HOUSE BILL REPORT

HB 2126

BYRepresentatives Braddock, Sprenkle and Brooks

Requiring the board of medical examiners to adopt rules regarding surgical assistants.

House Committe on Health Care

Majority Report:  Do pass.  (10)

      Signed by Representatives Braddock, Chair; Day, Vice Chair; Brooks, Ranking Republican Member; Cantwell, Chandler, Morris, Sommers, Sprenkle, Vekich and Wolfe.

Minority Report:  Do not pass.  (1)

      Signed by Representative Prentice.

House Staff:John Welsh (786-7133)

AS PASSED HOUSE MARCH 15, 1989

BACKGROUND:

Currently, the state Board of Medical Examiners has no authority to adopt rules governing surgical assistants who work under the supervision of surgeons.

SUMMARY:

The Board of Medical Examiners is given authority to adopt rules regulating the practice of surgical assistants working under the direct supervision of licensed surgeons.

Fiscal Note:      Requested February 22, 1989.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    Jeff Larsen, Washington Congress of Surgical Assistants; Glenn Knight, National Surgical Assistants Association; William Bol Jr., Washington Congress of Surgical Assistants; Janice Olmsted, Group Health Cooperative; T. Claudette Blanton, Group Health Cooperative and Burford Fearing, Group Health Cooperative.

House Committee - Testified Against:      Mike Ryherd, Washington Medical Association and Richard Trembling, Washington State Medical Association.

House Committee - Testimony For:    Currently, the Board has no authority to regulate surgeon assistants, an important auxiliary to the physician in the operating room.  There may be legal liability questions with regard to the ability of surgeon assistants to perform certain tasks, and there is no definition in the law governing their scope of practice.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      The persons who opposed the bill signed-in against the measure, but did not testify.