Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Healthcare Licensing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senate passes bill to streamline hospital and provider licensing, sponsor says it removes duplicative rules
Summary
Senate Bill 10 15, described by the sponsor as the "streamlined licensing and inspection act," passed the Idaho Senate after the sponsor told members it repeals multiple code sections and removes duplicative agency rules that overlap with federal CMS requirements.
The Idaho Senate passed Senate Bill 10 15 on Tuesday, a measure the sponsor described as streamlining state licensing and inspection requirements for hospitals and other medical providers that participate in Medicare and Medicaid.
Senator Kelly Blaylock, speaking for the Health and Welfare Committee, said the bill is “the streamlined licensing and inspection act.” He told senators the measure affects “hospitals and medical providers that bill Medicaid and Medicare for their services,” and that many state rules duplicate federal requirements administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
Blaylock said the bill would repeal 19 sections of Idaho code governing licensure, and would eliminate about 23 pages of state agency rules that the sponsor characterized as redundant with CMS oversight. “This bill also eliminates a 23 pages of state agency rules, which currently consist of redundant guidance also covered under CMS, duplicate, duplicative reporting requirements, and unnecessary compliance measures that add administrative burden without meaningfully, improving patient care,” he said on the floor.
According to the sponsor’s floor remarks, the bill consolidates the Department of Health and Welfare’s authority over licensure denials, inspections, investigations and enforcement and replaces multiple code sections with a streamlined process. The sponsor said the Department of Health and Welfare and the Idaho Health Care Association support the bill.
The Senate closed debate with no floor amendments. The clerk recorded the vote; the presiding officer announced the bill had passed and would be transmitted to the House. On the floor the title-correction exchange recorded the passage as “5 ayes, 0 nays, 0 absent excused.” The Senate ordered the bill returned to the House for its consideration.
