BILL ANALYSIS
SB 620
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Date of Hearing: July 8, 2009
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Kevin De Leon, Chair
SB 620 (Wiggins) - As Amended: June 23, 2009
Policy Committee: Business &
Professions Vote: 9-2
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable:
SUMMARY
This bill requires osteopathic physicians and surgeons licensed
in California (licensees) to report specified information to the
Osteopathic Medical Board (OMB) beginning July 1, 2010.
Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires licensees to report specialty board certifications
issued or approved by the American Board of Medical
Specialties or the OMB.
2)Requires licensees' practice status with regard to part-time,
full-time, or retired, among others.
3)Authorizes the reporting and collection of licensees' cultural
backgrounds and foreign language proficiencies.
FISCAL EFFECT
Minor absorbable workload to the OMB to create new forms and
provide additional data entry at initial licensure.
COMMENTS
1)Rationale . This bill is sponsored by the Osteopathic
Physicians and Surgeons of California. According to the author
and sponsor, this bill is building on efforts started by AB
1586 (Negrete McLeod), Chapter 509, Statutes of 2001, which
requires or authorizes physicians and surgeons to report
similar information as what is required in this bill about
specialty certifications, practice status, and foreign
language skills. According to the author, the increased
SB 620
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specificity of provider data will assist in workforce planning
that will be critical to California's success in the coming
years.
2)Provider Shortages . According to a recent report by the
University of California, the state faces a shortfall of up to
17,000 physicians by 2015. The factors attributing to a
provider shortage include population growth, aging of the
current provider work force, and a lack of capacity in
training programs. In addition to the provider shortage,
health care professionals are not proportionately
representative of the populations they serve. For example,
while African-Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans make up
more than 25% of the national population, only 9% of the
nation's nurses, 6% of its physicians, and 5% of dentists are
from these same ethnic groups. A linkage has been established
through several research studies between a shortage of health
professionals of color and health disparities.
3)Related Legislation . SB 657 (Hernandez), pending in the
Senate, Requires the Office of Statewide Health Planning and
Development (OSHPD) to establish the Health Professions
Workforce Task Force to assist in the development of a health
professions workforce master plan for the state.
SB 139 (Scott), Chapter 522, Statutes of 2007 established the
California Health Care Workforce Clearinghouse Program within
OSHPD to serve as a central source of data and planning
efforts.
Analysis Prepared by : Mary Ader / APPR. / (916) 319-2081