STAND. COM. REP. NO.  995

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

RE:   H.C.R. No. 35

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 35 entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE CONVENING OF A TASK FORCE TO ASSESS THE SCOPE AND FEASIBILITY OF ESTABLISHING A CENTRALIZED FILING SYSTEM FOR ADVANCE CARE PLANNING FORMS THAT CAN BE ACCESSED BY ALL HEALTH FACILITIES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to enable all health facilities in the State to have immediate access to patients' health care wishes by requesting the Director of Health to convene a task force to assess the scope and feasibility of establishing a centralized filing system for advance care planning forms such as health care powers of attorney, provider's orders for life-sustaining treatment, and advance health care directives that can be accessed by all health facilities in the State.

The Queen's Health Systems testified in support of this measure.  The Department of Health testified in support of this measure with amendments.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1)  Changing its title to read:  "REQUESTING THE CONVENING OF A TASK FORCE TO ASSESS THE SCOPE AND FEASIBILITY OF ESTABLISHING A STATEWIDE SYSTEM OR PROTOCOL IN WHICH ADVANCE CARE PLANNING FORMS CAN BE ASSESSED BY ALL HEALTH FACILITIES";

(2)  Changing the focus of the task force to assessing the scope and feasibility of establishing a statewide system or protocol, rather than a centralized filing system, in which advance care planning forms can be accessed by all health facilities; and

(3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 35, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No. 35, H.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health,

____________________________

DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair