SB 994: Health care districts: design-build.

(1)Under the existing Dental Practice Act, the Dental Board of California licenses and regulates the practice of dentistry. The act provides that an applicant may obtain an initial 2-year license to practice dentistry and a 2-year renewal license. The act also makes certain conduct unprofessional conduct and authorizes the board to revoke or suspend a license or reprimand or place on probation a dentist for that unprofessional conduct.

Under the existing Medical Practice Act, the Medical Board of California, the Osteopathic Medical Board of California, and the California Board of Podiatric Medicine establish requirements pursuant to which an applicant may obtain an initial 2-year license or subsequent 2-year renewal license to practice medicine as a podiatrist, as a physician and surgeon, osteopathic medicine as an osteopathic physician and surgeon, or podiatric medicine as a podiatrist, respectively. Under existing law, the Medical Board of California is required to adopt and administer standards for the continuing education of physicians and surgeons and each year audits a random sample of physicians and surgeons who have reported compliance with those requirements and requires a noncompliant licensee to make up the deficiency during the next renewal period. Under existing law, a licensee who fails to so comply is ineligible for a subsequent renewal license until he or she documents compliance to the board. Existing law provides for similar continuing education requirements as a condition of obtaining a renewal license to practice osteopathic medicine and podiatric medicine. The act authorizes these boards to discipline a licensee for specified unprofessional conduct.

This bill would require a covered licensee, defined as a dentist, physician and surgeon, osteopathic physician and surgeon, or person licensed to practice podiatric medicine, who practices in a setting other than a clinic, general acute care hospital, or skilled nursing facility, to adopt and implement an antimicrobial stewardship policy consistent with specified guidelines or methods of intervention, as defined, before applying for a renewal license and, upon applying for a renewal license, to certify in writing, on a form prescribed by the respective licensing board, that he or she has both adopted an antimicrobial stewardship policy and is in compliance with that policy. The bill would require those licensing boards to audit, during each year, a random sample of covered licensees who have certified compliance with these requirements and would limit the audit of an individual covered licensee to once every 4 years. The bill would require a covered licensee who is selected for audit to submit to the board, on a form prescribed by the board, a copy of his or her antimicrobial stewardship policy. The bill would require the respective licensing board, that determines that its audited covered licensee has failed to comply with these requirements, to require that covered licensee to comply with these requirements during the following renewal period. The bill would provide that the failure of a covered licensee to comply with those requirements during the renewal period constitutes unprofessional conduct.

(2)Under existing law, health facilities, including, among others, general acute care hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, primary care clinics, and specialty clinics, are licensed and regulated by the State Department of Public Health, and a violation of those provisions is a crime. Existing law requires that each general acute care hospital, on or before July 1, 2015, adopt and implement an antimicrobial stewardship policy in accordance with guidelines established by the federal government and professional organizations that includes a process to evaluate the judicious use of antibiotics, as specified. Existing law requires each skilled nursing facility, on or before January 1, 2017, to adopt and implement an antimicrobial stewardship policy consistent with guidelines developed by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other specified entities.

This bill would, beginning January 1, 2018, require a clinic to adopt and implement an antimicrobial stewardship policy consistent with specified guidelines or methods of intervention, as defined. Because this bill would create new crimes, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

(3)The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.