Health facilities: epidural and enteral feeding connectors.

Existing law, as of January 1, 2016, prohibits a health facility, as defined, from using an epidural connector or an enteral feeding connector, that would fit into a connector other than the type it was intended for, unless an emergency or urgent situation exists and the prohibition would impair the ability to provide health care. Existing law also requires a health facility to develop a patient safety plan and, until January 1, 2016, requires that plan to include measures to prevent adverse events associated with misconnecting enteral feeding and epidural lines. Violation of these provisions is a misdemeanor. This bill would make the provisions relating to an epidural connector operative as of January 1, 2017, and would make the provisions relating to an enteral feeding connector operative as of July 1, 2016. The bill would make conforming changes.