STAND. COM. REP. NO. 227

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: H.B. No. 1478

H.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 1478 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR ON-CALL EMERGENCY CARE SERVICES AT THE QUEEN'S MEDICAL CENTER,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to protect the health and safety of the people of Hawaii. This bill:

(1) Makes a one-time appropriation to the Queen's Medical Center to compensate physicians to be on-call to provide trauma emergency medical services; and

(2) Requires the Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB) to conduct a study, in cooperation with the Queen's Medical Center, of the on-call crisis in Hawaii and its impact on the Level II Trauma Center's ability to continue delivering emergency medical services.

The Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, the Queen's Health Systems, the Queen's Medical Center, Healthcare Association of Hawaii, and several concerned individuals testified in support of this measure. The Department of Health testified in support of the intent this bill. LRB commented on this measure.

 

Currently, Hawaii's healthcare system is experiencing a crisis with a lack of physicians who are willing to be on call for trauma services. This lack of available of medical care can have serious consequences for the trauma patient.

Your Committee finds that appropriating funds to compensate on-call physicians who provide trauma and emergency medical services and for conducting a study and analysis of pertinent issues pertaining to the on-call crisis are essential to protecting the health and welfare of Hawaii's people.

However, your Committee understands the concerns raised by LRB regarding the appropriateness of their agency to conduct the study and other concerns which were raised during deliberations on this measure.

Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Establishing a task force comprised of three members, one each from the Department of Health, John A. Burns School of Medicine, and Queen's Medical Center;

(2) Requiring the task force to conduct the study rather than LRB;

(3) Requiring the task force to identify any other pertinent issues regarding the on-call crisis and the effects it has on the Level II Trauma Center, in addition to other stipulated tasks;

(4) Appropriating an unspecified amount of funds to be used by the task force to conduct its study; and

(5) Making other technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1478, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1478, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Legislative Management.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health,

 

____________________________

DENNIS A. ARAKAKI, Chair