text:
(a) In administering this chapter, the department shall be exempt from the requirements of Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code. The department shall provide opportunities for public participation as it administers the Health Professions Education Programs. Information about each type of scholarship or loan repayment opportunity shall be publicly available at least 60 days prior to any application deadline. This information shall include eligibility criteria and the application process, materials, and deadlines, and shall be posted on the department’s internet website and be available directly from the department. All the information shall remain posted and available during the entire application period for a funding cycle.

(b) Regulations that have been adopted to administer this chapter prior to the effective date of this section are repealed as of the effective date of this section.

history: (History: Repealed and added by Stats. 2021, Ch. 143, Sec. 170. (AB 133) Effective July 27, 2021.)


kind: section

code: HSC

text: Notwithstanding any other provision, applications for financial assistance under this article, or other documents that the department reasonably determines should not be discussed in public due to privacy considerations shall be exempt from the disclosure provisions of the Public Records Act (Division 10 (commencing with Section 7920.000) of Title 1 of the Government Code).

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 28, Sec. 107. (SB 1380) Effective January 1, 2023.)

division: 107. HEALTH CARE ACCESS AND INFORMATION

part: 3. HEALTH PROFESSIONS DEVELOPMENT

path: 107. HEALTH CARE ACCESS AND INFORMATION > 3. HEALTH PROFESSIONS DEVELOPMENT > 5. Health Professions Education Programs > 1. Health Professions Education Programs


text: Notwithstanding any other law, the department may exempt from public disclosure any document in the possession of the department that pertains to a donation made pursuant to this article if the donor has requested anonymity.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 143, Sec. 172. (AB 133) Effective July 27, 2021.)

chapter: 5. Health Professions Education Programs

article: 1. Health Professions Education Programs


text:
(a) The Legislature finds and declares that it is in the best interest of the State of California to provide persons who are not lawfully present in the United States with the state benefits provided by those programs listed in subdivision (d), and therefore, enacts this section pursuant to Section 1621(d) of Title 8 of the United States Code.

(b) A program listed in subdivision (d) shall not deny an application based on the citizenship status or immigration status of the applicant.

(c) For any program listed in subdivision (d), when mandatory disclosure of a social security number is required, an applicant shall provide their social security number, if one has been issued, or an individual tax identification number that has been or will be submitted.

(d) This section applies to all of the following:

(1) Programs supported through the Health Professions Education Fund pursuant to Section 128355.

(2) The Registered Nurse Education Fund created pursuant to Section 128400.

(3) The Mental Health Practitioner Education Fund created pursuant to Section 128458.

(4) The Vocational Nurse Education Fund created pursuant to Section 128500.

(5) The Medically Underserved Account for Physicians created pursuant to Section 128555.

(6) Loan forgiveness and scholarship programs created pursuant to Part 3.1 (commencing with Section 5820) of Division 5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

(7) The Song-Brown Health Care Workforce Training Act created pursuant to Article 1 (commencing with Section 128200) of Chapter 4.

(8) To the extent permitted under federal law, the program administered by the department pursuant to the federal National Health Service Corps State Loan Repayment Program (42 U.S.C. Sec. 254q-1), commonly known as the California State Loan Repayment Program.

(9) The programs administered by the department pursuant to the Health Professions Career Opportunity Program (Section 127885), commonly known as the Mini Grants Program, and California’s Student/Resident Experiences and Rotations in Community Health, commonly known as the CalSEARCH program.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 143, Sec. 173. (AB 133) Effective July 27, 2021.)


text:
(a) The Legislature hereby finds and declares that an adequate supply of professional nurses is critical to assuring the health and well-being of the citizens of California, particularly those who live in medically underserved areas.

(b) The Legislature further finds that changes in the health care system of this state have increased the need for more highly skilled nurses. These changes include advances in medical technology and pharmacology, that necessitate the use of more highly skilled nurses in acute care facilities. Further, the containment of health care costs has led to increased reliance on home health care and outpatient services and to a higher proportion of more acutely ill patients in acute care facilities. Long-term care facilities also need more highly educated nursing personnel. Both shifts require a larger number of skilled nursing personnel.

(c) The Legislature further finds and declares that in nursing, as in other professions, certain populations are underrepresented. The Legislature also finds and declares that it is especially important that nursing care be provided in a way that is sensitive to the sociocultural variables that affect a person’s health. The Legislature recognizes that the financial burden of obtaining a baccalaureate degree is considerable and that persons from families lacking adequate financial resources may need financial assistance to complete a baccalaureate degree.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 143, Sec. 174. (AB 133) Effective July 27, 2021.)

path: 107. HEALTH CARE ACCESS AND INFORMATION > 3. HEALTH PROFESSIONS DEVELOPMENT > 5. Health Professions Education Programs > 2. California Registered Nurse Education Program


text:
It is the intent of the Legislature to accomplish the following:

(a) Assure an adequate supply of appropriately trained professional nurses.

(b) Encourage persons from populations that are currently underrepresented in the nursing profession to enter that profession.

(c) Encourage professional nurses to work in medically underserved areas.

history: (History: Added by Stats. 1995, Ch. 415, Sec. 9. Effective January 1, 1996.)

article: 2. California Registered Nurse Education Program


text:
(a) There is hereby created the Registered Nurse Education Program within the department. Persons participating in this program shall be persons who agree in writing prior to graduation to serve in an eligible county health facility, an eligible state-operated health facility, a health workforce shortage area, or a California nursing school, as designated by the director of the department. Persons agreeing to serve in eligible county health facilities, eligible state-operated health facilities, or health workforce shortage areas, and master’s or doctoral students agreeing to serve in a California nursing school may apply for scholarship or loan repayment. The Registered Nurse Education Program shall be administered in accordance with Article 1 (commencing with Section 128330), except that all funds in the Registered Nurse Education Fund shall be used only for the purpose of promoting the education of registered nurses and related administrative costs. The department shall adopt both of the following:

(1) A standard contractual agreement to be signed by the director and any student who has received an award to work in an eligible county health facility, an eligible state-operated health facility, or in a health workforce shortage area that would require a period of obligated professional service in the areas of California designated by the department as deficient in primary care services. The obligated professional service shall be in direct patient care. The agreement shall include a clause entitling the state to recover the funds awarded plus the maximum allowable interest for failure to begin or complete the service obligation.

(2) Maximum allowable amounts for scholarships, educational loans, and loan repayment programs in order to assure the most effective use of these funds.

(b) Applicants may be persons licensed as registered nurses, graduates of associate degree nursing programs prior to entering a program granting a baccalaureate of science degree in nursing, or students entering an entry-level master’s degree program in registered nursing or other registered nurse master’s or doctoral degree program approved by the Board of Registered Nursing. Priority shall be given to applicants who hold associate degrees in nursing.

(c) Registered nurses and students shall commit to teaching nursing in a California nursing school for five years in order to receive a scholarship or loan repayment for a doctoral degree program.

(d) As used in this section, “eligible county health facility” means a county health facility that has been determined by the department to have a nursing vacancy rate greater than noncounty health facilities located in the same health facility planning area.

(e) As used in this section, “eligible state-operated health facility” means a state-operated health facility that has been determined by the department to have a nursing vacancy rate greater than noncounty health facilities located in the same health facility planning area.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 143, Sec. 175. (AB 133) Effective July 27, 2021.)


text: The funds made available pursuant to this article shall be used as specified in Article 14 (commencing with Section 69795) of Chapter 2 of Part 42 of the Education Code, except that the funds shall be used only for the purpose of assisting students in completing nursing programs meeting the standards specified in subdivision (j) of Section 69799 of the Education Code.


text: There is hereby established in the State Treasury the Registered Nurse Education Fund. All money in the fund shall be used for the purposes specified in the California Registered Nurse Education Program established pursuant to this article. This fund shall receive money collected pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 2815 and Section 2815.1 of the Business and Professions Code.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2013, Ch. 384, Sec. 1. (SB 271) Effective January 1, 2014.)


text:
(a) The Department of Health Care Access and Information shall establish the statewide Associate Degree Nursing (A.D.N.) Scholarship Program.

(b) Scholarships under the program shall be available only to students in counties determined to have the most significant need. Need in a county shall be established based on consideration of all the following factors:

(1) Counties with a registered nurse-to-population ratio equal to or less than 500 registered nurses per 100,000 individuals.

(2) County unemployment rate.

(3) County level of poverty.

(c) A scholarship recipient shall be required to complete, at a minimum, an associate degree in nursing and work in a medically underserved area in California upon obtaining their license from the Board of Registered Nursing.

(d) The department shall consider the following factors when selecting recipients for the A.D.N. Scholarship Program:

(1) An applicant’s economic need, as established by the federal poverty index.

(2) Applicants who demonstrate cultural and linguistic skills and abilities.

(e) The program shall be funded from the Registered Nurse Education Fund established pursuant to Section 128400 and administered by the department within the office. The department shall allocate a portion of the moneys in the fund for the program established pursuant to this section, in addition to moneys otherwise allocated pursuant to this article for scholarships and loans for associate degree nursing students.

(f) No additional staff or General Fund operating costs shall be expended for the program.

(g) The department may accept private or federal funds for purposes of the A.D.N. Scholarship Program.

(h) The department shall post A.D.N. Scholarship Program statistics and updates on its internet website.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 143, Sec. 177. (AB 133) Effective July 27, 2021.)


text:
(a) There is hereby created the Licensed Mental Health Service Provider Education Program within the Department of Health Care Access and Information.

(b) For purposes of this article, the following definitions shall apply:

(1) “Licensed mental health service provider” means a psychologist licensed by the Board of Psychology, registered psychological associate, postdoctoral psychology trainee employed in an exempt setting pursuant to Section 2910 of the Business and Professions Code or employed pursuant to a State Department of Health Care Services waiver pursuant to Section 5751.2 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, marriage and family therapist, associate marriage and family therapist, licensed clinical social worker, associate clinical social worker, licensed professional clinical counselor, and associate professional clinical counselor.

(2) “Mental health professional shortage area” means an area designated as such by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

(c) Commencing January 1, 2005, any licensed mental health service provider, including a mental health service provider who is employed at a publicly funded mental health facility or a public or nonprofit private mental health facility that contracts with a county mental health entity or facility to provide mental health services, who provides direct patient care in a publicly funded facility or a mental health professional shortage area may apply for grants under the program to reimburse their educational loans related to a career as a licensed mental health service provider.

(d) The department shall adopt all of the following:

(1) A standard contractual agreement to be signed by the director and any licensed mental health service provider who is serving in a publicly funded facility or a mental health professional shortage area that would require the licensed mental health service provider who receives a grant under the program to work in the publicly funded facility or a mental health professional shortage area for at least one year.

(2) The maximum allowable total grant amount per individual licensed mental health service provider.

(3) The maximum allowable annual grant amount per individual licensed mental health service provider.

(e) The department shall develop the program, which shall comply with all of the following requirements:

(1) The total amount of grants under the program per individual licensed mental health service provider shall not exceed the amount of educational loans related to a career as a licensed mental health service provider incurred by that provider.

(2) The program shall keep the fees from the different licensed providers separate to ensure that all grants are funded by those fees collected from the corresponding licensed provider groups.

(3) A loan forgiveness grant may be provided in installments proportionate to the amount of the service obligation that has been completed.

(4) The number of persons who may be considered for the program shall be limited by the funds made available pursuant to Section 128458.

(f) This section shall become operative on July 1, 2018.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 67, Sec. 130. (AB 1170) Effective January 1, 2026.)

path: 107. HEALTH CARE ACCESS AND INFORMATION > 3. HEALTH PROFESSIONS DEVELOPMENT > 5. Health Professions Education Programs > 3.5. Licensed Mental Health Service Provider Education Program


text:
An account shall be created within the Mental Health Practitioner Education Fund and, upon appropriation by the Legislature, moneys in that account shall be used solely to fund grants, consistent with this article, to repay educational loans for applicants who meet all of the following requirements:

(a) Commit to provide direct patient care in a publicly funded facility or a mental health professional shortage area for at least 24 months.

(b) Are marriage and family therapists, associate marriage and family therapists, licensed clinical social workers, associate clinical social workers, licensed professional clinical counselors, or associate professional clinical counselors.

(c) Were formerly in California’s foster youth care system.

history: (History: Added by Stats. 2018, Ch. 585, Sec. 1. (AB 2608) Effective January 1, 2019.)

article: 3.5. Licensed Mental Health Service Provider Education Program


text: There is hereby established in the State Treasury the Mental Health Practitioner Education Fund. The moneys in the fund, upon appropriation by the Legislature, shall be available for expenditure by the Department of Health Care Access and Information for purposes of this article.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 143, Sec. 181. (AB 133) Effective July 27, 2021.)


text:
(a) The Legislature hereby finds and declares that an adequate supply of professional vocational nurses is critical to assuring the health and well-being of the citizens of California, particularly those who live in medically underserved areas, and that changes in the health care system of this state have increased the need for more highly skilled vocational nurses.

(b) The Legislature further finds and declares that in March 2002, the California Association of Health Facilities indicated that there is a shortage of 3,500 vocational nurses in long-term care facilities and estimates that 28,000 additional vocational nurses will be needed in long-term care over the next 10 years, that recently published reports indicate that vocational nurses now comprise almost 30 percent of the nation’s total number of nurses and that the national vacancy rate in hospitals was about 13 percent, and that according to the California Association of Psychiatric Technicians, an additional 800 psychiatric technicians are needed due to expanding health facilities.

(c) The Legislature further finds and declares that in vocational nursing, as in other professions, certain populations are underrepresented. The Legislature also finds and declares that it is especially important that vocational nursing care be provided in a way that is sensitive to the sociocultural variables that affect a person’s health. The Legislature recognizes that the financial burden of attending a school of vocational nursing is considerable and that persons from families lacking adequate financial resources may need financial assistance to complete their studies.

(d) The Legislature further finds and declares that approximately 54.1 percent of all Californians live in rural and urban areas that have been designated underserved. The shortage of vocational nurses in these areas makes it more difficult for those citizens to obtain health care and more difficult to attract and retain other health care professionals to those areas.

history: (History: Added by Stats. 2003, Ch. 640, Sec. 20. Effective January 1, 2004. Section operative July 1, 2004, pursuant to Section 128501.)

article: 4. Vocational Nurse Education Program

path: 107. HEALTH CARE ACCESS AND INFORMATION > 3. HEALTH PROFESSIONS DEVELOPMENT > 5. Health Professions Education Programs > 4. Vocational Nurse Education Program


text:
It is the intent of the Legislature to accomplish the following:

(a) Assure an adequate supply of appropriately trained vocational nurses.

(b) Encourage persons from populations that are currently underrepresented in the profession of vocational nursing to enter that profession.

(c) Encourage vocational nurses to work in medically underserved areas.

article: 4. Vocational Nurse Education Program


text:
There is hereby created the Vocational Nurse Education Program within the Department of Health Care Access and Information. Persons participating in this program shall be persons who agree in writing prior to completion of vocational nursing school to serve in an eligible county health facility, an eligible state-operated health facility, or a health workforce shortage area, as designated by the director of the department. Persons agreeing to serve in eligible county health facilities, eligible state-operated health facilities, or health workforce shortage areas may apply for scholarship or loan repayment. The Vocational Nurse Education Program shall be administered in accordance with Article 1 (commencing with Section 128330), except that all funds in the Vocational Nurse Education Fund shall be used only for the purpose of promoting the education of vocational nurses and related administrative costs. The department shall adopt both of the following:

(a) A standard contractual agreement to be signed by the director and any student who has received an award to work in an eligible county health facility, an eligible state-operated health facility, or in a health workforce shortage area that would require a period of obligated professional service in the areas of California designated by the department as deficient in primary care services. The obligated professional service shall be in direct patient care. The agreement shall include a clause entitling the state to recover the funds awarded plus the maximum allowable interest for failure to begin or complete the service obligation.

(b) Maximum allowable amounts for scholarships, educational loans, and loan repayment programs in order to assure the most effective use of these funds.

(c) A person who qualifies for admission to a vocational nursing program that is accredited by the board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians may apply for funding under the Vocational Nurse Education Program by establishing a contractual agreement in accordance with subdivision (a).

(d) A person who holds a current valid license as a vocational nurse who wishes to seek an associate of science degree in nursing from an accredited college may apply for funding under the Vocational Nurse Education Program by establishing a contractual agreement in accordance with subdivision (a) unless the person is able to qualify under subdivision (a) of Section 128385 under the Registered Nurse Education Program.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 143, Sec. 182. (AB 133) Effective July 27, 2021.)

article: 4. Vocational Nurse Education Program


text: There is hereby established in the State Treasury the Vocational Nurse Education Fund. All money in the fund shall be used for the purposes specified in the California Vocational Nurse Education Program established pursuant to this article. This fund shall receive money collected pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 2895 of the Business and Professions Code.

article: 4. Vocational Nurse Education Program


text: This article shall become operative on July 1, 2004.

history: (History: Added by Stats. 2003, Ch. 640, Sec. 20. Effective January 1, 2004. Note: This section prescribes a delayed operative date (July 1, 2004) for Article 4, commencing with Section 128475.)

article: 4. Vocational Nurse Education Program


text:
(a) There is hereby established within the Department of Health Care Access and Information the California Physician Corps Program.

(b) Commencing July 1, 2006, both of the following programs shall be transferred from the Medical Board of California to the California Physician Corps Program within the department and operated pursuant to this article:

(1) The Steven M. Thompson Physician Corps Loan Repayment Program.

(2) The Physician Volunteer Program developed by the Medical Board of California.

(c) The department may enter into an interagency agreement with the Medical Board of California to implement the transfer of programs as provided under subdivision (b).

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 143, Sec. 184. (AB 133) Effective July 27, 2021.)

article: 5. California Physician Corps Program

path: 107. HEALTH CARE ACCESS AND INFORMATION > 3. HEALTH PROFESSIONS DEVELOPMENT > 5. Health Professions Education Programs > 5. California Physician Corps Program


text: It is the intent of this article that the department provide the ongoing program management of the two programs identified in subdivision (b) of Section 128550 as a part of the California Physician Corps Program.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2024, Ch. 594, Sec. 1. (SB 909) Effective January 1, 2025.)

article: 5. California Physician Corps Program


text:
For purposes of this article, the following definitions shall apply:

(a) “Account” means the Medically Underserved Account for Physicians established within the Health Professions Education Fund pursuant to this article.

(b) “Fund” means the Health Professions Education Fund.

(c) “Medi-Cal threshold languages” means primary languages spoken by limited-English-proficient (LEP) population groups meeting a numeric threshold of 3,000, eligible LEP Medi-Cal beneficiaries residing in a county, 1,000 Medi-Cal eligible LEP beneficiaries residing in a single ZIP Code, or 1,500 LEP Medi-Cal beneficiaries residing in two contiguous ZIP Codes.

(d) “Medically underserved area” means an area defined as a health professional shortage area in Part 5 of Subchapter A of Chapter 1 of Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations or an area of the state where unmet priority needs for physicians exist as determined by the department.

(e) “Medically underserved population” means the Medi-Cal program and uninsured populations.

(f) “Department” means the Department of Health Care Access and Information.

(g) “Physician Volunteer Program” means the Physician Volunteer Registry Program established by the Medical Board of California.

(h) “Practice setting,” for the purposes of this article only, means a facility or setting delivering direct patient care, as defined by the department.

(i) “Primary specialty” means family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, or obstetrics/gynecology.

(j) “Program” means the Steven M. Thompson Physician Corps Loan Repayment Program.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2024, Ch. 594, Sec. 2. (SB 909) Effective January 1, 2025.)

article: 5. California Physician Corps Program


text:
(a) Program applicants shall possess a current valid license to practice medicine in this state issued pursuant to Section 2050 of the Business and Professions Code or pursuant to the Osteopathic Act.

(b) The department shall develop guidelines using the criteria specified in subdivision (c) for selection and placement of applicants. The department shall interpret the guidelines to apply to both osteopathic and allopathic physicians and surgeons.

(c) The guidelines shall meet all of the following criteria:

(1) Provide priority consideration to applicants that are best suited to meet the cultural and linguistic needs and demands of patients from medically underserved populations and who meet one or more of the following criteria:

(A) Speak a Medi-Cal threshold language.

(B) Come from an economically disadvantaged background.

(C) Have received significant training in cultural and linguistically appropriate service delivery.

(D) Have three years of experience providing health care services to medically underserved populations or in a medically underserved area, as defined in subdivision (e) of Section 128552.

(E) Have recently obtained a license to practice medicine.

(2) Give preference to applicants who have completed a three-year residency in a primary specialty.

(3) Give preference to applicants who agree to practice in a medically underserved area, as defined in subdivision (d) of Section 128552, and who agree to serve a medically underserved population, as defined in subdivision (e) of Section 128552.

(4) Give priority consideration to applicants from rural communities.

(5) Include a factor ensuring geographic distribution of placements.

(6) Provide priority consideration to applicants who agree to practice in a geriatric care setting and are trained in geriatrics, and who can meet the cultural and linguistic needs and demands of a diverse population of older Californians. On and after January 1, 2009, up to 15 percent of the funds collected pursuant to Section 2436.5 of the Business and Professions Code shall be dedicated to loan assistance for physicians and surgeons who agree to practice in geriatric care settings or settings that primarily serve adults over the age of 65 years or adults with disabilities.

(d) (1) The department may award up to 20 percent of the available positions established with funds from the account to program applicants from specialties outside of the primary specialties.

(2) The department may, consistent with this article, create additional positions for program applicants from specialties outside of primary specialties using funds separate from the account, and not subject to paragraph (1).

(e) Program participants shall meet all of the following requirements:

(1) Shall be working in or have a signed agreement with an eligible practice setting, as defined by the department.

(2) Shall have full-time status at the practice setting. Full-time status shall be defined by the department and the department may establish exemptions from this requirement on a case-by-case basis.

(3) Shall commit to a minimum of two years of service in a medically underserved area or a practice setting serving populations in need, as defined by the department. Leaves of absence shall be permitted for serious illness, pregnancy, or other natural causes. The department shall develop the process for determining the maximum permissible length of an absence and the process for reinstatement. Loan repayment shall be deferred until the physician is back to full-time status.

(f) The department shall adopt a process that applies if a physician is unable to complete their service obligation.

(g) The department shall develop a process for outreach to potentially eligible applicants.

(h) The department may adopt any other standards of eligibility, placement, and termination appropriate to achieve the aim of providing competent health care services in approved practice settings.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2024, Ch. 594, Sec. 3. (SB 909) Effective January 1, 2025.)

article: 5. California Physician Corps Program


text:
(a) The Medically Underserved Account for Physicians is hereby established within the Health Professions Education Fund. The primary purpose of this account is to provide funding for the ongoing operations of the Steven M. Thompson Physician Corps Loan Repayment Program provided for pursuant to this article. This account also may be used to provide funding for the Physician Volunteer Program provided for under this article.

(b) All moneys in the Medically Underserved Account contained within the Contingent Fund of the Medical Board of California shall be transferred to the Medically Underserved Account for Physicians on July 1, 2006.

(c) Funds in the account shall be used to repay loans as follows per agreements made with physicians:

(1) Funds paid out for loan repayment may have a funding match from foundations or other private sources.

(2) Loan repayments may not exceed the amount of the educational loans incurred by the physician participant.

(d) Notwithstanding Section 11105 of the Government Code, effective January 1, 2006, the department may seek and receive matching funds from foundations and private sources to be placed in the account. “Matching funds” shall not be construed to be limited to a dollar-for-dollar match of funds.

(e) Funds placed in the account for purposes of this article, including funds received pursuant to subdivision (d), are, notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, continuously appropriated for the repayment of loans. This subdivision shall not apply to funds placed in the account pursuant to Section 1341.45 and Section 14197.2 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

(f) The account shall also be used to pay for the cost of administering the program and for any other purpose authorized by this article. The costs for administration of the program may be up to 5 percent of the total state appropriation for the program and shall be subject to review and approval annually through the state budget process. This limitation shall only apply to the state appropriation for the program.

(g) The department shall manage the account established by this section prudently in accordance with the other provisions of law.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2024, Ch. 594, Sec. 4. (SB 909) Effective January 1, 2025.)

article: 5. California Physician Corps Program


text: The terms of loan repayment granted under this article shall be established by the department.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 143, Sec. 190. (AB 133) Effective July 27, 2021.)

article: 5. California Physician Corps Program


text: This article shall become operative on July 1, 2006.

history: (History: Added by Stats. 2005, Ch. 317, Sec. 5. Effective January 1, 2006. Note: This section prescribes a delayed operative date (July 1, 2006) for Article 5, commencing with Section 128550.)

article: 5. California Physician Corps Program


text:
For purposes of this article:

(a) “Corps” means the California Reproductive Health Service Corps established pursuant to Section 128561.

(b) “Reproductive health” means health services relating to abortion care, sexual health counseling, contraception, sexually transmitted infections, reproductive tract infections, HIV, gynecology, perinatal care, midwifery care, gender affirming care, and gender-based violence prevention.

(c) “Reproductive health care professionals” means medical doctors, licensed midwives, certified nurse-midwives, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, physician’s assistants, doulas, licensed vocational nurses, community health workers, medical assistants, and pharmacists.

(d) “Scholar” means a person in the corps who is a student who has been accepted in a school or a program on a part-time or full-time basis that graduates reproductive health care professionals or who is an existing reproductive health professional who desires more training and professional development in abortion care to provide this service.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 42, Sec. 54. (AB 118) Effective July 10, 2023.)

path: 107. HEALTH CARE ACCESS AND INFORMATION > 3. HEALTH PROFESSIONS DEVELOPMENT > 5. Health Professions Education Programs > 6. California Reproductive Health Service Corps


text: For the purposes of recruiting, training, and retaining a diverse workforce of reproductive health care professionals who will be part of reproductive health care teams to work in underserved areas, the California Reproductive Health Service Corps is hereby established in the department under the supervision of the director. The director shall ensure that adequate staff are provided to effectively administer the corps.

history: (History: Added by Stats. 2022, Ch. 561, Sec. 2. (AB 1918) Effective January 1, 2023.)

article: 6. California Reproductive Health Service Corps


text:
The corps shall do all of the following:

(a) (1) Administer and oversee scholarships and stipends for new reproductive health students, loan repayment for graduates who have acquired debt from attending a reproductive health professional school in the past, and other types of direct financial support for scholars, in exchange for a three-year term of obligated service in California at a corps-approved site.

(2) Pay a learning institution, teaching facility, or approved clinical training site directly on behalf of scholar, including for tuition, fees, facility costs, teaching costs, and preceptor time.

(3) Provide an annual payment for education-related costs and a monthly stipend to cover living expenses directly to a scholar. The corps shall consider family size and numbers of dependents when determining stipend amounts.

(4) Offer existing reproductive health professionals an option for loan forgiveness for each year of service.

(5) Offer scholars stipends or reimbursement for childcare, eldercare, housing, health care coverage with coverage for mental health services, and transportation to eliminate known obstacles of educational completion for scholars.

(6) Notwithstanding paragraphs (2) to (5), inclusive, scholarships, stipends, and obligated service shall be independently assessed for doula education due to the diverse pathways for education.

(b) (1) Identify and create opportunities for scholars to receive supplemental trainings in comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care, including miscarriage management, aspiration abortion, and medication abortion, through partnerships with and financial support for California-based external partners providing and enabling clinical abortion training.

(2) Identify and create a postgraduate practice integration and retention program by funding organizations providing technical assistance and support to scholars, placement sites, or both to support incorporation of abortion services at service site or into a scholar’s practice.

(3) The Legislature finds that external contracts are critically important to the success of the corps to supplement the lack of training in abortion currently available at medical, nursing, or health care professional schools and to support service integration and retention posttraining. Supplemental programs are needed for scholars to be adequately trained before graduation.


text:
(a) The corps shall prioritize the selection of scholars from historically excluded populations and underserved areas, who reflect the patient populations they serve, to ensure greater inclusion and improved diverse representation in the reproductive health services workforce.

(b) Scholars from historically excluded populations shall meet one of the following criteria:

(1) Were or currently are homeless.

(2) Were or currently are in the foster care system.

(3) Were eligible for the National School Lunch Program for two or more years as a child.

(4) Do not have or have not had parents or legal guardians who completed a bachelor’s degree.

(5) Were or currently are eligible for federal Pell Grants.

(6) Received support from the California Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children as a parent or child.

(7) Reside or grew up in one of the following areas:

(A) A rural area, as designated by the Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

(B) A health professional shortage area, as designated by the HRSA.

(8) Is an individual with a disability, meaning a person with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, as described in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 12101 et seq.), as amended.


text:
(a) A scholar shall do all of the following:

(1) Agree to complete abortion training as part of their health care education and to provide, or participate on a team that provides, reproductive health services with the inclusion of medical abortion or procedural abortion and miscarriage management.

(2) Commit to working for three years at a corps-approved site in one of the following areas or with one of the following populations:

(A) A health professional shortage area, as designated by the HRSA.

(B) A medically underserved area or with a medically underserved population, as mapped by the HRSA.

(C) A Maternity Care Health Professional Target Area, as designated by HRSA, or a maternity care desert, as designated by the March of Dimes.

(D) A rural area, as designated by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

(E) A California county identified to have no abortion services.

(F) An area where the majority of patients are covered under the Medi-Cal program.

(3) Agree, in writing, that if the scholar fails to complete the period of obligated service at a corps-approved site, they will be in breach of contract.

(b) Notwithstanding paragraph (2) of subdivision (a), a scholar or a site may petition the corps for approval of a site based on the reproductive health needs of specific communities or populations or the area’s specific linguistic needs.

(c) With the authorization of the corps, a scholar may transfer to a new site to complete their obligated service. The corps shall define the criteria for transfer eligibility. Under certain defined conditions, the corps shall assist the scholar to find a new approved site.

(d) When a scholar is employed at a corps-approved site, the scholar shall be subject to the personnel system of that entity.


text:
(a) The department shall conduct an evaluation five years after implementation to assess the impact and effectiveness of the corps. The evaluation shall include all of the following:

(1) The number of health care providers from underrepresented racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and geographic backgrounds that have completed the corps program.

(2) The number of scholars and corps graduates who are practicing in underserved areas.

(3) The geographic areas served by scholars and corps graduates and geographic placement gaps that persist.

(4) The provider types utilizing the corps.

(5) The number of scholars and corps graduates who have integrated abortion care into their practices.

(6) The number of applicants to the corps.

(7) The number of awardees who do not meet their service requirement, by provider type.

(b) The department shall report its findings to the Legislature on or before January 1, 2029. The report shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.

(c) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2031, and as of that date is repealed.

history: (History: Added by Stats. 2022, Ch. 561, Sec. 2. (AB 1918) Effective January 1, 2023. Repealed as of January 1, 2031, by its own provisions.)


text:
(a) The California Nurse-Midwifery Education Fund is hereby created within the Department of Health Care Access and Information for the purpose of establishing California-based, master’s level, nurse-midwifery education programs within the California State University, the University of California, or both.

(b) The department shall administer the fund. The fund shall receive moneys from the General Fund for the purposes of this article upon appropriation by the Legislature.

(c) It is the intent of the Legislature for the 2025–26 state fiscal year, for two million dollars ($2,000,000) to be appropriated from the General Fund to the department for use in the California Nurse-Midwifery Education Fund.

(d) The fund may receive donations and contributions from public and private entities, partnerships between public and private entities, fees, cash advances, and transfers from the General Fund.

history: (History: Added by Stats. 2025, Ch. 601, Sec. 2. (SB 520) Effective January 1, 2026.)

article: 7. Nurse-Midwifery Education Program

path: 107. HEALTH CARE ACCESS AND INFORMATION > 3. HEALTH PROFESSIONS DEVELOPMENT > 5. Health Professions Education Programs > 7. Nurse-Midwifery Education Program


text:
(a) The department shall establish competitive application criteria to ensure the optimal sites selection for the education programs within the California State University system or the University of California, including prioritization of programs that serve an area of demonstrated maternity or midwifery workforce need.

(b) The department shall ensure that a master’s degree is an option for students as the culminating degree of the education programs receiving funds.

(c) The education programs shall meet the regulatory requirements for nurse-midwifery education in California and the necessary requirements to be accredited or preaccredited by the Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education. The programs are not required to be located within a school of nursing.

(d) The fund shall support the annual operating costs for the development, operation, and maintenance of the education programs through the graduation of the first cohort of matriculated students, or five years, whichever is shorter.

article: 7. Nurse-Midwifery Education Program


text: Any funds, public or private, received for the fund shall supplement, not supplant, any current or future funding to midwifery workforce education programs, including allocations to midwifery education programs administered through the Song-Brown Health Care Workforce Training Act pursuant to Article 1 (commencing with Section 128200) of Chapter 4. Any funds allocated to the education programs receiving funds shall supplement, not supplant, the university’s budget allocations for any fiscal year.

article: 7. Nurse-Midwifery Education Program


text: This chapter shall be known as the Health Data and Advisory Council Consolidation Act.

history: (History: Added by Stats. 1995, Ch. 415, Sec. 9. Effective January 1, 1996.)

part: 5. HEALTH DATA

chapter: 1. Health Facility Data

path: 107. HEALTH CARE ACCESS AND INFORMATION > 5. HEALTH DATA > 1. Health Facility Data


text:
The Legislature hereby finds and declares that:

(a) Significant changes have taken place in recent years in the health care marketplace and in the manner of reimbursement to health facilities by government and private third-party payers for the services they provide.

(b) These changes have permitted the state to reevaluate the need for, and the manner of data collection from health facilities by the various state agencies and commissions.

(c) It is the intent of the Legislature that as a result of this reevaluation that the data collection function be consolidated in a single state agency. It is the further intent of the Legislature that the single state agency only collect that data from health facilities that are essential. The data should be collected, to the extent practical on consolidated, multipurpose report forms for use by all state agencies.

(d) It is the further intent of the Legislature to eliminate the California Health Facilities Commission, the State Advisory Health Council, and the California Health Policy and Data Advisory Commission, and to consolidate data collection and planning functions within the office.

(e) It is the Legislature’s further intent that the review of the data that the state collects be an ongoing function. The office shall annually review this data for need and shall revise, add, or delete items as necessary. The office shall consult with affected state agencies and the affected industry when adding or eliminating data items. However, the office shall neither add nor delete data items to the Hospital Discharge Abstract Data Record or the quarterly reports without prior authorizing legislation, unless specifically required by federal law or judicial decision.

(f) The Legislature recognizes that the authority for the California Health Facilities Commission is scheduled to expire January 1, 1986. It is the intent of the Legislature, by the enactment of this chapter, to continue the uniform system of accounting and reporting established by the commission and required for use by health facilities. It is also the intent of the Legislature to continue an appropriate, cost-disclosure program.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 32, Sec. 20. (AB 106) Effective June 29, 2011. Operative January 1, 2012, by Sec. 73 of Stats. 2011, Ch. 32.)


text: Intermediate care facilities/developmentally disabled-habilitative, as defined in subdivision (e) of Section 1250, are not subject to this chapter.


text: Intermediate care facilities/developmentally disabled—nursing, as defined in subdivision (h) of Section 1250, and intermediate care facilities/developmentally disabled-continuous nursing, as defined in subdivision (m) of Section 1250, are not subject to this chapter.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 143, Sec. 195. (AB 133) Effective July 27, 2021.)


text:
As used in this chapter, the following terms mean:

(a) “Ambulatory surgery procedures” mean those procedures performed on an outpatient basis in the general operating rooms, ambulatory surgery rooms, endoscopy units, or cardiac catheterization laboratories of a hospital or a freestanding ambulatory surgery clinic.

(b) “Emergency department” means, in a hospital licensed to provide emergency medical services, the location in which those services are provided.

(c) “Encounter” means a face-to-face contact between a patient and the provider who has primary responsibility for assessing and treating the condition of the patient at a given contact and exercises independent judgment in the care of the patient.

(d) “Freestanding ambulatory surgery clinic” means a surgical clinic that is licensed by the state under paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 1204.

(e) “Health facility” or “health facilities” means all health facilities required to be licensed pursuant to Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 1250) of Division 2.

(f) “Hospital” means all health facilities except skilled nursing, intermediate care, congregate living, and hospice health facilities.

(g) “Department” means the Department of Health Care Access and Information.

(h) “Risk-adjusted outcomes” means the clinical outcomes of patients grouped by diagnoses or procedures that have been adjusted for demographic and clinical factors.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 143, Sec. 196. (AB 133) Effective July 27, 2021.)


text: On and after January 1, 1986, any reference in this code to the Advisory Health Council or the California Health Policy and Data Advisory Commission shall be deemed a reference to the department.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 143, Sec. 197. (AB 133) Effective July 27, 2021.)


text:
(a) Effective January 1, 1986, the department shall be the single state agency designated to collect the following health facility or clinic data for use by all state agencies:

(1) Data required by the department pursuant to Section 127285.

(2) Data required in the Medi-Cal cost reports pursuant to Section 14170 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

(3) Data items formerly required by the California Health Facilities Commission that are listed in Sections 128735 and 128740. Information collected pursuant to subdivision (g) of Section 128735 and Sections 128736 and 128737 shall be made available to the State Department of Health Care Services, the State Department of Public Health, and the California Health Benefit Exchange. The departments and the Exchange shall ensure that the patient’s rights to confidentiality shall not be violated in any manner. The departments and the Exchange shall comply with all applicable policies and requirements involving review and oversight by the State Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects.

(b) The department shall consolidate any and all of the reports listed under this section or Sections 128735 and 128740, to the extent feasible, to minimize the reporting burdens on hospitals, provided, however, that the department shall neither add nor delete data items from the Hospital Discharge Abstract Data Record or the quarterly reports without prior authorizing legislation, unless specifically required by federal law or regulation or judicial decision.

(c) The Exchange shall report to the Governor and the Legislature on or before August 1, 2023, on the impacts to the Exchange associated with paragraph (3) of subdivision (a), including the impacts on premium rates for health plans offered through the Exchange. The report shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 143, Sec. 198. (AB 133) Effective July 27, 2021.)


text:
(a) Each organization that operates, conducts, owns, or maintains a skilled nursing facility licensed pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 1250 shall file with the department as part of the information required in subdivisions (a) to (e), inclusive, of Section 128735, whether the licensee, or a general partner, director, or officer of the licensee, has an ownership or control interest of 5 percent or more in a related party that provides any service to the skilled nursing facility. If the licensee, or the general partner, director, or officer of the licensee has such an interest, the licensee shall disclose all services provided to the skilled nursing facility, the number of individuals who provide that service at the skilled nursing facility, and any other information requested by the department. If goods, fees, and services collectively worth ten thousand dollars ($10,000) or more per year are delivered to the skilled nursing facility, the disclosure required pursuant to this subdivision shall include the related party’s profit and loss statement, and the Payroll-Based Journal public use data of the previous quarter for the skilled nursing facility’s direct caregivers.

(b) For purposes of this section, all of the following definitions shall apply:

(1) “Direct caregiver” shall have the same meaning as that term is defined in Section 1276.65.

(2) “Profit and loss statement” means the most recent annual statement on profits and losses finalized by a related party for the most recent year available.

(3) “Related party” means an organization related to the licensee provider or that is under common ownership or control, as defined in Section 413.17(b) of Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

(c) Current licensees shall provide the information required by this section to the department in a manner prescribed by the department.

(d) The provisions of this section shall become effective on January 1, 2020.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 143, Sec. 199. (AB 133) Effective July 27, 2021.)


text:
(a) (1) Commencing with fiscal years ending December 31, 2023, an organization that operates, conducts, owns, manages, or maintains a skilled nursing facility or facilities licensed pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 1250 shall prepare and file with the office, at the times as the office shall require, an annual consolidated financial report.

(2) The annual consolidated financial report required to be prepared pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be reviewed by a certified public accountant in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and with the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s financial reporting requirements, with financial statements prepared using the accrual basis. If the organization has prepared an audit by a certified public accountant of its annual consolidated financial report for any reason, that audit shall be filed with the office, and, in that instance, no review of the consolidated financial report shall be necessary. The reviewed or audited report, as applicable, shall, in addition to the requirements set forth in Section 128735, include, but not be limited to, the following statements:

(A) A balance sheet detailing the assets, liabilities, and net worth at the end of its fiscal year.

(B) A statement of income, expenses, and operating surplus or deficit for the annual fiscal period, and a statement of ancillary utilization and patient census.

(C) A statement detailing patient revenue by payer, including, but not limited to, Medicare, Medi-Cal, and other payers, and revenue center.

(D) A statement of cashflows, including, but not limited to, ongoing and new capital expenditures and depreciation.

(E) A combined financial statement that includes all entities reported in the consolidated financial report, unless the organization is prohibited from including a combined financial statement in a consolidated financial report pursuant to a state or federal law or regulation or a national accounting standard. When applicable, the organization must disclose to the office the applicable state or federal law or regulation or national accounting standard.

(3) In addition to the consolidated financial report, the following information shall be provided to the office as an attachment to the consolidated financial report:

(A) The financial information required by paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) from all operating entities, licenseholders, and related parties in which the organization has an ownership or control interest of 5 percent or more and that provides any service, facility, or supply to the skilled nursing facility.

(B) A detailed document outlining a visual representation of the organization’s structure that includes both of the following:

(i) All related parties in which the organization has an ownership or control interest of 5 percent or more and that provides any service, facility, or supply to the skilled nursing facility.

(ii) Unrelated parties that provide services, facilities, or supplies to the skilled nursing facility or facilities that are operated, conducted, owned, managed, or maintained by the organization, including, but not limited to, management companies and property companies, and that are paid more than two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000) by the skilled nursing facility.

(b) The office shall post reports and related documents submitted pursuant to this section to its internet website.

(c) Any report, document, statement, writing or any other type of record received, owned, used, or retained by the office in connection with this section is a public record within the meaning of Section 7922.505 of the Government Code and is subject to disclosure pursuant to the California Public Records Act (Division 10 (commencing with Section 7920.000) of Title 1 of the Government Code).

(d) The office shall develop policies and procedures to outline the format of information to be submitted pursuant to this section. The office shall determine if the information submitted pursuant to subdivision (a) is complete, but shall not be required to determine its accuracy.

(e) For the purposes of this section, “related party” has the same meaning as in Section 128734, and may include, but is not limited to, home offices; management organizations; owners of real estate; entities that provide staffing, therapy, pharmaceutical, marketing, administrative management, consulting, and insurance services; providers of supplies and equipment; financial advisors and consultants; banking and financial entities; any and all parent companies, holding companies, and sister organizations; and any entity in which an immediate family member of an owner of those organizations has an ownership interest of 5 percent or more. “Immediate family member” includes spouse, natural parent, child, sibling, adopted child, adoptive parent, stepparent, stepchild, stepsister, stepbrother, father-in-law, mother-in-law, sister-in-law, brother-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, grandparent, and grandchild.

(f) This section shall not apply to a facility operated by a health care district organized and governed pursuant to the Local Healthcare District Law (Division 23 (commencing with Section 32000)).

(g) This section shall not apply to an organization that has no related parties as defined in subdivision (e), except that the organization is required to submit a detailed document outlining a visual representation of the organization’s structure as set forth in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (3) of subdivision (a). This section shall not be construed to require a government entity licenseholder, that is not a related party, to file a consolidated financial report for a nursing home management company that operates under its license.

(h) Consistent with the reports and requirements required for subdivisions (a) to (e), inclusive, of Section 128735 and Section 128740, all information submitted pursuant to this section shall be accompanied by a report certification signed by a duly authorized official of the health facility or of the health facility’s home office that certifies that, to the best of the official’s knowledge and information, each statement and amount in the accompanying report is believed to be true and correct.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 28, Sec. 108. (SB 1380) Effective January 1, 2023.)


text:
An organization that operates, conducts, owns, or maintains a health facility, and the officers thereof, shall make and file with the department, at the times as the department shall require, all of the following reports on forms specified by the department that are in accord, if applicable, with the systems of accounting and uniform reporting required by this part, except that the reports required pursuant to subdivision (g) shall be limited to hospitals:

(a) A balance sheet detailing the assets, liabilities, and net worth of the health facility at the end of its fiscal year.

(b) A statement of income, expenses, and operating surplus or deficit for the annual fiscal period, and a statement of ancillary utilization and patient census.

(c) A statement detailing patient revenue by payer, including, but not limited to, Medicare, Medi-Cal, and other payers, and revenue center.

(d) A statement of cashflows, including, but not limited to, ongoing and new capital expenditures and depreciation.

(e) (1) A statement reporting the information required in subdivisions (a), (b), (c), and (d) for each separately licensed health facility operated, conducted, or maintained by the reporting organization.

(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), a health facility that receives a preponderance of its revenue from associated comprehensive group practice prepayment health care service plans and that is operated as a unit of a coordinated group of health facilities under common management may report the information required pursuant to subdivisions (a) and (d) for the group and not for each separately licensed health facility.

(f) Data reporting requirements established by the department shall be consistent with national standards, as applicable.

(g) A Hospital Discharge Abstract Data Record that includes all of the following:

(1) Date of birth.

(2) Sex.

(3) Race.

(4) ZIP Code.

(5) Preferred language spoken.

(6) Patient social security number, if it is contained in the patient’s medical record.

(7) Prehospital care and resuscitation, if any, including all of the following:

(A) “Do not resuscitate” (DNR) order on admission.

(B) “Do not resuscitate” (DNR) order after admission.

(8) Admission date.

(9) Source of admission.

(10) Type of admission.

(11) Discharge date.

(12) Principal diagnosis and whether the condition was present on admission.

(13) Other diagnoses and whether the conditions were present on admission.

(14) External causes of morbidity and whether present on admission.

(15) Principal procedure and date.

(16) Other procedures and dates.

(17) Total charges.

(18) Disposition of patient.

(19) Expected source of payment.

(20) Elements added pursuant to Section 128738.

(h) It is the intent of the Legislature that the patient’s rights of confidentiality shall not be violated in any manner. Patient social security numbers and other data elements that the department believes could be used to determine the identity of an individual patient shall be exempt from the disclosure requirements of the California Public Records Act (Division 10 (commencing with Section 7920.000) of Title 1 of the Government Code).

(i) A person reporting data pursuant to this section shall not be liable for damages in an action based on the use or misuse of patient-identifiable data that has been mailed or otherwise transmitted to the department pursuant to the requirements of subdivision (g).

(j) A hospital shall use coding from the International Classification of Diseases in reporting diagnoses and procedures.

(k) On or before July 1, 2021, the department shall promulgate regulations as necessary to implement subdivision (e). A health facility that receives a preponderance of its revenue from associated comprehensive group practice prepayment health care service plans and that is operated as a unit of a coordinated group of health facilities under common management shall comply with the reporting requirements of subdivisions (b), (c), and (e) once the department finalizes related regulations.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 28, Sec. 109. (SB 1380) Effective January 1, 2023.)


text:
(a) Each hospital shall file an Emergency Care Data Record for each patient encounter in a hospital emergency department. The Emergency Care Data Record shall include all of the following:

(1) Date of birth.

(2) Sex.

(3) Race.

(4) Ethnicity.

(5) Preferred language spoken.

(6) ZIP Code.

(7) Patient social security number, if it is contained in the patient’s medical record.

(8) Service date.

(9) Principal diagnosis.

(10) Other diagnoses.

(11) External causes of morbidity.

(12) Principal procedure.

(13) Other procedures.

(14) Disposition of patient.

(15) Expected source of payment.

(16) Elements added pursuant to Section 128738.

(b) It is the expressed intent of the Legislature that the patient’s rights of confidentiality shall not be violated in any manner. Patient social security numbers and any other data elements that the department believes could be used to determine the identity of an individual patient shall be exempt from the disclosure requirements of the California Public Records Act (Division 10 (commencing with Section 7920.000) of Title 1 of the Government Code).

(c) No person reporting data pursuant to this section shall be liable for damages in any action based on the use or misuse of patient-identifiable data that has been mailed or otherwise transmitted to the department pursuant to the requirements of subdivision (a).

(d) Data reporting requirements established by the department shall be consistent with national standards as applicable.

(e) This section shall become operative on January 1, 2004.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 131, Sec. 132. (AB 1754) Effective January 1, 2024.)


text:
(a) Each general acute care hospital and freestanding ambulatory surgery clinic shall file an Ambulatory Surgery Data Record for each patient encounter during which at least one ambulatory surgery procedure is performed. The Ambulatory Surgery Data Record shall include all of the following:

(1) Date of birth.

(2) Sex.

(3) Race.

(4) Ethnicity.

(5) Preferred language spoken.

(6) ZIP Code.

(7) Patient social security number, if it is contained in the patient’s medical record.

(8) Service date.

(9) Principal diagnosis.

(10) Other diagnoses.

(11) Principal procedure.

(12) Other procedures.

(13) External causes of morbidity.

(14) Disposition of patient.

(15) Expected source of payment.

(16) Elements added pursuant to Section 128738.

(b) It is the expressed intent of the Legislature that the patient’s rights of confidentiality shall not be violated in any manner. Patient social security numbers and any other data elements that the department believes could be used to determine the identity of an individual patient shall be exempt from the disclosure requirements of the California Public Records Act (Division 10 (commencing with Section 7920.000) of Title 1 of the Government Code).

(c) No person reporting data pursuant to this section shall be liable for damages in any action based on the use or misuse of patient-identifiable data that has been mailed or otherwise transmitted to the office pursuant to the requirements of subdivision (a).

(d) Data reporting requirements established by the department shall be consistent with national standards as applicable.

(e) This section shall become operative on January 1, 2004.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 28, Sec. 111. (SB 1380) Effective January 1, 2023.)


text:
(a) The department shall allow and provide for, in accordance with appropriate regulations, additions or deletions to the patient level data elements listed in subdivision (g) of Section 128735, Section 128736, and Section 128737, to meet the purposes of this chapter.

(b) Prior to any additions or deletions, all of the following shall be considered:

(1) Utilization of sampling to the maximum extent possible.

(2) Feasibility of collecting data elements.

(3) Costs and benefits of collection and submission of data.

(4) Exchange of data elements as opposed to addition of data elements.

(c) The department shall add no more than a net of 15 elements to each data set over any five-year period. Elements contained in the uniform claims transaction set or uniform billing form required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 300gg) shall be exempt from the 15-element limit.

(d) The department, in order to minimize costs and administrative burdens, shall consider the total number of data elements required from hospitals and freestanding ambulatory surgery clinics, and optimize the use of common data elements.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 143, Sec. 203. (AB 133) Effective July 27, 2021.)


text:
(a) The following summary financial and utilization data shall be reported to the department by a hospital within 45 days of the end of a calendar quarter. Adjusted reports reflecting changes as a result of audited financial statements may be filed within four months of the close of the hospital’s fiscal or calendar year. The quarterly summary financial and utilization data shall conform to the uniform description of accounts as contained in the Accounting and Reporting Manual for California Hospitals and shall include all of the following:

(1) Number of licensed beds.

(2) Average number of available beds.

(3) Average number of staffed beds.

(4) Number of discharges.

(5) Number of inpatient days.

(6) Number of outpatient visits.

(7) Total operating expenses.

(8) Total inpatient gross revenues by payer, including, but not limited to, Medicare, Medi-Cal, county indigent programs, commercial coverage, other third parties, and other payers.

(9) Total outpatient gross revenues by payer, including, but not limited to, Medicare, Medi-Cal, county indigent programs, commercial coverage, other third parties, and other payers.

(10) Deductions from revenue in total and by component, including the following: Medicare contractual adjustments, Medi-Cal contractual adjustments, and county indigent program contractual adjustments, other contractual adjustments, bad debts, charity care, restricted donations and subsidies for indigents, support for clinical teaching, teaching allowances, and other deductions.

(11) Total capital expenditures.

(12) Total net fixed assets.

(13) Total number of inpatient days, outpatient visits, and discharges by payer, including, but not limited to, Medicare, Medi-Cal, county indigent programs, commercial coverage, other third parties, self-pay, and other payers.

(14) Total net patient revenues by payer, including Medicare, Medi-Cal, county indigent programs, commercial coverage, other third parties, and other payers.

(15) Other operating revenue.

(16) Nonoperating revenue net of nonoperating expenses.

(17) (A) A balance sheet detailing the assets, liabilities, and net worth at the end of the quarter, as specified by the department.

(B) The department shall allow and provide for, in accordance with appropriate regulations, additions, or deletions to the summary financial and utilization data to meet the purposes of this chapter.

(b) The department may adopt regulations, including emergency regulations, necessary to implement this section.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 6, Sec. 2. (AB 112) Effective May 15, 2023.)


text:
(a) Commencing July 1993, and annually thereafter, the department shall publish risk-adjusted outcome reports in accordance with the following schedule:Procedures andPublicationPeriodConditionsDate CoveredCoveredJuly 19931988–903July 19941989–916July 19951990–929Reports for subsequent years shall include conditions and procedures and cover periods as appropriate.

(b) The procedures and conditions for risk-adjusted outcome reports pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be divided among medical, surgical, and obstetric conditions or procedures and shall be selected by the department. The department shall publish the risk-adjusted outcome reports for selected conditions and procedures by individual hospital, individual medical group, or individual physician as selected by the department in consultation with medical specialists in the relevant area of practice. The selections, under this subdivision, shall be in accordance with all of the following criteria:

(1) The patient discharge abstract contains sufficient data to undertake a valid risk adjustment. The risk adjustment report shall ensure that public hospitals and other hospitals serving primarily low-income patients are not unfairly discriminated against.

(2) The relative importance of the procedure and condition in terms of the cost of cases and the number of cases and the seriousness of the health consequences of the procedure or condition.

(3) Ability to measure outcome and the likelihood that care influences outcome.

(4) Reliability of the diagnostic and procedure data.

(c) (1) In addition to any other established and pending reports, on or before July 1, 2002, the department shall publish a risk-adjusted outcome report for coronary artery bypass graft surgery by hospital for all hospitals opting to participate in the report. This report shall be updated on or before July 1, 2003.

(2) The department shall publish at least one risk-adjusted outcome report for coronary artery bypass graft surgery, transcatheter aortic valve replacement, or any type of interventional cardiovascular procedure for procedures performed in the state. For any type of interventional cardiovascular procedure other than coronary artery bypass graft surgery or transcatheter aortic valve replacement, the department shall only select from interventional cardiovascular procedures recommended by the clinical panel established by Section 128748, not to exceed one additional interventional cardiovascular procedure every three years. In each year, the reports shall compare risk-adjusted outcomes by hospital, medical group, or physician as selected by the department after consultation with the clinical panel. Upon the recommendation of the clinical panel based on statistical and technical considerations, information on individual hospitals, individual medical groups, or individual physicians may be excluded from the reports.

(3) Each hospital shall produce and file with the department, at the times as the department shall require, reports of data the department needs to prepare risk-adjusted outcome reports under this subdivision. Unless otherwise recommended by the clinical panel established by Section 128748, the department shall continue to collect the same data used for the most recent risk-adjusted model developed for the California Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Outcomes Reporting Program. Upon recommendation of the clinical panel, the department may add any clinical data elements included in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons’ database or other relevant databases to be collected from hospitals. Prior to any additions from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons’ database, or other relevant databases, the following factors shall be considered:

(A) Utilization of sampling to the maximum extent possible.

(B) Exchange of data elements as opposed to addition of data elements.

(4) Upon recommendation of the clinical panel, the department may add, delete, or revise clinical data elements to be collected from hospitals for outcome reports under this subdivision. Prior to any additions or deletions, all of the following factors shall be considered:

(A) Utilization of sampling to the maximum extent possible.

(B) Feasibility of collecting data elements.

(C) Costs and benefits of collection and submission of data.

(D) Exchange of data elements as opposed to addition of data elements.

(5) The department shall collect the minimum data necessary for purposes of testing or validating a risk-adjusted model for the outcome reports under this subdivision.

(6) Patient medical record numbers and any other data elements that the department believes could be used to determine the identity of an individual patient shall be exempt from the disclosure requirements of the California Public Records Act (Division 10 (commencing with Section 7920.000) of Title 1 of the Government Code).

(d) The annual reports shall compare the risk-adjusted outcomes experienced by all patients treated for the selected conditions and procedures in each California hospital during the period covered by each report, to the outcomes expected. Outcomes shall be reported in at least the following groupings for each hospital, medical group, or physician:

(1) “Higher than average outcomes,” for hospitals with risk-adjusted outcomes higher than the norm.

(2) “Average outcomes,” for hospitals with average risk-adjusted outcomes.

(3) “Lower than average outcomes,” for hospitals with risk-adjusted outcomes lower than the norm.

(e) For outcome reports under this subdivision for which auditing is appropriate, the department shall conduct periodic auditing of data at hospitals.

(f) The department shall either include in the annual reports required under this section, or make separately available at cost to any person requesting it, risk-adjusted outcomes data assessing the statistical significance of hospital, medical group, or physician data at each of the following three levels: 99-percent confidence level (0.01 p-value), 95-percent confidence level (0.05 p-value), and 90-percent confidence level (0.10 p-value). The department shall include any other analysis or comparisons of the data in the annual reports required under this section that the department deems appropriate to further the purposes of this chapter.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 28, Sec. 112. (SB 1380) Effective January 1, 2023.)


text: Commencing July 1, 2002, and biennially thereafter, the department shall evaluate the impact of the department’s published risk-adjusted outcome reports required by Section 128745 on mortality rates in California and on any other measure of quality the department deems appropriate. The department shall also coordinate with other state agencies in promoting prevention and educational initiatives on those reported procedures and conditions.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 143, Sec. 206. (AB 133) Effective July 27, 2021.)


text:
(a) This section shall apply to any risk-adjusted outcome report under Section 128745.

(b) This subdivision applies to risk-adjusted outcome reports under subdivision (c) of Section 128745.

(1) The department shall obtain data necessary to complete a risk-adjusted outcome report from hospitals. If necessary data for an outcome report is available only from the department of a physician and not the hospital where the patient received treatment, then the hospital shall make a reasonable effort to obtain the data from the physician’s office and provide the data to the department. In the event that the department finds any errors, omissions, discrepancies, or other problems with submitted data, the department shall contact either the hospital or physician’s office that maintains the data to resolve the problems.

(2) The department shall collect the minimum data necessary for purposes of testing or validating a risk-adjusted model. Except for data collected for purposes of testing or validating a risk-adjusted model, the department shall not collect data for an outcome report nor issue an outcome report until the clinical panel established pursuant to this section has approved the risk-adjusted model.

(c) For each risk-adjusted outcome report on a medical, surgical, or obstetric condition or procedure that includes reporting of data by an individual physician or an individual medical group authorized by subdivision (b) of Section 128745, the department director shall appoint a clinical panel, which shall have nine members. Three members shall be appointed from a list of three or more names submitted by the physician specialty society that most represents physicians performing the medical, surgical, and obstetric procedure for which data is collected. Three members shall be appointed from a list of three or more names submitted by the California Medical Association. Three members shall be appointed from lists of names submitted by consumer organizations. At least one-half of the appointees from the lists submitted by the physician specialty society and the California Medical Association, and at least one appointee from the lists submitted by consumer organizations, shall be experts in collecting and reporting outcome measurements for physicians, medical groups, or hospitals. The panel may include physicians from another state. The panel shall review and approve the development of the risk-adjustment model to be used in preparation of the outcome report.

(d) For risk-adjusted outcome reports authorized by subdivision (c) of Section 128745 the following shall apply:

(1) The California Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Outcomes Reporting Program Clinical Advisory Panel shall become the clinical panel for those outcome reports and this panel shall be renamed by the department.

(2) This clinical panel shall be comprised of at least 9 and no more than 13 members. The department director shall have the authority to appoint the members of the clinical panel. Three members shall be appointed from a list of three or more names submitted by the California Chapter of the American College of Cardiology. Three members shall be appointed from a list of three or more names submitted by the California Medical Association. Three members shall be appointed from lists of names submitted by consumer organizations. Any additional members shall be appointed at the discretion of the department director. If, at the time the department decides to report on a procedure, the panel does not have members with expertise in that procedure, the department shall seek to appoint two new members with expertise in that procedure from a list submitted by the California Chapter of the American College of Cardiology. At least one-half of the appointees from the lists submitted by the California Chapter of the American College of Cardiology, and the California Medical Association, and at least one appointee from the lists submitted by consumer organizations, shall be experts in collecting and reporting outcome measurements. The panel may include physicians from another state.

(3) The panel shall review and approve the development of the risk-adjustment model to be used in preparation of the outcome report.

(e) Any report that includes reporting by an individual physician shall include, at a minimum, the risk-adjusted outcome data for each physician. The department may also include in the report, after consultation with the clinical panel, any explanatory material, comparisons, groupings, and other information to facilitate consumer comprehension of the data.

(f) Members of a clinical panel shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for any actual and necessary expenses incurred in connection with their duties as members of the clinical panel.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 143, Sec. 207. (AB 133) Effective July 27, 2021.)


text:
(a) Prior to the public release of the annual outcome reports, the department shall furnish a preliminary report to each hospital that is included in the report. The department shall allow the hospital and chief of staff 60 days to review the outcome scores and compare the scores to other California hospitals. A hospital or its chief of staff that believes that the risk-adjusted outcomes do not accurately reflect the quality of care provided by the hospital may submit a statement to the department, within the 60 days, explaining why the outcomes do not accurately reflect the quality of care provided by the hospital. The statement shall be included in an appendix to the public report, and a notation that the hospital or its chief of staff has submitted a statement shall be displayed wherever the report presents outcome scores for the hospital.

(b) (1) Prior to the public release of any outcome report that includes data by a physician or medical group, the department shall furnish a preliminary report to each physician or medical group that is included in the report. The department shall allow the physician or medical group 30 days from the date the department sends the report to the physician or medical group to review the outcome scores and compare the scores to other California physicians or medical groups, respectively. A physician or medical group that believes that the risk-adjusted outcome does not accurately reflect the quality of care provided by the physician or medical group may submit a statement to the department within the 30 days, explaining why the outcomes do not accurately reflect the quality of care provided by the physician or medical group.

(2) The department shall promptly review the statement and shall respond to the physician or medical group with one of the following conclusions:

(A) The statement reveals a flaw in the accuracy of the reported data relating to the physician or medical group that materially diminishes the validity of the report. If this finding is made, the data for that physician or medical group shall not be included in the report until the flaw in the data is corrected.

(B) The statement reveals a flaw in the risk-adjustment model that materially diminishes the value of the report for all physicians or medical groups. If this finding is made, the report using that risk-adjustment model shall not be issued until the flaw is corrected.

(C) The statement does not reveal a flaw in either the accuracy of the reported data relating to the physician or medical group, or the risk-adjustment model in which case the report shall be used, unless the physician or medical group chooses to use the procedure set forth in paragraph (3).

(3) If a physician or medical group is not satisfied with the conclusion reached by the department, the physician or medical group shall notify the department of that fact. Upon receipt of the notice, the department shall forward the statement to the appropriate clinical panel appointed pursuant to Section 128748. The department shall forward the statement with any information identifying the physician or medical group or the hospital of the physician or medical group redacted, or shall adopt other means to ensure the physician or medical group’s identity is not revealed to the panel. The clinical panel shall promptly review the statement and the conclusion of the office and shall respond by either upholding the conclusion or reaching one of the other conclusions set forth in this subdivision. The panel decision shall be the final determination regarding the statement. The process set forth in this subdivision shall be completed within 60 days from the date the department sends the report to each physician or medical group included in the report. If a decision by either the department or the clinical panel cannot be reached within the 60-day period, then the outcome report may be issued but shall not include data for the physician or medical group submitting the statement.

(c) The department shall, in addition to public reports, provide hospitals and the chiefs of staff of the medical staffs with a report containing additional detailed information derived from data summarized in the public outcome reports as an aid to internal quality assurance.

(d) If, pursuant to the recommendations of the department, the Legislature subsequently amends Section 128735 to authorize the collection of additional discharge data elements, then the outcome reports for conditions and procedures for which sufficient data is not available from the current abstract record will be produced following the collection and analysis of the additional data elements.

(e) The recommendations of the department for the addition of data elements to the discharge abstract should take into consideration the technical feasibility of developing reliable risk-adjustment factors for additional procedures and conditions as determined by the department with the advice of the research community, physicians and surgeons, hospitals, consumer or patient advocacy groups, and medical records personnel.

(f) The department at a minimum shall identify a limited set of core clinical data elements to be collected for all of the selected procedures and conditions and unique clinical variables necessary for risk adjustment of specific conditions and procedures selected for the outcomes report program. In addition, the department should give careful consideration to the costs associated with the additional data collection and the value of the specific information to be collected.

(g) The department shall also engage in a continuing process of data development and refinement applicable to both current and prospective outcome studies.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 143, Sec. 208. (AB 133) Effective July 27, 2021.)


text:
(a) (1) Hospitals shall file the reports required by subdivisions (a), (b), (c), and (d) of Section 128735 with the department within four months after the close of the hospital’s fiscal year except as provided in paragraph (2).

(2) If a licensee relinquishes the facility license or puts the facility license in suspense, the last day of active licensure shall be deemed a fiscal year end.

(3) The department shall make the reports filed pursuant to this subdivision available no later than three months after they were filed.

(b) (1) Skilled nursing facilities, intermediate care facilities, intermediate care facilities/developmentally disabled, hospice facilities, and congregate living facilities, including nursing facilities certified by the State Department of Health Care Services to participate in the Medi-Cal program, shall file the reports required by subdivisions (a), (b), (c), and (d) of Section 128735 with the department within four months after the close of the facility’s fiscal year, except as provided in paragraph (2).

(2) (A) If a licensee relinquishes the facility license or puts the facility licensure in suspense, the last day of active licensure shall be deemed a fiscal year end.

(B) If a fiscal year end is created because the facility license is relinquished or put in suspense, the facility shall file the reports required by subdivisions (a), (b), (c), and (d) of Section 128735 within two months after the last day of active licensure.

(3) The department shall make the reports filed pursuant to paragraph (1) available not later than three months after they are filed.

(4) (A) Effective for fiscal years ending on or after December 31, 1991, the reports required by subdivisions (a), (b), (c), and (d) of Section 128735 shall be filed with the department by electronic media, as determined by the department.

(B) Congregate living health facilities are exempt from the electronic media reporting requirements of subparagraph (A).

(c) A hospital shall file the reports required by subdivision (g) of Section 128735 as follows:

(1) For patient discharges on or after January 1, 1999, through December 31, 1999, the reports shall be filed semiannually by each hospital or its designee not later than six months after the end of each semiannual period, and shall be available from the department no later than six months after the date that the report was filed.

(2) For patient discharges on or after January 1, 2000, through December 31, 2000, the reports shall be filed semiannually by each hospital or its designee not later than three months after the end of each semiannual period. The reports shall be filed by electronic tape, diskette, or similar medium as approved by the department. The department shall approve or reject each report within 15 days of receiving it. If a report does not meet the standards established by the department, it shall not be approved as filed and shall be rejected. The report shall be considered not filed as of the date the facility is notified that the report is rejected. A report shall be available from the department no later than 15 days after the date that the report is approved.

(3) For patient discharges on or after January 1, 2001, the reports shall be filed by each hospital or its designee for report periods and at times determined by the department. The reports shall be filed by online transmission in formats consistent with national standards for the exchange of electronic information. The department shall approve or reject each report within 15 days of receiving it. If a report does not meet the standards established by the department, it shall not be approved as filed and shall be rejected. The report shall be considered not filed as of the date the facility is notified that the report is rejected. A report shall be available from the department no later than 15 days after the date that the report is approved.

(d) The reports required by subdivision (a) of Section 128736 shall be filed by each hospital for report periods and at times determined by the department. The reports shall be filed by online transmission in formats consistent with national standards for the exchange of electronic information. The department shall approve or reject each report within 15 days of receiving it. If a report does not meet the standards established by the department, it shall not be approved as filed and shall be rejected. The report shall be considered not filed as of the date the facility is notified that the report is rejected. A report shall be available from the department no later than 15 days after the report is approved.

(e) The reports required by subdivision (a) of Section 128737 shall be filed by each hospital or freestanding ambulatory surgery clinic for report periods and at times determined by the department. The reports shall be filed by online transmission in formats consistent with national standards for the exchange of electronic information. The department shall approve or reject each report within 15 days of receiving it. If a report does not meet the standards established by the department, it shall not be approved as filed and shall be rejected. The report shall be considered not filed as of the date the facility is notified that the report is rejected. A report shall be available from the department no later than 15 days after the report is approved.

(f) Facilities shall not be required to maintain a full-time electronic connection to the office for the purposes of online transmission of reports as specified in subdivisions (c), (d), and (e). The department may grant exemptions to the online transmission of data requirements for limited periods to facilities. An exemption may be granted only to a facility that submits a written request and documents or demonstrates a specific need for an exemption. Exemptions shall be granted for no more than one year at a time, and for no more than a total of five consecutive years.

(g) The reports referred to in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 128730 shall be filed with the department on the dates required by applicable law and shall be available from the department no later than six months after the date that the report was filed.

(h) The department shall post on its internet website and make available to any person a copy of any report referred to in subdivision (a), (b), (c), (d), or (g) of Section 128735, subdivision (a) of Section 128736, subdivision (a) of Section 128737, Section 128740, and, in addition, shall make available in electronic formats reports referred to in subdivision (a), (b), (c), (d), or (g) of Section 128735, subdivision (a) of Section 128736, subdivision (a) of Section 128737, Section 128740, and subdivisions (a) and (c) of Section 128745, unless the department determines that an individual patient’s rights of confidentiality would be violated. The department shall make the reports available at cost.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 143, Sec. 209. (AB 133) Effective July 27, 2021.)


text:
(a) On and after January 1, 1986, the systems of health facility accounting and auditing formerly approved by the California Health Facilities Commission shall remain in full force and effect for use by health facilities, but shall be maintained by the department.

(b) The department shall allow and provide, in accordance with appropriate regulations, for modifications in the accounting and reporting systems for use by health facilities in meeting the requirements of this chapter if the modifications are necessary to do any of the following:

(1) To correctly reflect differences in size of, provision of, or payment for, services rendered by health facilities.

(2) To correctly reflect differences in scope, type, or method of provision of, or payment for, services rendered by health facilities.

(3) To avoid unduly burdensome costs for those health facilities in meeting the requirements of differences pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2).

(c) The department shall allow and provide, in accordance with appropriate regulations, for modifications to discharge data reporting format and frequency requirements if these modifications will not impair the department’s ability to process the data or interfere with the purposes of this chapter. This modification authority shall not permit the department to administratively require the reporting of discharge data items not specified pursuant to Section 128735.

(d) The department shall allow and provide, in accordance with appropriate regulations, for modifications to emergency care data reporting format and frequency requirements if these modifications will not impair the department’s ability to process the data or interfere with the purposes of this chapter. This modification authority shall not permit the department to require administratively the reporting of emergency care data items not specified in subdivision (a) of Section 128736.

(e) The department shall allow and provide, in accordance with appropriate regulations, for modifications to ambulatory surgery data reporting format and frequency requirements if these modifications will not impair the department’s ability to process the data or interfere with the purposes of this chapter. The modification authority shall not permit the department to require administratively the reporting of ambulatory surgery data items not specified in subdivision (a) of Section 128737.

(f) The department shall adopt comparable modifications to the financial reporting requirements of this chapter for county hospital systems consistent with the purposes of this chapter.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 143, Sec. 210. (AB 133) Effective July 27, 2021.)