Existing law establishes the State Department of Public Health and sets forth its powers and duties, including, but not limited to, the licensing and regulation of health facilities, as defined. Existing law requires the department to adopt regulations governing the operation of a health facility, including, but not limited to, regulations that require prescribed health facilities to meet minimum nurse-to-patient ratios, and to assign additional staff according to a documented patient classification system for determining nursing care requirements. Violation of these provisions, or willful or repeated violation of the rules or regulations, is a crime. This bill would, with respect to this patient classification system, require that a committee for each general acute care hospital review the reliability of this system for validating staffing requirements at least annually to determine whether the system accurately measures patient care needs. The bill would require that at least 50% of the committee members be registered nurses who provide direct patient care. The bill would require that these nurses be appointed by the bargaining agent of the registered nurses, if any, and in the absence of a bargaining agent, by the nursing administrator. The bill would require the remaining members of the committee to be appointed by the nursing administrator. By changing the definition of an existing crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would state that it is the Legislature's intent in enacting these provisions to supersede specified provisions of a certain regulation, and not to affect any other law. Existing law requires the department to periodically inspect every licensed health facility for compliance with state law and regulations. This bill would require the department, during its periodic inspection of a general acute care hospital, to inspect for compliance with the minimum nurse-to-patient ratios established pursuant to existing law. 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.
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This measure would urge the President and Congress of the United States to take specified action and adopt specified policies designed to protect unaccompanied minors immigrating to the United States.
Existing law provides that the Department of Transportation has full possession and control of the state highway system. Existing law authorizes the department to construct exclusive or preferential lanes for buses only or for buses and other high-occupancy vehicles. Existing law authorizes a regional transportation agency, as defined, in cooperation with the department to apply to the California Transportation Commission to develop and operate high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes, including administration and operation of a value-pricing program and exclusive or preferential lane facilities for public transit consistent with established standards, requirements, and limitations that apply to specified facilities. Existing law limits the number of approved facilities to not more than 4, 2 in northern California and 2 in southern California, and provides that no applications may be approved on or after January 1, 2012. This bill would delete the requirement that the above-described facilities be consistent with the established standards, requirements, and limitations that apply to specified facilities and would instead require the commission to establish guidelines for the development and operation of the facilities approved by the commission on or after January 1, 2015, subject to specified minimum requirements. The bill would provide that these provisions do not authorize the conversion of any existing nontoll or nonuser-fee lanes into tolled or user-fee lanes, except that a high-occupancy vehicle lane may be converted into a high-occupancy toll lane pursuant to its provisions. The bill would authorize a regional transportation agency to issue bonds, refunding bonds, or bond anticipation notes backed by revenues generated from the facilities. The bill would additionally authorize the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority to apply to the commission for purposes of the above-described provisions. The bill would remove the limitations on the number of approved facilities and would delete the January 1, 2012, deadline for HOT lane applications. The bill would provide that each application is subject to the review and approval of the commission and would require a regional transportation agency that applies to the commission to reimburse the commission for all of the commission's cost and expense incurred in processing the application. This bill would additionally authorize the department to apply to the commission to develop and operate HOT lanes and associated facilities. The bill would also authorize the department to issue bonds, refunding bonds, or bond anticipation notes backed by revenues generated from the facilities.
Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to license and regulate health facilities. These provisions govern, among other things, patient care provided by those facilities. A person who violates these provisions is guilty of a misdemeanor. This bill would require a licensed health care professional acting within his or her scope of practice to assess a patient for followup care following stabilization in an emergency department or postsurgical outpatient service. The bill would require an outpatient to be discharged or admitted to inpatient status after no more than 24 hours, but as soon as reasonable and medically appropriate. The bill would require that a patient be assessed and frequently reassessed for a change in condition until admission, transfer, or discharge occurs. The bill would authorize an outpatient stay of longer than 24 hours under specified circumstances, including to arrange for a safe discharge and to make arrangements to provide public social services to a patient, and would authorize the department to specify, by regulation, other circumstances under which a longer stay would be permitted. The bill would additionally require, when a patient remains in a hospital as an outpatient for longer than 24 hours, as specified, that fact to be documented in the patient's medical record, along with the condition that necessitated an outpatient stay of longer than 24 hours. The bill would also require active monitoring of care extended to a patient for a period longer than 24 hours without an admission to inpatient status, with frequent reassessment, for a change in condition and would require placement to be made as soon as medically appropriate. Because a violation of these requirements would be a misdemeanor, the bill would impose 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.
Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care and makes a willful violation of the act a crime. Existing law also provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law requires a health care service plan or a health insurer to provide for the completion of covered services by a terminated provider for enrollees or insureds who were receiving services from the provider for a specified condition at the time of the provider termination. Existing law also requires a health care service plan or a health insurer, at the request of a newly covered enrollee or insured, to provide for the completion of covered services by a nonparticipating provider if, at the time his or her coverage became effective, the newly covered enrollee or insured was receiving services from that provider for a specified condition and if his or her prior coverage was terminated as provided. Existing law requires a health care service plan to provide a disclosure form regarding the benefits, services, and terms of a plan contract and requires the disclosure form to include a description of how an enrollee can request continuity of care under the provisions described above. This bill would also require a health care service plan to include notice of the process to obtain continuity of care in every evidence of coverage issued after January 1, 2015. The bill would also require a plan to provide a written copy of this information to its contracting providers and provider groups, as well as a copy to its enrollees upon request. The bill would delete the conditions that needed to be fulfilled in order for a health care service plan or health insurer, upon request of a newly covered enrollee or insured, to be required to provide for the completion of covered services for a specified condition by a nonparticipating provider. The bill would make other technical changes to the provisions governing health insurers and continuity of care. Because a willful violation of the bill's requirements by a health care service plan would be a crime, the bill would impose 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.
This measure would acknowledge the history of the Chinese in California, would recognize the contributions made to the State of California by Chinese Americans and Chinese immigrants, would apologize for past discriminatory laws and constitutional provisions that resulted in the persecution of Chinese living in California, and would request Congress to adopt resolutions of apology to the Chinese American community for the enactment of the federal Chinese Exclusion Laws.
Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid Program provisions. One of the methods by which these services are provided is pursuant to contracts with various types of managed care health plans. This bill would, until January 1, 2018, require that a Medi-Cal beneficiary who has received a medical exemption from enrollment in a Medi-Cal managed care plan and who is to receive or has received specified transplantations, including allogeneic bone marrow transplantation, receive an extension of the medical exemption for up to 12 months if the treating physician who provided or oversaw the transplantation or who is providing the followup care determines that it is medically necessary for the beneficiary to remain under the care of the treating physician. The bill would require, at the end of the extension, the treating physician to assess the beneficiary's condition to determine whether the beneficiary's condition has stabilized to a level that would enable the beneficiary to be safely transferred to a physician within a Medi-Cal managed care health plan without any deleterious effects to the beneficiary's health. If the condition is not stable enough to transfer, the medical exemption would be extended up to an additional 12 months. The bill would prohibit a beneficiary meeting the criteria of these provisions from being transitioned into a Medi-Cal managed care health plan until appeals and other specified means of redress have been exhausted. The bill would make related findings and declarations.
Existing law, the Nursing Practice Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of nurse practitioners by the Board of Registered Nursing. Existing law authorizes the implementation of standardized procedures that authorize a nurse practitioner to perform certain acts, including, among others, ordering durable medical equipment, and, in consultation with a physician and surgeon, approving, signing, modifying, or adding to a plan of treatment or plan for an individual receiving home health services or personal care services. A violation of those provisions is a crime. This bill would authorize a nurse practitioner to perform those acts and certain additional acts without physician supervision if the nurse practitioner meets specified experience and certification requirements and is practicing in a clinic, health facility, county medical facility, accountable care organization, or group practice. The bill would require a nurse practitioner to refer a patient to a physician and surgeon or other licensed health care provider under certain circumstances. The bill would also require a nurse practitioner practicing under these provisions to maintain professional liability insurance, as specified. The bill would also specify that a nurse practitioner practicing under the provisions of the bill shall not supplant a physician and surgeon employed by specified health care facilities. Because a violation of those provisions would be a crime, this bill would impose 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.
Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of healing arts professionals by boards within the Department of Consumer Affairs. Existing law makes it a crime for licensed healing arts professionals to receive money or other consideration for, or to engage in various related activities with respect to, the referral of patients, clients, or customers to any person, with specified exceptions. Existing law also makes it a crime for a licensed healing arts professional to refer patients for specified services if the licensee or his or her immediate family has a financial interest, as defined, with the person or entity. Existing law provides that, among other exceptions, this prohibition does not apply to services for a specific patient that are performed within, or goods that are supplied by, a licensee's office or the office of a group practice. This bill would provide that this exception does not apply to advanced imaging, anatomic pathology, radiation therapy, or physical therapy for a specific patient that is performed within a licensee's office or the office of a group practice and that is compensated on a fee-for-service basis. The bill would also define advanced imaging for this purpose. By expanding the scope of a crime, the bill would impose 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.
The Optometry Practice Act creates the State Board of Optometry, which licenses optometrists and regulates their practice. Existing law defines the practice of optometry to include, among other things, the prevention and diagnosis of disorders and dysfunctions of the visual system, and the treatment and management of certain disorders and dysfunctions of the visual system, as well as the provision of rehabilitative optometric services, and doing certain things, including, but not limited to, the examination of the human eyes, the determination of the powers or range of human vision, and the prescribing of contact and spectacle lenses. Existing law authorizes an optometrist certified to use therapeutic pharmaceutical agents to diagnose and treat specified conditions, use specified pharmaceutical agents, and order specified diagnostic tests. Any violation of the act is a crime. All moneys collected pursuant to the act, except where otherwise provided, are deposited in the Optometry Fund and continuously appropriated to the board to carry out the provisions of the act. This bill would expand the scope of practice of optometrists to include administering immunizations and would require the board to grant a certificate to an optometrist for the use of immunizations if the optometrist meets certain requirements. The board would be required to set, by regulation, the fee for the issuance and renewal of a certificate for the use of immunizations, at the reasonable cost of regulating the certified optometrists, not to exceed $100. Because this bill would increase those moneys deposited in a continuously appropriated fund, it would make an appropriation. This bill would delete obsolete provisions and make conforming changes. Because this bill would change the definition of a crime, it 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.