CSHB 442(JUD) am - HEALTH CARE DECISIONS  CHAIR DYSON announced CSHB 442(JUD) am to be up for consideration. 1:35:17 PM JACQUELINE TUPOU, Staff to Representative Bruce Weyhrauch, Alaska State Legislature, presented the sponsor statement. She said that this narrowly crafted cleanup bill is simply for liability relating to people who carry out Advance Health Care Directives, and that the sponsor does not want to open the whole issue again. MS. TUPOU explained that the bill amends the legal standard to which doctors are held, from "reasonable" to "good-faith". It also allows doctors to correct their own mistakes when people have an Advance Health Care Directive. For example, if a patient with cancer had a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) directive but broke his hip and required surgery under anesthesia, the doctor could revive him if necessary due to a problem resulting from medical error during that procedure. Furthermore, doctors honoring Advance Health Care Directives would not be subject to civil liability if, for instance, relatives disagreed with a decision. Ms. Tupou emphasized the importance of having the wishes of people who have an Advance Health Care Directive carried out by their families and loved ones. 1:37:57 PM CHAIR DYSON asked whether there had been any opposition to the bill. MS. TUPOU answered that there was minor opposition among attorneys about providing indemnity, but Representative Weyhrauch, a former president of the Alaska Bar Association, was familiar with that, and decided that was the best policy. SENATOR GREEN arrived at 1:38:22 PM. 1:38:28 PM SENATOR OLSON asked whether the medical community had offered an opinion on the bill. MS. TUPOU replied that physicians brought this issue forward and added that Eric Jenkins Esq. was available via teleconference to answer questions for the Alaska State Medical Association and the "physicians and anesthesiologists groups." 1:39:09 PM ERIC JENKINS, Attorney-at-Law, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, said that he was representing Providence Anchorage Anesthesia Medical Group, and confirmed that his association is very much in favor of this bill. SENATOR OLSON asked why the term "attending physician" was replaced by the term "physician". MS. TUPOU replied that, as she understands it, the term "attending physician" is passé, since numerous doctors might see a patient once he is admitted to a hospital. The sponsor wanted to clarify that any physician attending a patient would honor his Advance Health Care Directives. 1:41:34 PM SENATOR WILKEN moved to report CSHB 442(JUD) am from committee with individual recommendations and no fiscal note. Without objection, CSHB 442(JUD) am was reported from the Senate Health, Education and Social Services Standing Committee.