BILL REQ. #:  H-0601.1 

Read first time 01/13/11.   Referred to Committee on Health Care & Wellness.

     AN ACT Relating to written plans for midwifery; amending RCW 18.50.010 and 18.50.108; and providing an effective date.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 18.50.010 and 1991 c 3 s 103 are each amended to read as follows:
     Any person shall be regarded as practicing midwifery within the meaning of this chapter who shall render medical aid for a fee or compensation to a woman during prenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum stages or who shall advertise as a midwife by signs, printed cards, or otherwise. Nothing shall be construed in this chapter to prohibit gratuitous services. ((It shall be the duty of a midwife to consult with a physician whenever there are significant deviations from normal in either the mother or the infant.))

Sec. 2   RCW 18.50.108 and 1981 c 53 s 14 are each amended to read as follows:
     Every licensed midwife shall develop a written plan for ((consultation with other health care providers, emergency transfer, transport of an infant to a newborn nursery or neonatal intensive care nursery, and transport of a woman to an appropriate obstetrical department or patient care area. The written plan shall be submitted annually together with the license renewal fee to the department)) each patient following the initial patient assessment and before the commencement of a regular program of midwifery services. The written plan shall describe the program of midwifery services to be provided; any general risk factors associated with the services to be provided; any specific risk factors pertaining to the individual health and circumstances of the individual patient; a plan to be followed in the event of an emergency, including a plan for transportation; and individuals to contact in the event of an emergency. The patient and, if applicable, the patient's spouse or partner shall be informed of the contents of the plan and provided the opportunity to amend any portion of the plan. Both the midwife and the patient shall acknowledge their consent to the contents of the plan before the continuation of midwifery services. The midwife must retain the written plans in the patient's file for at least five years and make them available to the department as necessary for credentialing and disciplinary purposes. The department may adopt rules to implement the requirements of this section.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   This act takes effect January 1, 2012.