SPONSOR: Jacobs
Currently, when a complaint is made against certain licensed health care providers, the Board of Registration of the Healing Arts, within the Department of Commerce and Insurance, may hold a hearing to determine the proper level of discipline against the health care provider. Licensed health care providers regulated by the Board include: physicians and surgeons, assistant physicians, physician assistants, physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, speech language pathologists, speech language pathology assistants/aides, audiologists, audiology aides, athletic trainers, anesthesiologist assistants, and perfusionists.
This bill entitles a complainant patient to attend all hearings for the purpose of licensee investigation and discipline and any subsequent appeal. The complainant patient must be given an opportunity to give an oral or written victim impact statement in the presence of the licensee. If the licensee is not present at the hearing, the victim impact statement must be communicated to the licensee in writing and the licensee must certify that he or she has received and read the statement. The bill allows the disclosure of any information, which would otherwise be confidential, that the complainant patient might be exposed to when attending a hearing.
Statutes affected: