Committee passes bill easing hospital‑privilege requirement for traveling physicians with five‑year sunset and review

The committee advanced HB 799, which would modify rules requiring physicians to hold hospital privileges in order to practice in certain settings. The measure was passed with Department of Health amendments and includes a five‑year sunset to allow data collection and review; the committee noted the sunset could be removed if DOH’s report supports doing so.

Supporters including HMSA and other health‑system witnesses said the change aligns the state with updated Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) rules and could increase access to specialty care on neighbor islands by allowing visiting providers to practice without local hospital privileges. Don Carisio for HMSA highlighted recent CMS changes and said the policy could help address specialty shortages on Maui following the island’s recent disasters.

Opponents, including Maui Health System and some physicians, warned the change could reduce local physicians’ incentive to maintain hospital privileges and create downstream impacts on on‑call staffing and patient safety. Committee members discussed the risk of an “avalanche” effect if privileges are relaxed and sought data; DOH and proponents supported a sunset and a required report to allow data‑driven policy decisions.

The committee voted to pass HB 799 with the proposed DOH amendments and a five‑year sunset; the committee noted DOH should report on outcomes and that the sunset could be removed if the report is favorable. The bill advances to the next stage with those conditions.