STAND. COM. REP. NO. 490-22

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2022

RE: H.B. No. 1575

H.D. 2

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce, to which was referred H.B. No. 1575, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Broaden the scope of practice for physician assistants; and

(2) Streamline the medical records review process for physician assistants by requiring a sampling of medical records, rather than all medical records, to be reviewed when physician assistants prescribe controlled substances.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Medical Board, The Queen's Health Systems, Kaiser Permanente Hawai‘i, Hawai‘i Public Health Association, Hawai‘i Academy of Physician Assistants, Hawai‘i Pacific Health, Occupational Therapy Association of Hawaii, and numerous individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Disability and Communication Access Board and Hawai‘i State Center for Nursing.

Your Committee finds that since 2016, the number of physician assistants has increased by one hundred five percent on the island of Hawaii, one hundred fourteen percent on Kauai, and thirty-five percent on Maui. Despite this increase, physician assistants remain underutilized because state restrictions on physician assistant scope of practice limit these health care providers from practicing at the top of their training and education. This measure removes some of these restrictions and helps align the scope of practice for state-licensed physician assistants with national practices.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Removing amendments relating to advanced practice registered nurses, as these are beyond the scope of this measure's title;

(2) Preserving the amendment made to the Controlled Substances Act by this measure from the associated repeal and reenactment provision in Act 66, Session Laws of Hawaii 2017; and

(3) Making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1575, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1575, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce,

____________________________

AARON LING JOHANSON, Chair