BILL NUMBER: AB 444	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN SENATE  JUNE 1, 2015

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Gipson
   (Coauthor: Senator Pan)

                        FEBRUARY 23, 2015

   An act to amend Section 1279.7 of the Health and Safety Code,
relating to health facilities.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 444, as amended, Gipson. Health facilities: epidural  and
external feeding  connectors.
   Existing law, as of January 1, 2016, prohibits a health facility,
as defined, from using an epidural connector  or an enteral
feeding connector,  that would fit into a connector other than
the type it was intended for, unless an emergency or urgent situation
exists and the prohibition would impair the ability to provide
health care. Existing law also requires a health facility to develop
a patient safety plan and,  as of   until 
January 1, 2016, requires that plan to include measures to prevent
adverse events associated with misconnecting  enteral feeding and
 epidural lines. Violation of these provisions is a
misdemeanor.
   This bill would make  these   the 
provisions  relating to an epidural connector  operative as
of January 1,  2017.   2017, and would make the
provisions relating to an enteral feeding connector operative as of
July 1, 2016. The bill would make conforming changes. 
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 1279.7 of the Health and Safety Code is amended
to read:
   1279.7.  (a) A health facility, as defined in subdivision (a),
(b), (c), or (f) of Section 1250, shall implement a facility-wide
hand hygiene program.
   (b) Commencing January 1, 2017, a health facility, as defined in
subdivision (a), (b), (c), or (f) of Section 1250, is prohibited from
using an epidural connector that would fit into a connector other
than the type it was intended for, unless an emergency or urgent
situation exists and the prohibition would impair the ability to
provide health care.
   (c) Commencing January 1, 2016, a health facility, as defined in
subdivision (a), (b), (c), or (f) of Section 1250, is prohibited from
using an intravenous connector  or an enteral feeding
connector  that would fit into a connector other than the
type it was intended for, unless an emergency or urgent situation
exists and the prohibition would impair the ability to provide health
care. 
   (d) Commencing July 1, 2016, a health facility, as defined in
subdivision (a), (b), (c), or (f) of Section 1250, is prohibited from
using an enteral feeding connector that would fit into a connector
other than the type it was intended for, unless an emergency or
urgent situation exists and the prohibition would impair the ability
to provide health care.  
   (d) 
    (e)  The Advanced Medical Technology Association shall,
on January 1 of each year until the standards are developed, provide
the Legislature with a report on the progress of the International
Organization for Standardization in developing new design standards
for connectors for intravenous, epidural, or enteral applications.

   (e) 
    (f)  A health facility that is required to develop a
patient safety plan pursuant to Section 1279.6 shall include in the
patient safety plan measures to prevent adverse events associated
with misconnecting intravenous, enteral feeding, and epidural lines.
This subdivision shall become inoperative as to epidural connectors
upon the operative date of subdivision  (b)  
(b),  and as to intravenous  connectors upon the operative
date of subdivision (c).  and  as to  enteral 
feeding  connectors upon the operative date of subdivision
 (c).   (d).