SB 62: "An Act establishing the Advisory Committee on Public Reporting of Health Care Associated Infections; relating to reporting and dissemination of data concerning health care associated infections; and providing for an effective date."
00 SENATE BILL NO. 62 01 "An Act establishing the Advisory Committee on Public Reporting of Health Care 02 Associated Infections; relating to reporting and dissemination of data concerning health 03 care associated infections; and providing for an effective date." 04 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 05 * Section 1. AS 18.15.360(a) is amended to read: 06 (a) The department is authorized to collect, analyze, and maintain databases of 07 information related to 08 (1) risk factors identified for conditions of public health importance; 09 (2) morbidity and mortality rates for conditions of public health 10 importance; 11 (3) community indicators relevant to conditions of public health 12 importance; 13 (4) health care associated infections; and 14 (5) [(4)] any other data needed to accomplish or further the mission or
01 goals of public health or provide essential public health services and functions. 02 * Sec. 2. AS 18.15 is amended by adding a new section to read: 03 Sec. 18.15.372. Health care associated infections. (a) The department shall 04 require health care facilities to report health care associated infections to the 05 department. 06 (b) The department shall disseminate health information obtained under this 07 section to the public in a format that will assist health care consumers in making 08 informed choices about their health care but that does not allow for identification of 09 the patient. 10 (c) When establishing reporting requirements and mechanisms of 11 dissemination of information required by this section, the department shall consider 12 the recommendations of the advisory committee on public reporting of health care 13 associated infections established under AS 44.29.550 - 44.29.599. 14 (d) In this section, "health care facility" means 15 (1) an ambulatory surgical center, as defined in AS 47.32.900; or 16 (2) a hospital, as defined in AS 47.32.900. 17 * Sec. 3. AS 44.29 is amended by adding new sections to read: 18 Article 8. Advisory Committee on Public Reporting of Health Care Associated 19 Infections. 20 Sec. 44.29.550. Establishment. (a) The Advisory Committee on Public 21 Reporting of Health Care Associated Infections is established in the Department of 22 Health and Social Services. 23 (b) The committee consists of one member of the senate appointed by the 24 president of the senate; one member of the house of representatives appointed by the 25 speaker of the house; the state official in charge of epidemiology serving ex officio; 26 and nine members appointed by the governor as follows; 27 (1) two physicians with significant experience in the area of infectious 28 diseases; 29 (2) a representative of the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium; 30 (3) a representative of the Alaska Chapter of the Association of 31 Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology;
01 (4) a representative of the Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home 02 Association; 03 (5) a health care consumer from urban Alaska; 04 (6) a health care consumer from rural Alaska; and 05 (7) a statistician. 06 Sec. 44.29.560. Officers; terms; removal. (a) The committee shall select a 07 presiding officer of the committee from its membership. The committee may elect 08 other officers. 09 (b) A member of the committee appointed by the governor serves for a term of 10 five years and until a successor is appointed and qualifies. A member of the committee 11 appointed from the legislature serves for the person's term of office as a legislator. 12 (e) A member of the committee may be removed by the appointing authority 13 for cause after notice and hearing or after missing three consecutive meetings of the 14 committee. The presiding officer of the committee shall inform the appointing 15 authority if a member misses three consecutive meetings. After a member of the 16 committee misses two consecutive meetings and before the third meeting, the 17 committee shall notify the member in writing that failure to attend the next meeting 18 may result in the removal of the member. The failure of the committee to notify a 19 member under this subsection does not prevent the appointing authority from 20 removing a member for missing three consecutive meetings. 21 Sec, 44.29.570. Compensation; per diem; expenses. A member of the 22 committee who is not a legislator or full-time employee of the state or of a department 23 of the state is entitled to per diem and travel expenses authorized for boards and 24 commissions under AS 39.20.180. 25 Sec. 44.29.580. Administrative services. The department shall provide 26 administrative services for the committee. 27 Sec. 44.29.590. Duties of the committee. The committee shall consider, 28 conduct research, and hold hearings relating to 29 (1) the experience of the public with reporting of infections associated 30 with care received in a health care facility; 31 (2) drafting recommendations for legislation dealing with reporting of
01 infections associated with care received in a health care facility that address the unique 02 health care challenges in the state, including 03 (A) reporting mechanisms; 04 (B) data sources and possible outcome and process measures to 05 be reported; 06 (C) a timeline for implementation of recommendations; and 07 (D) the infrastructure needed for supporting a robust ongoing 08 reporting system for disseminating accurate data; 09 (3) the establishment of a program that will provide useful data on 10 patient safety related to health care associated infections in the state; and 11 (4) an evaluation of the department's actions under AS 18.15.372. 12 Sec. 44.29.599. Definitions. In AS 44.29.550 - 44.29.599, 13 (1) "committee" means the Advisory Committee on Public Reporting 14 of Health Care Associated Infections; 15 (2) "department" means the Department of Health and Social Services; 16 (3) "health care facility" has the meaning given in AS 18.15.372. 17 * Sec. 4. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 18 read: 19 INITIAL MEMBERS. When making appointments under AS 44.29.550, enacted by 20 sec. 3 of this Act, the governor shall consider appointing persons who served as members of 21 the Task Force to Assess Public Reporting of Health Care Associated Infections established 22 by the Twenty-Fourth Alaska State Legislature under Legislative Resolve No. 38. 23 * Sec. 5. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 24 read: 25 REPORTS. The Advisory Committee on Public Reporting of Health Care Associated 26 Infections established in sec. 3 of this Act shall 27 (1) by January 1, 2009, provide a report to the Department of Health and 28 Social Services that includes recommendations to the department on the establishment of a 29 program to provide useful data to the public on patient safety related to health care associated 30 infections; 31 (2) by January 30, 2011, provide a report to the legislature evaluating actions
01 taken by the Department of Health and Social Services under AS 18.15.372, enacted by sec. 2 02 of this Act, and making recommendations for future mechanisms or standards for reporting 03 and dissemination of data on patient safety related to health care associated infections. 04 * Sec. 6. AS 18.15.372(c); AS 44.29.550, 44.29.560, 44.29.570, 44.29.580, 44.29.590, and 05 44.29.599 are repealed June 30, 2012. 06 * Sec. 7. Sections 1 and 2 of this Act take effect January 1, 2009. 07 * Sec. 8. Sections 3, 4, and 5 of this Act take effect immediately under AS 01.10.070(c).