AB 1696: Emergency services and care: nurse-midwives.

Existing law provides for the licensing and regulation of health facilities by the State Department of Public Health and makes a violation of those provisions a crime. Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care and makes a willful violation of the act a crime. Existing law requires a health facility to provide emergency services and care upon request or when a person is in danger of loss of life or serious injury or illness, and requires a health care service plan to reimburse providers for emergency services and care. Existing law defines emergency services and care for these purposes to mean medical screening, examination, and evaluation by a physician and surgeon, or other appropriate licensed persons under the supervision of a physician and surgeon, to determine if an emergency medical condition or active labor exists and, if it does, the care, treatment, and surgery, if within the scope of that persons license, necessary to relieve or eliminate the emergency medical condition, within the capability of the facility, among other things.

This bill would specify that a nurse-midwife, as specified, does not require physician supervision when the nurse-midwife is providing emergency services and care within the scope of their authorized licensure.

By changing the scope of a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

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.