(1) The surgical smoke evacuation account is created in the custody of the state treasurer. Revenues to the account consist of appropriations and transfers by the legislature and all other funding directed for deposit into the account. Only the director of the department of labor and industries or the director's designee may authorize expenditures from the account. The account is subject to the allotment procedures under chapter
43.88 RCW, but an appropriation is not required for expenditures. Expenditures from the account may be used only for purposes provided in subsection (3) of this section.
(2) By July 1, 2025, the director of the department of labor and industries must certify to the state treasurer the amount of any unobligated moneys in the surgical smoke evacuation account that were appropriated by the legislature from the general fund during the 2023-2025 fiscal biennium, and the treasurer must transfer those moneys back to the general fund.
(3)(a) Subject to the funds available in the surgical smoke evacuation account and beginning January 2, 2025, a hospital described in (b) of this subsection may apply to the department of labor and industries for reimbursement for the costs incurred by the hospital on or before January 1, 2025, to purchase and install smoke evacuation systems as defined in RCW
49.17.500. The reimbursement may not exceed $1,000 for each operating room in the hospital. The reimbursements under this subsection are only available until moneys contained in the account are exhausted.
(b) Only the following hospitals may apply for reimbursement:
(i) Hospitals certified as critical access hospitals under 42 U.S.C. Sec. 1395i-4;
(ii) Hospitals with fewer than 25 acute care beds in operation;
(iii) Hospitals certified by the centers for medicare and medicaid services as sole community hospitals; and
(iv) Hospitals that qualify as a medicare dependent hospital.
(c) The department of labor and industries must determine the process for making an application for reimbursement.