California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly BillNo. 574


Introduced by Assembly Member Patterson

February 24, 2015


An act to amend Section 1255.5 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to health facilities.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 574, as introduced, Patterson. General acute care hospitals: cardiac catheterization.

Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of health facilities, including general acute care hospitals, administered by the State Department of Public Health. Existing law authorizes the department to approve, as prescribed, a general acute care hospital to offer cardiac surgery and cardiac catheterization services, as defined, if specified requirements are met. A violation of these provisions is a crime.

This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to those provisions.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

P1    1

SECTION 1.  

Section 1255.5 of the Health and Safety Code is
2amended to read:

3

1255.5.  

For purposes of Section 1255, the following definitions
4apply:

P2    1(a) “Cardiac catheterization” includes an intravascular insertion
2of a catheter into the heart for the primary definition and diagnosis
3of an anatomic cardiac lesion. For the purposes of this definition,
4the insertion of a Swan-Ganz thermodilution cardiac output
5catheter, a venous line, and a temporary pacemaking electrode
6catheter are excluded.

7(b) “Cardiac surgery” means surgery on the heart or great vessels
8requiring a thoracotomy and extracorporeal circulation.

9(c) “Cardiovascular surgery service” means a program of a
10general acute care hospitalbegin delete whichend deletebegin insert thatend insert has the capability of
11performing cardiac catheterizations and cardiac surgery as defined
12in this section. Under no circumstances shall there exist in a general
13acute care hospital a cardiac surgery service without a cardiac
14catheterization laboratory service.

15(d) “Cardiac catheterization laboratory service” means a program
16of a general acute care hospitalbegin delete whichend deletebegin insert thatend insert has the capability of
17performing cardiac catheterization. Cardiac catheterization
18laboratory service does not include pediatric cardiac catheterization
19laboratory service.

20(e) “Pediatric cardiac surgery service” means a program of a
21general acute care hospitalbegin delete whichend deletebegin insert thatend insert has the capability of
22performing cardiac catheterization and cardiac surgery, as defined
23in this section, for the diagnosis and treatment of congenital defects
24in children. Cardiac catheterization for pediatric patients shall be
25performed only in a general acute care hospital that has the
26capability to perform cardiac surgery on pediatric patients.

27(f) “Intensive care newborn nursery services” means the
28provision of comprehensive and intensive care for all contingencies
29of the newborn infant, including intensive, intermediate, and
30continuing care. Policies, procedures, and space requirements for
31intensive, intermediate, and continuing care services shall be based
32upon the standards and recommendations of the American
33Academy of Pediatrics Guidelines for Perinatal Care, 1983.



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