Bill Text: HI SB442 | 2023 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Relating To Health.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2023-03-09 - Referred to HLT, CPC, JHA , referral sheet 17 [SB442 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2023-SB442-Amended.html
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THE SENATE |
S.B. NO. |
442 |
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THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023 |
S.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO HEALTH.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
The legislature further finds that Hawaii's unique geography and the State's shortage of physicians create barriers to access for qualified terminally ill individuals. Finding a physician may be burdensome, especially for individuals on the neighbor islands. Hawaii gives advanced practice registered nurses full scope of practice licensure; however, they do not have authority to administer medical aid in dying, thereby further limiting access to care for many individuals. Furthermore, evidence from other medical-aid-in-dying authorized states demonstrates that even with full access to a supportive health care facility and providers, a high percentage of terminally ill individuals die while waiting to complete the regulatory requirements to qualify for medication under the respective state laws. Hawaii has the longest mandatory waiting period amongst all ten medical-aid-in-dying authorized states and the District of Columbia. Many patients are not surviving the mandatory twenty days.
The purpose of this Act is to amend the Our Care, Our Choice Act to:
(1) Authorize advanced practice registered nurses, in addition to physicians, to practice medical aid in dying in accordance with their scope of practice and prescribing authority;
(2) Authorize psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners, in addition to psychiatrists, psychologists, and clinical social workers, to provide counseling to a qualified patient;
(3) Reduce the mandatory waiting period between oral requests from twenty days to five days; and
(4) Provide an expedited pathway for those terminally ill individuals not expected to survive the mandatory waiting period.
SECTION 2. Section 327L-1, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended as follows:
1. By adding a new definition to be appropriately inserted and to read:
""Advanced practice
registered nurse" means a registered nurse licensed to practice in the
State who has met the qualifications of chapter 457 and who, because of
advanced education and specialized clinical training, is authorized to assess,
screen, diagnose, order, utilize, or perform medical, therapeutic, preventive,
or corrective measures, including prescribing medication."
2.
By amending the definition of "attending provider" to read:
""Attending provider" means a physician licensed pursuant to chapter 453 or an advanced practice registered nurse licensed pursuant to chapter 457 who has responsibility for the care of the patient and treatment of the patient's terminal disease."
3. By amending the definitions of "consulting provider" and "counseling" to read:
""Consulting
provider" means a physician licensed pursuant to chapter 453 who is
qualified by specialty or experience to make a professional diagnosis and
prognosis regarding the patient's disease[.], or advanced practice
registered nurse licensed pursuant to chapter 457, who is qualified by
specialty or experience to diagnose and prescribe medication.
"Counseling" means one or
more consultations, which may be provided through telehealth, as necessary
between a psychiatrist licensed under chapter 453, psychologist licensed under
chapter 465, [or] clinical social worker licensed pursuant to chapter
467E, or advanced practice registered nurse with a psychiatric or clinical
nurse specialization licensed under chapter 457, and a patient for the
purpose of determining that the patient is capable, and that the
patient does not appear to be suffering
from undertreatment or nontreatment of depression or other conditions [which]
that may interfere with the patient's ability to make an informed
decision pursuant to this chapter."
SECTION 3. Section 327L-2, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:
"[[]§327L-2[]] Oral and written requests for medication;
initiated. [An] Except as
otherwise provided in section 327L-11(c), an adult who is capable, is a
resident of the State, and has been determined by an attending provider and
consulting provider to be suffering from a terminal disease, and who has
voluntarily expressed the adult's wish to die, may, pursuant to section 327L-9,
submit:
(1) Two oral requests, a minimum of [twenty]
five days apart; and
(2) One written request,
for a prescription that may be self-administered for the purpose of ending the adult's life in accordance with this chapter. The attending provider shall directly, and not through a designee, receive all three requests required pursuant to this section."
SECTION 4. Section 327L-9, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:
"[[]§327L-9[]] Written and oral requests. [To] Except as otherwise provided
in section 327L-11(c), to receive a prescription for medication that
a qualified patient may self-administer to end the qualified patient's life
pursuant to this chapter, a qualified patient shall have made an oral request
and a written request, and reiterate the oral request to the qualified
patient's attending provider not less than [twenty] five days
after making the initial oral request.
At the time the qualified patient makes the second oral request, the
attending provider shall offer the qualified patient an opportunity to rescind
the request."
SECTION 5. Section 327L-11, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:
"[[]§327L-11[]] Waiting periods. [Not] (a) Except as otherwise provided in subsection
(c), not less than [twenty] five days shall elapse between
the qualified patient's initial oral request and the taking of steps to make
available a prescription pursuant to section 327L-4(a)(12).
(b) Not less than forty-eight hours shall elapse between the qualified patient's written request and the taking of steps to make available a prescription pursuant to section 327L-4(a)(12).
(c)
If the qualified patient's attending provider attests that the qualified
patient will, in the provider's reasonable medical judgement, die within five
days after making the initial oral request, the five-day waiting period shall
be waived and the qualified patient may reiterate the oral request to the
attending provider at any time after making the initial oral request; provided
that prior to the waiver of the five-day waiting period, the patient's
attending provider shall confirm that the patient's request does not arise from
coercion or undue influence by another individual by discussing with the
patient, outside the presence of any other individual, except for an
interpreter, whether the patient is feeling coerced or unduly influenced."
SECTION 6. Section 327L-19, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (e) to read as follows:
"(e) For the purposes of this section:
"Notify" means to deliver a separate statement in writing to a health care provider specifically informing the health care provider prior to the health care provider's participation in actions covered by this chapter of the health care facility's policy regarding participation in actions covered by this chapter.
"[Participate]
Participation in actions covered by this chapter" means [to
perform] the performance of duties of an attending provider pursuant
to section 327L-4, the consulting provider function pursuant to section 327L-5,
or the counseling referral function or counseling pursuant to section 327L-6. The term does not include:
(1) Making an initial determination that a patient has a terminal disease and informing the patient of the medical prognosis;
(2) Providing information about this chapter to a patient upon the request of the patient;
(3) Providing a patient, upon the request
of the patient, with a referral to another [physician;] provider;
or
(4) Entering into a contract with a patient as the patient's attending provider, consulting provider, or counselor to act outside of the course and scope of the health care provider's capacity as an employee or independent contractor of a health care facility."
SECTION 7. This Act does not affect rights and duties that matured, penalties that were incurred, and proceedings that were begun before its effective date.
SECTION 8. If any provision of this Act, or the application thereof to any person or circumstance, is held invalid, the invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of the Act that can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of this Act are severable.
SECTION 9. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.
SECTION 10. This Act shall take effect on December 31, 2050.
Report Title:
Our Care, Our Choice Act; Advanced Practice Registered Nurses; Mandatory Waiting Period; Waiver
Description:
Authorizes advanced practice registered nurses, in addition to physicians, to practice medical aid in dying in accordance with their scope of practice and prescribing authority. Authorizes psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners, in addition to psychiatrists, psychologists, and clinical social workers, to provide counseling to a qualified patient. Reduces the mandatory waiting period between oral requests from twenty days to five days. Waives the mandatory waiting period for those terminally ill individuals not expected to survive the mandatory waiting period, under certain conditions. Effective 12/31/2050. (SD1)
The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
