Health facilities: Joint Task Force on Hospital Conversion and Patient Care.

Under existing law, the State Department of Public Health is responsible for licensing and regulating health facilities, including general acute care hospitals. The bill would require the Legislature to create the Joint Task Force on Hospital Conversion and Patient Care, that would include certain members of the Legislature or their designees. This bill would require the task force to, among other things, study the governance structure of medical foundations in light of the forthcoming federal health care reform and resulting changes in the corporate status of health care entities. The bill would provide that the task force shall not begin the study until it has certified that sufficient funds are available. The bill would require the task force to complete and submit the study to Legislature within 12 months after the date the task force provides the above-described certification.