Health care standards of practice.

Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of health facilities by the State Department of Public Health. A violation of these provisions is a crime. Existing law authorizes the department to promulgate rules and regulations regarding health facilities, in accordance with the provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act. This bill would authorize the department to use a streamlined administrative process to update regulatory references to health care standards of practice adopted by a state or national association when outdated standards are already referenced in the California Code of Regulations. The procedure created by this bill would, among other things, require the department to post the update on the department's Internet Web site, notify stakeholders of the proposed change, submit notice of the proposed change to the Office of Administrative Law for publication in the California Regulatory Notice Register, accept comments, and consider those comments prior to the adoption of the new standards. The bill would require, if a member of the public requests a public hearing, that the department hold a hearing and consider any comments. The bill would, if comments are submitted in opposition to the proposed change, require the department to instead follow the procedures provided for by the Administrative Procedure Act. Existing law requires inpatient treatment of eating disorders to be provided only in state licensed hospitals. Existing law defines "eating disorders" for these purposes as anorexia nervosa and bulimia as defined in the 1980 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association. This bill would instead define "eating disorders" to have the meaning of the term as defined in the most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, as published by the American Psychiatric Association. By changing the definition of a crime applicable to health facilities, this bill would create a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.