ELECTRONIC DATABASE: HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS

House Bill 4797

Sponsor: Rep. Laura Baird

Committee: Health Policy

Complete to 8-10-00

A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 4797 AS INTRODUCED 6-17-99

The bill would amend the Public Health Code to require the Department of Consumer and Industry Services to establish an electronic database for the purpose of disseminating information on licensed or registered health care professionals. (Besides physicians, CIS currently licenses or registers chiropractors, dentists, marriage and family therapists, social workers, nurses, optometrists, pharmacists, physical therapists, podiatrists, counselors, psychologists, occupational therapists, sanitarians, and veterinarians.) The database would have to be accessible by computer and a toll-free telephone line 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The following information on particular licensees or registrants would have to be included in the database:

1. Information pertaining to final disciplinary action from this state plus from any other state or country, the federal government, or the U.S. military since the time the person received his or her initial health professional licensure or registration. This would include information on licensure and registration sanctions for the past decade that are required to be reported under the code.


2. Each criminal conviction received since the initial time of licensure or registration, including information on criminal convictions and administrative disciplinary actions within the past ten years required to be reported under the code.


3. Each judgment against the licensee or registrant since the person received his or her initial health professional license or registration, including information on malpractice judgments within the past decade required to be reported under the code. The department would have to include a statement with each entry from the preceding decade that indicated that a settlement of a claim may occur for a variety of reasons, and that the reasons do not necessarily reflect negatively on professional competence or conduct, and that payment in settlement of a malpractice claim shouldn't be construed as creating a presumption that malpractice occurred. The department could not list or disclose pending malpractice claims.


4. Any loss of hospital privileges.

In addition, the database would also have to contain the following information:

1. The names of medical or other health professional schools and dates of graduation.


2. Graduate medical or other health professional education.


3. Specialty certification.


4. Number of years of practice.


5. Names of hospitals where the licensee or registrant has privileges or is admitted to practice.


6. Appointments to medical school or other health professional school faculties, including whether the person had a responsibility for medical education within the past decade.


7. Information regarding publications in peer-reviewed medical or other health professional literature within the past decade.


8. Information regarding professional or community services activities and awards.


9. The location of the person's primary practice setting.


10. The identification of any translating services that may be available at the person's primary practice location.

1. An indication of whether or not the person participates in the Medicaid program.

MCL 333.16241a

Analyst: S. Stutzky