Legislature(2005 - 2006)CAPITOL 106
04/27/2006 03:00 PM House HEALTH, EDUCATION & SOCIAL SERVICES
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SJR19 | |
| HB396 | |
| HCR31 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | SJR 19 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | SB 235 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 396 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HCR 31 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
SJR 19-TASK FORCE ON HOSPITAL INFECTIONS CHAIR WILSON announced that the first order of business would be CS FOR SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 19(FIN), Relating to creating the Task Force to Assess Public Reporting of Health Care Associated Infections. 3:09:17 PM DOUG LETCH, Staff to Senator Gary Stevens, Alaska State Legislature, presented SJR 19, Version G, on behalf of Senator Stevens, Sponsor, paraphrasing from a statement which read as follows [original punctuation provided]: Senate Joint Resolution 19 creates the Task Force to Assess Public Reporting of Health Care Associated Infections. This 10 member panel will consist of two senators, two representatives, the Chief of Epidemiology for the State of Alaska, one healthcare consumer from rural Alaska, one healthcare consumer from urban Alaska, a representative of the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, a representative from the Alaska Chapter of the Association of Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, and a representative of the Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association. During the 2006 Legislative Interim, the Task Force will be asked to: Review experience to date with public reporting of hospital-associated infections. Develop a white paper to be used for drafting legislation for reporting of healthcare associated infections. The white paper will address the unique healthcare challenges of Alaska and would encompass: Mechanism(s) for reporting; Identifying data sources and possible outcome and process measures to be reported; Timeline for implementation; Infrastructure needs for supporting a robust ongoing reporting system for dissemination of accurate data. Some 2 million infections a year are acquired in hospitals and an estimated 90,000 people die as a result of these infections, making it the sixth- leading cause of death in the country. The cost to the consumers is between $4.5 and $11 billion a year. Given these alarming statistics, it is vital for consumers to have full knowledge of how medical facilities fare with infection rates. Passage of SJR 19 can help accomplish this goal by providing lawmakers, state health officials and medical professions the opportunity to craft workable legislative recommendations for the collection of data on hospital-acquired infection rates. 3:12:42 PM CHAIR WILSON pointed out the attached zero fiscal note. 3:12:51 PM MR. LETCH explained that the Senate Finance Committee deemed it appropriate and advisable to cover the travel costs of panel members to Anchorage, where the meetings will presumably occur. This should encourage individuals from beyond the "road system" to sit on the panel. Additionally, he said the Legislative Affairs Agency would provide teleconferencing support. He indicated that being an internal fiscal note, it represents a zero fiscal note for the bill. 3:13:40 PM CHAIR WILSON asked whether staph bacterium [Staphylococcus aureus] is the major cause of the infections surrounding this issue. MR. LETCH responded that staph bacterium is the infection which is most publicized. 3:14:35 PM JAY BUTLER, MD, Chief, Epidemiology Section, Division of Public Health, Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), stated that although methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is the most publicized, there are other health care associated infections. The magnitude of these infections is large, with an estimated 5-10 percent of hospitalized patients developing a minimum of one infection associated with their health care during hospitalization. The most common types of infections are infections of the blood stream related to intravenous catheters, surgical site infections, pneumonia, and urinary tract infections. The aforementioned account for approximately 80 percent of all health care associated infections. He explained that besides the MRSAs, other antibiotic resistant bacteria can cause health care associated infections. There are a number of challenges when addressing this issue in Alaska, including the small hospitals in Alaska and the best manner in which to access quality indicators for patients. The timing of this bill is very good, he said, as other states are also taking action in this direction and Alaska will benefit from their experiences. 3:18:30 PM REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER read [page 2, lines 17-18], which says: "persons appointed as consumers of health care are entitled to reimbursement for lodging and travel expenses," and pointed out that there will also be two state senators and two state representatives. She asked whether that would limit those individuals to urban statesman. 3:19:20 PM MR. LETCH answered that such travel would be approved as official state business by the presiding officers of each body. 3:19:45 PM REPRESENTATIVE GATTO inquired as to whether that would require a fiscal note. CHAIR WILSON interjected, "That would not require it." 3:19:53 PM REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA related her understanding that when legislators are members of various committees they are fulfilling legislative responsibilities, and as such these type of expenses are covered. 3:20:33 PM REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER referenced a book [Wall of Science] regarding the medical industry and this issue. She recommended it to the committee. 3:21:47 PM REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER moved to report CSSJR 19(FIN) out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes. There being no objection, CSSJR 19(FIN) was reported out of the House Health, Education and Social Services Standing Committee.
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