Description
Module 3 Legislative Bill Summary & Proposed Amendment Assignment
A bill summary summarizes a bill in layperson?s terms.
For this assignment, assume that you are a healthcare administrator at a Washington State Hospital. Leadership at your hospital has heard rumors about House Bill 1983 but has not had time to learn more about it. You have been asked to review House Bill 1983 and provide: 1) a bill summary, and 2) a proposed amendment for leadership?s consideration.
Your summary should:
- -1) Summarize the bill, in your own words, in no more than 2 paragraphs
- -2) Identify a feasible concern that the hospital may have about the bill and suggest a possible amendment of the bill that would address this concern. In no more than 2 paragraphs, explain the concern and describe how the bill could be amended to address the concern.
H-2031.1
HOUSE BILL 1983
State of Washington
67th Legislature
2022 Regular Session
By Representatives Rude, Caldier, Dufault, Eslick, Sutherland, Volz,
Graham, and Gilday
Read first time 01/13/22.
Wellness.
Referred to Committee on Health Care &
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AN ACT Relating to a hospital patient’s right to visitors; and
adding new sections to chapter 70.41 RCW.
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
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NEW SECTION.
Sec. 1.
A new section is added to chapter 70.41
RCW to read as follows:
Subject to reasonable restrictions to protect the rights of
others and to the patient’s right to deny or withdraw consent at any
time, a patient has the right and a hospital licensed under this
chapter may not interfere with the patient’s right to visitors
including the patient’s immediate family or other relatives and
others who are visiting with the consent of the patient.
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NEW SECTION.
Sec. 2.
A new section is added to chapter 70.41
RCW to read as follows:
(1) In circumstances in which limitations must be placed on
patient visitation due to a public health emergency or other threat
to the health and safety of the patients and staff of a hospital,
patients must still be allowed access to an essential support person,
subject to reasonable limitations on such access tailored to
protecting the health and safety of essential support persons,
patients, and staff.
p. 1
HB 1983
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(2) The hospital shall allow private, in-person access to the
patient by the essential support person in the patient’s room.
(3)
The
hospital
shall
develop
and
implement
reasonable
conditions on access by an essential support person tailored to
protecting the health and safety of the essential support person,
patients, and staff, based upon the particular public health
emergency or other health or safety threat.
(4) The hospital may temporarily suspend an individual’s
designation as an essential support person for failure to comply with
these requirements or reasonable conditions developed and implemented
by the hospital that are tailored to protecting the health and safety
of the essential support person, patient, and staff, based upon the
particular public health emergency or other health or safety threat.
Unless immediate action is necessary to prevent an imminent and
serious threat to the health or safety of patients or staff, the
hospital shall attempt to resolve the concerns with the essential
support person and the patient prior to temporarily suspending the
individual’s designation as an essential support person. The
suspension shall last no longer than 48 hours during which time the
hospital shall contact the department for guidance and shall provide
the essential support person information regarding the steps the
essential support person must take to resume the visits, such as
agreeing to comply with reasonable conditions tailored to protecting
the health and safety of the essential support person, patients, and
staff, based upon the particular public health emergency or other
health or safety threat.
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(5) An essential support person must be:
(a) At least 18 years of age; and
(b)
Designated
by
the
patient,
or
by
the
patient’s
representative, if the patient is determined to be incapacitated.
— END —
p. 2
HB 1983
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