STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1367

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  S.R. No. 28
                                        S.D. 1




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was
referred S.R. No. 28 entitled:

     "SENATE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE PATIENTS' BILL OF RIGHTS
     TASK FORCE TO STUDY THE ADVISABILITY AND FEASIBILITY OF
     CREATING A DATA BANK WITH PROVIDER INFORMATION FOR ACCESS BY
     HEALTH CARE CONSUMERS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to request the Patient's Bill
of Rights Task Force (task force) to study the advisability and
feasibility of crating a data bank with provider information for
access by health care consumers.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure
from the Insurance Commissioner, Hawaii Medical Service
Association, and Hawaii Nurses' Association.  Testimony in
opposition was received from the Hawaii Medical Association.

     Your Committee finds that a patient's selection of a health
care provider is an important decision from the standpoint of a
health consumer's perspective.  The selection of a health care
provider could affect the right diagnosis or proper treatment of
an illness or disease, and could literally mean a life and death
decision for the patient.  

     The task force was created by Act 178, Session Laws of
Hawaii under the Insurance Commissioner for the purpose of
reviewing various laws which provide protection of patient's

 
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rights and responsibilities regarding health care.  This measure
requests the task force to also study the advisability and
feasibility of creating a data bank with provider information for
access by health care consumers, and to make recommendations on
other issues relating to improving access to information about
health care providers.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Deleting reference to a life and death decision for the
          patient from the second WHEREAS clause; and

     (2)  Including the Hawaii Insurers Council in the study.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Health and Human Services that is attached to this
report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of
S.R. No. 28, as amended herein, and recommends that it be
referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, in the form attached
hereto as S.R. No. 28, S.D. 1.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Health and Human
                                   Services,



                                   ______________________________
                                   SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair

 
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