For Immediate Release: Feb. 8 2006

House passes bill for emergency license suspension of health care professionals

Olympia - In a critical move to establish a speedy process for disciplining health professionals who are guilty of unprofessional conduct while dealing with their patients, the House today passed House Bill 1071 by a vote of 96-2.

Rep. Tom Campbell (R-2nd District), who is a health care provider himself, introduced the measure to give the state Dept. of Health emergency suspension authority to quickly suspend the license of a dangerous health care professional in order to protect the public health.

"Health care providers, first and foremost, must do no harm," Campbell said." It is the state's duty to ensure patient safety."

Campbell's bill would allow the secretary of the Dept. of Health to move immediately suspend the license of any health care professional who is suspected of harming a patient, pending a full hearing.

Campbell cited the recent conviction of a Seattle doctor who had raped a number of his patients, but only when multiple charges against him accumulated, did he lose his license.

"This is an example of failure to be able to summarily suspend a license," he said.

The bill also directs the Secretary of the Dept. of Health, working with input from the various health profession boards and commissions, to create sentencing gudelines for violations of the Uniform Disciplinary Act.

Rep. Eileen Cody (D-Seattle), chair of the Health Care Committee, commended Campbell for his tenacious work on HB 1071. "The sponsor of this bill was tireless in his effort to improve the disciplinary act," she said.

Campbell said House Bill 1071 now goes to the Senate for consideration, in hopes to pass this bill into law before the session adjourns on March 9.

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For more information, contact Rep. Tom Campbell (360) 786-7912