Existing law, the Medical Practice Act, restricts the employment of licensed physicians and surgeons and podiatrists by a corporation or other artificial legal entity, subject to specified exemptions, and makes it a crime to practice medicine without a license. Existing law establishes, until January 1, 2011, a pilot project to allow qualified district hospitals that, among other things, provide more than 50% of patient days to the care of Medicare, Medi-Cal, and uninsured patients, to employ a physician and surgeon, if the hospital does not interfere with, control, or otherwise direct the professional judgment of the physician and surgeon. The pilot project authorizes the direct employment of a total of 20 physicians and surgeons by those hospitals to provide medically necessary services in rural and medically underserved communities, and specifies that each qualified district hospital may employ up to 2 physicians and surgeons, subject to specified requirements. This bill would delete that pilot project and would instead, until January 1, 2021, authorize a health care district, as defined, and a clinic owned or operated by a health care district, as specified, to employ physicians and surgeons if the health care district's service area includes a Medically Underserved Area (MUA) or a Medically Underserved Population (MUP) , or has been federally designated as a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) ; the district board conducts a public hearing and adopts a specified resolution declaring the need for the district to recruit and directly employ one or more physicians and surgeons; and the executive officer of the district provides specified documentation to the Medical Board of California. Upon receipt of that documentation, the bill would require the board to approve the employment of up to 5 primary or specialty care physicians and surgeons by the district, and, upon receipt of additional documentation after that employment, to approve an additional 5 primary or specialty care physicians and surgeons. The bill would provide that a district may, until December 31, 2020, enter into, renew, or extend any employment contract with a physician and surgeon for up to 10 years. The bill would require the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, in consultation with the State Department of Public Health and the board, to report to the Legislature by June 1, 2018, with regard to the efficacy of the employment of physicians and surgeons by health care districts, as specified.
Sponsored bills
(1) Existing law requires each county to provide cash assistance and other social services to needy families through the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program using federal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) block grant program, state, and county funds. Under existing law, the county is required to annually redetermine eligibility for CalWORKs benefits. Existing law additionally requires the county to implement a recipient monthly reporting system, consistent with federal law until the Director of Social Services makes a specified declaration, at which time the county would be required to redetermine recipient eligibility and grant amounts on a quarterly basis, using prospective budgeting, and to prospectively determine the grant amount that a recipient is entitled to receive for each month of the quarterly reporting period. Under existing law, a CalWORKs recipient is required to report to the county, orally or in writing, specified changes that could affect the amount of aid to which the recipient is entitled. Under existing law, the CalWORKs quarterly reporting system is also implemented by the State Department of Social Services in administering the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) . This bill would repeal the requirements relating to quarterly reporting and prospective determination grant amounts, and would, instead, impose similar requirements for a semiannual reporting period, operative July 1, 2011, to be implemented no later than January 1, 2012, except as prescribed. The bill would also require the department to establish an income reporting threshold for CalWORKs recipients, as specified. The bill would make various related conforming changes, including revising provisions relating to the collection of CalWORKs grant overpayments and self-sufficiency review requirements. The bill would authorize counties to adopt staggered semiannual reporting requirements, as specified. The bill would authorize the department to implement the semiannual reporting provisions through all-county letters until the adoption of implementing regulations, as prescribed. (2) Existing law continuously appropriates moneys from the General Fund to defray a portion of county costs under the CalWORKs program. This bill would, instead, provide that the continuous appropriation would not be made for purposes of implementing the bill. (3) To the extent that the bill would expand eligibility for CalWORKs and food stamp benefits, the 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.
This measure would designate the first week of March of each year as Cuss Free Week.
Existing law provides for the county-administered In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program, under which qualified aged, blind, and disabled persons are provided with services in order to permit them to remain in their own homes and avoid institutionalization. Under existing law, the State Department of Social Services is vested with state administrative authority over the IHSS program. Existing law permits services to be provided under the IHSS program either through the employment of individual providers, a contract between the county and an entity for the provision of services, the creation by the county of a public authority, or a contract between the county and a nonprofit consortium. Existing law, upon request of a recipient of in-home supportive services, or a recipient of personal care services under the Medi-Cal program, authorizes the procurement of a criminal background check on certain provider applicants, pursuant to specified provisions. Existing legislation that will become effective on October 23, 2009, requires counties, public authorities, and nonprofit consortiums to complete criminal background checks of specified persons who seek to become supportive services providers. That legislation requires that the criminal background checks be conducted at the provider's expense. This bill would, instead, require that the criminal background checks be conducted at the provider's expense, unless the nonprofit consortium or public authority agrees to pay for the criminal background check in which case the department shall seek federal financial participation, to the extent possible, to cover costs associated with conducting the criminal background check. This bill would also incorporate changes to Section 12301.6 of the Welfare and Institutions Code proposed by AB 19 of the 2009–10 4th Extraordinary Session, to take effect if this bill and that bill are enacted and become effective on or before January 1, 2010, and this bill is enacted last.
Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, and pursuant to which, health care services are provided to qualified low-income persons. Under existing law, one of the utilization controls to which services are subject under the Medi-Cal program is the treatment authorization request (TAR) process, under which approval is required by a department consultant in advance of the rendering of that service, based upon a determination of medical necessity. Existing law requires the department to pursue means to improve and streamline the TAR process. This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would implement reforms to the Medi-Cal TAR process, as specified.
This measure would recognize the Lunar New Year 4708 celebration.
Existing law governs family law proceedings. Existing law authorizes or requires, as specified, the court to appoint various professionals to assist in these proceedings, including counsel for the minor, mediators, and child custody evaluators, among others. This bill would direct the Judicial Council, in consultation with judicial personnel, family law experts, and advocates to, on or before January 1, 2012, adopt a rule of court to establish a uniform, statewide procedure for handling and responding to complaints regarding family law experts employed or appointed by the court, including mediators, evaluators, investigators, special masters, and minor's counsel, as specified. The bill would require the Judicial Council to develop a timetable for completion of the complaint process to ensure that all complaints are resolved as expeditiously as possible, and to develop a list of appropriate responses to substantiated complaints. The bill would provide that a complainant shall not be retaliated against for having made a complaint. The bill would require the local complaint coordinator to maintain sufficient information about each complaint and its disposition to identify any history or patterns of complaints submitted and shall report annually on complaints received and their disposition to the Judicial Council. The bill would require the Judicial Council to report to the Legislature, on or before February 1, 2013, until January 1, 2017, and then annually thereafter, on the complaint procedure, including whether it is being fully implemented locally, data on the number of complaints and their disposition, information on patterns of complaints, and any modifications made to the rule of court. The bill would also require the Judicial Council, on or before January 1, 2012, to develop forms, information sheets, and other resources necessary to ensure the complaints process is easily accessible to the parties. The bill would require information on the complaint process to be provided to parties and their attorneys, and to be made available at the court self-help centers.
This measure would declare February 23, 2010, to be Spay Day USA 2010 in California, and would request that Californians observe that day by having their dogs and cats spayed or neutered and by providing voluntary services or other support to organizations that provide spay and neuter services.
This resolution would respectfully request that the International Maritime Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations, adopt the North American Emission Control Area, as proposed by the United States, Canada, and France at the 60th session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee, scheduled for March 2010.
This measure would urge various state and private entities to withhold financial support of Arizona businesses in response to recent Arizona state laws relating to illegal immigration.