STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2888

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 3122

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 3122, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC HEALTH STANDING ORDERS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to authorize the Director of Health to issue public health standing orders for patients to self-refer to certain health care screening services.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health, AlohaCare, and four individuals.

Your Committees received comments on this measure from Hawai‘i Pacific Health.

Your Committees find that public health standing orders, which are written protocols describing a specific medical practice that will be delegated to non-physicians without a patient-specific order signed by a physician, can help reduce provider administrative burdens while increasing access to evidence-based clinical preventive services. Public health standing orders not only help more individuals receive secondary prevention services, such as mammography screenings for breast cancer, but are already used in urgent or emergency settings upon the occurrence of a population-wide health event, such as the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Therefore, this measure will help to increase the receipt of preventative care, advance population health, and increase the healthful quality of life for residents in the State.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Judiciary that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3122, S.D. 1, and recommend that it pass Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Judiciary,

________________________________ KARL RHOADS, Chair

________________________________ JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE, Chair