education Coordinating
Board.
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Majority Report: The second substitute bill be substituted therefor and the second substitute bill do pass and do not pass the substitute bill by Committee on Health Care. Signed by 30 members: Representatives Sommers, Chair; Fromhold, Vice Chair; Alexander, Ranking Minority Member; Anderson, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; McDonald, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Bailey, Buri, Chandler, Clements, Cody, Conway, Darneille, Dunshee, Grant, Haigh, Hinkle, Hunter, Kagi, Kenney, Kessler, Linville, McDermott, McIntire, Miloscia, Pearson, Priest, Schual-Berke, P. Sullivan, Talcott and Walsh.
Staff: Amy Hanson (786-7118).
Summary of Recommendation of Committee On Appropriations Compared to
Recommendation of Committee On Health Care:
By July 1, 2009, the Department of Health is required to provide a report to the appropriate
committees of the Legislature on the effectiveness of using a survey to obtain information on
the supply of health care professionals; the distribution and use of the information obtained
by employers and health professions education and training programs; and the extent to
which the surveys have alleviated identified shortages of trained health care providers. The
act expires on January 1, 2012.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Available.
Effective Date of Second Substitute Bill: The bill takes effect July 1, 2006.
Testimony For: None.
Testimony Against: None.
Persons Testifying: None.