Health facilities: equipment standards.

Existing law, to become operative 36 months after specified prescribed standards are published, or January 1, 2014, whichever occurs first, prohibits certain health facilities from using an epidural connection that would fit into a connection port other than the type for which it was intended, unless an emergency or urgent situation exists and the prohibition impairs the ability to provide health care. Existing law, to become operative 24 months after specified prescribed standards are published, or January 1, 2013, whichever occurs first, prohibits these health facilities from using an intravenous or enteral connection that would fit into a connection port other than the type for which it was intended, unless an emergency or urgent situation exists and the prohibition impairs the ability to provide health care. Existing law requires the Advanced Medical Technology Association to report annually to the Legislature on the progress of the development of those standards. Violation of these provisions is a misdemeanor. This bill would revise the prohibitions to instead become operative on January 1, 2016, and to refer to epidural, intravenous, and enteral connectors.