Bill Text: NH SB56 | 2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishing a commission to study oversight, regulation, and reporting of patient safety and infectious disease prevention and control issues in health care settings.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2015-06-16 - II. Remainder Effective 06/12/15 [SB56 Detail]
Download: New_Hampshire-2015-SB56-Introduced.html
SB 56 - AS INTRODUCED
2015 SESSION
01/09
SENATE BILL 56
AN ACT establishing a commission to study oversight, regulation, and reporting of patient safety and health care quality issues.
SPONSORS: Sen. Stiles, Dist 24; Sen. Feltes, Dist 15; Sen. Kelly, Dist 10; Sen. Bradley, Dist 3; Sen. Fuller Clark, Dist 21; Rep. Sherman, Rock 24; Rep. Rosenwald, Hills 30; Rep. McMahon, Rock 7; Rep. Emerson, Ches 11
COMMITTEE: Health and Human Services
This bill establishes a commission to study oversight, regulation, and reporting of patient safety and health care quality issues.
This bill is a request of the department of health and human services.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
15-0378
01/09
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Fifteen
AN ACT establishing a commission to study oversight, regulation, and reporting of patient safety and health care quality issues.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Statement of Intent.
I. The general court recognizes that:
(a) New Hampshire is committed to improving patient safety and promoting better health care quality outcomes for its citizens.
(b) New Hampshire and its regulatory agencies are committed to working in partnership with health care providers across all health care delivery settings to identify improvement in the oversight, regulation, and reporting of patient safety and health care quality issues.
II. Therefore, the general court hereby establishes a commission to study oversight, regulation, and reporting of patient safety and quality issues to achieve a better understanding of the landscape of credentialing and regulatory oversight across all health care facilities and settings which will result in better informed policy decision making and in determining the need for future remedial legislation. This commission is not intended to duplicate the work of the health care quality assurance commission under RSA 151-G.
2 New Subdivision; Commission to Study Oversight, Regulation, and Reporting of Patient Safety and Health Care Quality Issues. Amend RSA 126-A by inserting after section 67 the following new subdivision:
Commission to Study Oversight, Regulation,
and Reporting of Patient Safety and Health Care Quality Issues
126-A:68 Commission to Study Oversight, Regulation, and Reporting of Patient Safety and Health Care Quality Issues Established.
I. There is established a commission to study oversight, regulation, and reporting of patient safety and health care quality issues.
II. The members of the commission shall be as follows:
(a) One member of the senate, appointed by the president of the senate.
(b) Three members of the house of representatives, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives.
(c) The director of the division of public health services, department of health and human services, or designee.
(d) The bureau chief for the bureau of health facilities administration, department of health and human services, or designee.
(e) A representative of the New Hampshire board of dental examiners, appointed by the board.
(f) A representative of the New Hampshire board of medicine, appointed by the board.
(g) A representative from the New Hampshire board of nursing, appointed by the board.
(h) A representative from the New Hampshire board of pharmacy, appointed by the board.
(i) A representative from the New Hampshire board of podiatry, appointed by the board.
(j) A representative from the New Hampshire Foundation for Healthy Communities, appointed by the foundation.
(k) A representative from the New Hampshire Hospital Association, appointed by the association.
(1) A representative of the New Hampshire Medical Society, appointed by the society.
(m) A representative of a nursing home facility, appointed by the New Hampshire Health Care Association.
(n) Two public members, appointed by the governor.
III. The commission shall be an administratively attached agency, under RSA 21-G:10, to the department of health and human services.
IV. Legislative members of the commission shall receive mileage at the legislative rate when attending to the duties of the commission.
V. The commission’s study shall include, but not be limited to:
(a) Conducting an assessment of the existing framework for the oversight, regulation, and reporting of patient safety and health care quality issues among all health care delivery settings.
(b) Evaluating credentialing and regulatory oversight to determine unforeseen or hidden gaps that may pose barriers to timely and effective public health response to emergent public health incidents or threats.
(c) Reviewing coordination of interagency communication of public health incidents or threats across all health care delivery settings including, but not limited to, private and or unaffiliated health care settings.
(d) Discussing potential deficits and areas for improvement in the current framework of regulatory oversight with a goal to identify recommended solutions, both legislative and non-legislative.
(e) Creating an appropriate caseload standard for caseworkers at the department of health and human services.
VI. The members of the commission shall elect a chairperson from among the members. The first meeting of the commission shall be called by the senate member. The first meeting of the commission shall be held within 60 days of the effective date of this section. Eight members of the commission shall constitute a quorum.
VII. The commission shall report its findings and any recommendations for proposed legislation to the president of the senate, the speaker of the house of representatives, the chairperson of the health and human services oversight committee established under RSA 126-A:13, the senate clerk, the house clerk, the governor, and the state library on or before November 1, 2015.
3 Repeal. RSA 126-A:68, relative to a commission to study oversight, regulation, and reporting of patient safety and health care quality issues, is repealed.
4 Effective Date.
I. Section 3 of this act shall take effect November 1, 2015.
II. The remainder of this act shall take effect upon its passage.
