Legislature(2005 - 2006)BUTROVICH 205
02/27/2006 01:30 PM Senate HEALTH, EDUCATION & SOCIAL SERVICES
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB251 | |
| SB244 | |
| SJR19 | |
| SB242 | |
| HB357 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | SB 251 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | SB 244 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | SJR 19 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | SB 242 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | HB 357 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
SJR 19-TASK FORCE ON HOSPITAL INFECTIONS
2:55:15 PM
CHAIR FRED DYSON announced SJR 19 to be up for consideration.
SENATOR GARY STEVENS, Sponsor of Senate Joint Resolution (SJR)
19, said every year two million infections are acquired each
year in hospitals. These infections cost between $4.5 billion
and $11 billion and cause some 90,000 deaths each year. He added
that hospital infection is the sixth leading cause of death in
the country.
It is important for consumers to know how medical facilities
fare with infection rates. SJR 19 creates a task force to
assess public reporting of health care associated infections.
It will have 11 members who work during the interim to determine
what experience hospitals across the nation have in the public
reporting of hospital associated infections, develop a white
paper to be used in future legislation and create legislation to
assist in the collection of data from all hospitals across the
state on their infection rates.
2:56:54 PM
SENATOR ELTON expressed concern that public members would not
receive reimbursement for travel and other expenses and that it
would also create an unfair burden on rural members.
SENATOR GARY STEVENS replied that the cost burden is not
expected to be prohibitively high because the panel will only
meet three or four times in Anchorage each year.
SENATOR ELTON asked if a rural consumer lives in a remote town,
like Dutch Harbor, he would incur significant expenses while
traveling to the Anchorage meetings.
SENATOR GARY STEVENS replied that since this is an appointed
position, he could insure that the rural member lives close to
Anchorage.
CHAIR DYSON said he recently spoke to a public health doctor
supported the resolution because it would be an important step
towards establishing a comprehensive web-based list of all the
providers around the state, their costs, and their track record.
SENATOR WILKEN suggested that it would be most convenient to
address Senator Elton's concern in the Finance Committee.
3:02:52 PM
ROD BETIT, President, Alaska State Hospital Nursing Home
Association (ASHNA), testified in support of SJR 19. He said
that the control of infections in a hospital environment is a
complex, difficult task. SJR 19 would create valuable dialogue
between the public, the legislature, and the medical community
concerning the way that infection is reported. Hopefully this
would lead to useful, collaborative conclusions regarding what
the state should be doing to improve things.
CHAIR DYSON asked the witness whether his organization had
expressed support for the resolution.
MR. BETIT answered he is confident that they will support it,
but they have not yet had a chance to discuss it.
SENATOR OLSON remarked that some of the statistics are startling
and asked whether there has been a significant increase in
infections in the recent past.
MR. BETIT answered there has not been a significant increase in
the recent past. The problem has never been addressed in a
systemic way and the apparent urgency of the problem is due to
the significant increase in effort in the last three years.
SENATOR OLSON said most of the hospitals in which he has been
granted privilege have had boards to address hospital
infections. He asked whether the boards are effectively
addressing the problem, and if not, whether their inefficiency
is a reason for the resolution.
MR. BETIT replied that they are not as effective as one would
hope because there are so many different places in a hospital
where measures must be implemented and monitored. He said that
the establishment of a task force would augment their efficiency
by consolidating data and comparing ideas.
LORI HERMAN, Providence Hospital, testified in support of SJR
19.
3:09:01 PM
JAY BUTLER, Acting Chief, Epidemiology Section, Division of
Public Health Department of Health & Social Services, supported
SJR 19.
CHAIR DYSON asked Senator Elton if he would be comfortable
addressing his aforementioned concern in the Senate Finance
Committee.
SENATOR ELTON replied that he would be comfortable with that.
3:09:30 PM
SENATOR ELTON moved SJR 19 and attached fiscal notes from
committee with individual recommendations. There being no
objection it was so ordered.
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