BG S.B. 422 75(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


PUBLIC HEALTH
S.B. 422
By: Cain (Driver)
3-12-97
Committee Report (Amended)

BACKGROUND 

With the growing number of health care industry mergers and affiliations,
and expansion of services beyond a main hospital building, questions have
arisen regarding the breadth of a hospital license. Individual licensure
for each additional facility located on or  near the main hospital campus
would drive up health care costs. Special hospitals, such as women's
centers and pediatric and rehabilitation hospitals, are increasingly
performing surgery related to the services provided by the facility, but
these items do not fit well into the framework or function of "hospital
premise" as presently recognized in Texas statutory law.

PURPOSE

S.B. 422 places the licensure of a hospital with multiple on-site
facilities under a single license by clarifying the definition of
"premises," "comprehensive medical rehabilitation hospital" and "pediatric
and adolescent hospital." 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any
additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency or
institution. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 241.003, Health and Safety Code, to define
"comprehensive medical rehabilitation hospital" to mean a general hospital
that specializes in providing medical rehabilitation services, including
surgery and related ancillary services.  Defines "pediatric and adolescent
hospital" to mean a general hospital that specializes in providing
services to children and adolescents, including surgery and related
ancillary services.  Defines "premises" to mean a single building where
inpatients receive hospital services; or multiple buildings where
inpatients receive hospital services, provided that certain conditions are
met.  Makes conforming changes.     

SECTION 2.  Amends Section 241.022, Health and Safety Code, by adding
Subsection (f), to prohibit a hospital from including offsite outpatient
services in its license application.   

SECTION 3.  Amends Section 241.026, Health and Safety Code, by adding
Subsection (f), to provide that a comprehensive medical rehabilitation
hospital or a pediatric and adolescent hospital is required to have an
emergency treatment room, but is not required to have an emergency
department.   

SECTION 4. Emergency clause.  Establishes the effective date of this Act
to be upon passage. 

EXPLANATION OF AMENDMENTS

The committee amendment inserts the word "comprehensive" between the words
"providing" and "medical" in the amending language in SECTION 1 (Sec.
241.003(2), Health and Safety Code). Additionally, the amendment amends
SECTION 3 of the bill by deleting language from Sec. 241.026(c), Health
and Safety Code, regarding the granting of waivers or modifications to a
particular special hospital or serving a rural community.