Bill Text: CA AB1130 | 2015-2016 | Regular Session | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

---

Bill Title: Clinics: licensing: hours of operation.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Passed) 2015-10-01 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 412, Statutes of 2015. [AB1130 Detail]

Download: California-2015-AB1130-Amended.html

---

BILL NUMBER: AB 1130	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN SENATE  JUNE 29, 2015

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Gray
   (Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Gonzalez)

                        FEBRUARY 27, 2015

   An act to amend Section 1206  of   of, and to
add Section 1218.4 to, the Health and Safety Code, relating to
clinics.



	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 1130, as amended, Gray. Clinics: licensing: hours of operation.

   Under existing law, the State Department of Public Health licenses
and regulates clinics, as defined. Under existing law, specified
types of clinics are exempted from these licensing provisions,
including a clinic operated by a licensed primary care community or
free clinic, that is operated on separate premises from the licensed
clinic, and that is open for limited services of no more than 20
hours a week.  Existing law makes it a misdemeanor to violate any
provision related to the licensure and regulation of clinics. 
   This bill would increase the number of hours that a clinic may be
open under this licensure exemption provision to 30 hours a week.
 The bill would also require a licensed primary care community or
free clinic to report to the department, when renewing its license,
whether it is currently operating an intermittent clinic, the
location of any intermittent clinic, and the estimated hours of
operation of any intermittent clinic. By expanding the scope of an
existing crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local
program.  
   The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local
agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the
state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that
reimbursement.  
   This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this
act for a specified reason. 
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program:  no   yes  .


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 1206 of the Health and Safety Code is amended
to read:
   1206.  This chapter does not apply to the following:
   (a) Except with respect to the option provided with regard to
surgical clinics in paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 1204
and, further, with respect to specialty clinics specified in
paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 1204, any place or
establishment owned or leased and operated as a clinic or office by
one or more licensed health care practitioners and used as an office
for the practice of their profession, within the scope of their
license, regardless of the name used publicly to identify the place
or establishment.
   (b) Any clinic directly conducted, maintained, or operated by the
United States or by any of its departments, officers, or agencies,
and any primary care clinic specified in subdivision (a) of Section
1204 that is directly conducted, maintained, or operated by this
state or by any of its political subdivisions or districts, or by any
city. Nothing in this subdivision precludes the state department
from adopting regulations that utilize clinic licensing standards as
eligibility criteria for participation in programs funded wholly or
partially under Title XVIII or XIX of the federal Social Security
Act.
   (c) Any clinic conducted, maintained, or operated by a federally
recognized Indian tribe or tribal organization, as defined in Section
450 or 1601 of Title 25 of the United States Code, that is located
on land recognized as tribal land by the federal government.
   (d) Clinics conducted, operated, or maintained as outpatient
departments of hospitals.
   (e) Any facility licensed as a health facility under Chapter 2
(commencing with Section 1250).
   (f) Any freestanding clinical or pathological laboratory licensed
under Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 1200) of Division 2 of the
Business and Professions Code.
   (g) A clinic operated by, or affiliated with, any institution of
learning that teaches a recognized healing art and is approved by the
state board or commission vested with responsibility for regulation
of the practice of that healing art.
   (h) A clinic that is operated by a primary care community or free
clinic and that is operated on separate premises from the licensed
clinic and is only open for limited services of no more than 30 hours
a week. An intermittent clinic as described in this subdivision
shall, however, meet all other requirements of law, including
administrative regulations and requirements, pertaining to fire and
life safety.
   (i) The offices of physicians in group practice who provide a
preponderance of their services to members of a comprehensive group
practice prepayment health care service plan subject to Chapter 2.2
(commencing with Section 1340).
   (j) Student health centers operated by public institutions of
higher education.
   (k) Nonprofit speech and hearing centers, as defined in Section
1201.5. Any nonprofit speech and hearing clinic desiring an exemption
under this subdivision shall make application therefor to the
director, who shall grant the exemption to any facility meeting the
criteria of Section 1201.5. Notwithstanding the licensure exemption
contained in this subdivision, a nonprofit speech and hearing center
shall be deemed to be an organized outpatient clinic for purposes of
qualifying for reimbursement as a rehabilitation center under the
Medi-Cal Act (Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 14000) of Part 3 of
Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code).
   (  l  ) A clinic operated by a nonprofit corporation
exempt from federal income taxation under paragraph (3) of subsection
(c) of Section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended,
or a statutory successor thereof, that conducts medical research and
health education and provides health care to its patients through a
group of 40 or more physicians and surgeons, who are independent
contractors representing not less than 10 board-certified
specialties, and not less than two-thirds of whom practice on a
full-time basis at the clinic.
   (m) Any clinic, limited to in vivo diagnostic services by magnetic
resonance imaging functions or radiological services under the
direct and immediate supervision of a physician and surgeon who is
licensed to practice in California. This shall not be construed to
permit cardiac catheterization or any treatment modality in these
clinics.
   (n) A clinic operated by an employer or jointly by two or more
employers for their employees only, or by a group of employees, or
jointly by employees and employers, without profit to the operators
thereof or to any other person, for the prevention and treatment of
accidental injuries to, and the care of the health of, the employees
comprising the group.
   (o) A community mental health center, as defined in Section 5667
of the Welfare and Institutions Code.
   (p) (1) A clinic operated by a nonprofit corporation exempt from
federal income taxation under paragraph (3) of subsection (c) of
Section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended, or a
statutory successor thereof, as an entity organized and operated
exclusively for scientific and charitable purposes and that satisfied
all of the following requirements on or before January 1, 2005:
   (A) Commenced conducting medical research on or before January 1,
1982, and continues to conduct medical research.
   (B) Conducted research in, among other areas, prostatic cancer,
cardiovascular disease, electronic neural prosthetic devices,
biological effects and medical uses of lasers, and human magnetic
resonance imaging and spectroscopy.
   (C) Sponsored publication of at least 200 medical research
articles in peer-reviewed publications.
   (D) Received grants and contracts from the National Institutes of
Health.
   (E) Held and licensed patents on medical technology.
   (F) Received charitable contributions and bequests totaling at
least five million dollars ($5,000,000).
   (G) Provides health care services to patients only:
   (i) In conjunction with research being conducted on procedures or
applications not approved or only partially approved for payment (I)
under the Medicare program pursuant to Section 1359y(a)(1)(A) of
Title 42 of the United States Code, or (II) by a health care service
plan registered under Chapter 2.2 (commencing with Section 1340), or
a disability insurer regulated under Chapter 1 (commencing with
Section 10110) of Part 2 of Division 2 of the Insurance Code;
provided that services may be provided by the clinic for an
additional period of up to three years following the approvals, but
only to the extent necessary to maintain clinical expertise in the
procedure or application for purposes of actively providing training
in the procedure or application for physicians and surgeons unrelated
to the clinic.
   (ii) Through physicians and surgeons who, in the aggregate, devote
no more than 30 percent of their professional time for the entity
operating the clinic, on an annual basis, to direct patient care
activities for which charges for professional services are paid.
   (H) Makes available to the public the general results of its
research activities on at least an annual basis, subject to good
faith protection of proprietary rights in its intellectual property.
   (I) Is a freestanding clinic, whose operations under this
subdivision are not conducted in conjunction with any affiliated or
associated health clinic or facility defined under this division,
except a clinic exempt from licensure under subdivision (m). For
purposes of this subparagraph, a freestanding clinic is defined as
"affiliated" only if it directly, or indirectly through one or more
intermediaries, controls, or is controlled by, or is under common
control with, a clinic or health facility defined under this
division, except a clinic exempt from licensure under subdivision
(m). For purposes of this subparagraph, a freestanding clinic is
defined as "associated" only if more than 20 percent of the directors
or trustees of the clinic are also the directors or trustees of any
individual clinic or health facility defined under this division,
except a clinic exempt from licensure under subdivision (m). Any
activity by a clinic under this subdivision in connection with an
affiliated or associated entity shall fully comply with the
requirements of this subdivision. This subparagraph shall not apply
to agreements between a clinic and any entity for purposes of
coordinating medical research.
   (2) By January 1, 2007, and every five years thereafter, the
Legislature shall receive a report from each clinic meeting the
criteria of this subdivision and any other interested party
concerning the operation of the clinic's activities. The report shall
include, but not be limited to, an evaluation of how the clinic
impacted competition in the relevant health care market, and a
detailed description of the clinic's research results and the level
of acceptance by the payer community of the procedures performed at
the clinic. The report shall also include a description of procedures
performed both in clinics governed by this subdivision and those
performed in other settings. The cost of preparing the reports shall
be borne by the clinics that are required to submit them to the
Legislature pursuant to this paragraph.
   SEC. 2.    Section 1218.4 is added to the  
Health and Safety Code   , to read:  
   1218.4.  (a) A licensed primary care community or free clinic
shall report to the department, when renewing its license, whether it
is currently operating an intermittent clinic, the location of any
intermittent clinic, and the estimated hours of operation of any
intermittent clinic.
   (b) For the purposes of this section "intermittent clinic" means a
clinic described in subdivision (h) of Section 1206. 
   SEC. 3.    No reimbursement is required by this act
pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California
Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local
agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a
new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or
changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of
Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a
crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the
California Constitution.