ARIZONA STATE SENATE

CHERIE STONE

LEGISLATIVE RESEARCH ANALYST

HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE

Telephone: (602) 926-3171

RESEARCH STAFF

TO:                  MEMBERS OF THE SENATE

HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE

DATE:            March 22, 2021

SUBJECT:      Strike everything amendment to H.B. 2845, relating to outpatient facility discharge requirements

Purpose

            Establishes that minimum standards prescribed for health care institutions must permit outpatient surgical centers to require the presence of specified physicians or anesthesia providers until all patients have been discharged.

Background

The Director of the Department of Health Services is tasked with adopting rules that establish minimum standards and requirements for constructing, modifying and licensing health care institutions to ensure the public health, safety and welfare. Prescribed standards and requirements for health care institutions must pertain to the construction, equipment, sanitation and staffing of the institution and be in accordance with generally accepted practices of health care. A health care institution is any place, institution, building or agency that provides facilities with medical services, nursing services, behavioral health services, health screening services, other health-related services, supervisory care services, personal care services or directed care services and includes home health agencies, outdoor behavioral health care programs and hospice service agencies (A.R.S. §§ 36-3201 and 36-405).

            There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.

Provisions

1. Establishes that standards prescribed for health care institutions must:

a) require specified physicians to medically discharge patients from surgery; and

b) allow outpatient surgical centers to require the presence of a licensed anesthesia provider or a licensed physician on the premises of the surgical center until all patients have been discharged from the recovery room.

2. Makes technical changes.

3. Becomes effective on the general effective date.