03/12/2018 03:15 PM House LABOR & COMMERCE

          SB 126-VISITING PHYSICIANS WITH SPORTS TEAMS                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
4:02:34 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KITO  announced that the  final order of business  would be                                                               
SENATE BILL  NO. 126, "An Act  providing for an exception  to the                                                               
regulation  of  the practice  of  medicine  for a  physician  who                                                               
provides  medical  services  to  an athletic  team  from  another                                                               
state."                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
4:02:49 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR ANNA  MACKINNON, Alaska  State Legislature,  presented SB
  as prime  sponsor.   She paraphrased  the sponsor  statement                                                               
[included in  committee packet] which reads  as follows [original                                                               
punctuation provided]:                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     Competitive   sports  teams   typically  have   a  team                                                                    
     physician who provides care for  the athletes. When the                                                                    
     team  travels   out  of  state,  the   physician  often                                                                    
     accompanies them. However, if  an athlete is injured or                                                                    
     needs a prescription filled  while traveling in Alaska,                                                                    
     the team  physician would not  be able to  provide care                                                                    
     without being licensed here.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
     Senate Bill  126 would provide  an exemption  for state                                                                    
     licensure for  this narrow circumstance.  The physician                                                                    
     would  have  to be  licensed  to  practice medicine  in                                                                    
     another  state, under  a  written  contract to  provide                                                                    
     care to  an athletic  team in that  state and  would be                                                                    
     limited to  providing services to  members of  the team                                                                    
     while  they   are  traveling  or  participating   in  a                                                                    
     sporting event in Alaska.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
     The bill  is a narrow  solution to a  specific problem.                                                                    
     Thirty-five   other   states    have   passed   similar                                                                    
     legislation to  ensure that the doctors  who know their                                                                    
     patients best can continue to treat them.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
4:04:19 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KNOPP asked about  the motivation for the proposed                                                               
bill.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  MACKINNON  answered  there  is a  national  movement  to                                                               
address  liability issues  when team  doctors travel  with sports                                                               
teams.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE BIRCH asked whether a license is required.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR MACKINNON answered the proposed  bill would require three                                                               
parts: the doctor must be licensed  in their state, must be under                                                               
contract  with  the team,  and  must  be  traveling to  and  from                                                               
Alaska.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  WOOL asked  for confirmation  that the  traveling                                                               
doctor cannot treat Alaskans.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  MACKINNON answered  the Good  Samaritan Act  would cover                                                               
them, but the proposed bill covers only the sports team.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
4:07:20 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JULI  LUCKY,   Staff,  Senator   Anna  Mackinnon,   Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature, answered  questions in the  hearing on SB 126.   She                                                               
said  if a  person wants  to  treat Alaskans,  they could  pursue                                                               
temporary licensure.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
4:08:28 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JEFFREY MOORE,  Medical Doctor,  testified in  the hearing  on SB
.   He clarified  the proposed bill  would not  allow hospital                                                               
privileges  to the  team  doctors and  was  intended for  smaller                                                               
issues such  as infections  or supplying inhalers.   He  said the                                                               
team doctors  would still  be limited  in what they  can do.   He                                                               
added similar  legislation is in  place in 35 states  and pending                                                               
in 13 other states.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
4:10:20 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KITO  opened public testimony on  SB 126.  He  announced he                                                               
would leave public testimony open for the next hearing.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KITO held over SB 126.