Bill Text: CT HB06549 | 2011 | General Assembly | Chaptered
Bill Title: An Act Concerning The Department Of Public Health's Oversight Responsibilities Relating To Scope Of Practice Determinations For Health Care Professions.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-1)
Status: (Passed) 2011-07-13 - Signed by the Governor [HB06549 Detail]
Download: Connecticut-2011-HB06549-Chaptered.html
Substitute House Bill No. 6549
AN ACT CONCERNING THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH'S OVERSIGHT RESPONSIBILITIES RELATING TO SCOPE OF PRACTICE DETERMINATIONS FOR HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2011) (a) Any person or entity, acting on behalf of a health care profession that seeks to establish a new scope of practice or change a profession's scope of practice, may submit a written scope of practice request to the Department of Public Health not later than August fifteenth of the year preceding the commencement of the next regular session of the General Assembly.
(b) (1) Any written scope of practice request submitted to the Department of Public Health pursuant to subsection (a) of this section shall include the following information:
(A) A plain language description of the request;
(B) Public health and safety benefits that the requestor believes will be achieved should the request be implemented and, if applicable, a description of any harm to public health and safety should the request not be implemented;
(C) The impact that the request will have on public access to health care;
(D) A brief summary of state or federal laws that govern the health care profession making the request;
(E) The state's current regulatory oversight of the health care profession making the request;
(F) All current education, training and examination requirements and any relevant certification requirements applicable to the health care profession making the request;
(G) A summary of known scope of practice changes either requested or enacted concerning the health care profession in the five-year period preceding the date of the request;
(H) The extent to which the request directly impacts existing relationships within the health care delivery system;
(I) The anticipated economic impact of the request on the health care delivery system;
(J) Regional and national trends concerning licensure of the health care profession making the request and a summary of relevant scope of practice provisions enacted in other states;
(K) Identification of any health care professions that can reasonably be anticipated to be directly impacted by the request, the nature of the impact and efforts made by the requestor to discuss the request with such health care professions; and
(L) A description of how the request relates to the health care profession's ability to practice to the full extent of the profession's education and training.
(2) In lieu of submitting a scope of practice request as described in subdivision (1) of this subsection, any person or entity acting on behalf of a health care profession may submit a request for an exemption from the processes described in this section and section 2 of this act. A request for exemption shall include a plain language description of the request and the reasons for the request for exemption, including, but not limited to: (A) Exigent circumstances which necessitate an immediate response to the scope of practice request, (B) the lack of any dispute concerning the scope of practice request, or (C) any outstanding issues among health care professions concerning the scope of practice request can easily be resolved. Such request for exemption shall be submitted to the Department of Public Health not later than August fifteenth of the year preceding the commencement of the next regular session of the General Assembly.
(c) In any year in which a scope of practice request is received pursuant to this section, not later than September fifteenth of the year preceding the commencement of the next regular session of the General Assembly, the Department of Public Health, within available appropriations, shall: (1) Provide written notification to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health of any health care profession that has submitted a scope of practice request, including any request for exemption, to the department pursuant to this section; and (2) post any such request, including any request for exemption, and the name and address of the requestor on the department's web site.
(d) Any person or entity, acting on behalf of a health care profession that may be directly impacted by a scope of practice request submitted pursuant to this section, may submit to the department a written statement identifying the nature of the impact not later than October first of the year preceding the next regular session of the General Assembly. Any such person or entity directly impacted by a scope of practice request shall indicate the nature of the impact taking into consideration the criteria set forth in subsection (b) of this section and shall provide a copy of the written impact statement to the requestor. Not later than October fifteenth of such year, the requestor shall submit a written response to the department and any person or entity that has provided a written impact statement. The requestor's written response shall include, but not be limited to, a description of areas of agreement and disagreement between the respective health care professions.
Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2011) (a) On or before November first of the year preceding the commencement of the next regular session of the General Assembly, the Commissioner of Public Health shall, within available appropriations allocated to the department, establish and appoint members to a scope of practice review committee for each timely scope of practice request submitted to the department pursuant to section 1 of this act. Committees established pursuant to this section shall consist of the following members: (1) Two members recommended by the requestor to represent the health care profession making the scope of practice request; (2) two members recommended by each person or entity that has submitted a written impact statement pursuant to subsection (d) of section 1 of this act, to represent the health care professions directly impacted by the scope of practice request; and (3) the Commissioner of Public Health or the commissioner's designee, who shall serve as an ex-officio, nonvoting member of the committee. The Commissioner of Public Health or the commissioner's designee shall serve as the chairperson of any such committee. The Commissioner of Public Health may appoint additional members to any committee established pursuant to this section to include representatives from health care professions having a proximate relationship to the underlying request if the commissioner or the commissioner's designee determines that such expansion would be beneficial to a resolution of the issues presented. Any member of such committee shall serve without compensation.
(b) Any committee established pursuant to this section shall review and evaluate the scope of practice request, subsequent written responses to the request and any other information the committee deems relevant to the scope of practice request. Such review and evaluation shall include, but not be limited to, an assessment of any public health and safety risks that may be associated with the request, whether the request may enhance access to quality and affordable health care and whether the request enhances the ability of the profession to practice to the full extent of the profession's education and training. The committee, when carrying out the duties prescribed in this section, may seek input on the scope of practice request from the Department of Public Health and such other entities as the committee determines necessary in order to provide its written findings as described in subsection (c) of this section.
(c) The committee, upon concluding its review and evaluation of the scope of practice request, shall provide its findings to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health. The committee shall provide the written findings to said joint standing committee not later than the February first following the date of the committee's establishment. The committee shall include with its written findings all materials that were presented to the committee for review and consideration during the review process. The committee shall terminate on the date that it submits its written findings to said joint standing committee.
Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2011) On or before January 1, 2013, the Commissioner of Public Health shall evaluate the processes implemented pursuant to sections 1 and 2 of this act and report to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, on the effectiveness of such processes in addressing scope of practice requests. Such report may also include recommendations from the committee concerning measures that could be implemented to improve the scope of practice review process.