The legislature finds that state data reporting requirements for hospitals are placing unwarranted burdens on the health care system during the national and state emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The legislature further finds that such an assessment must identify which hospital data reporting obligations need to be modified and whether collecting additional data or information fulfills legislative objectives.
The Washington state institute for public policy shall conduct a comprehensive review of all state and federal data or information reporting obligations on acute care and psychiatric hospitals in Washington state. The institute shall consult with the Washington state hospital association, the department of health, and the health care authority. Where possible, the institute will use existing information sources. No later than November 1, 2022, the institute shall submit a report with its findings to the department of health and the appropriate committees of the legislature. At a minimum, the report must:
Identify all federal data or information reporting requirements on hospitals;
Identify all state data or information reporting requirements on hospitals;
Identify any state data or information reporting requirements on hospitals that are duplicative to federal requirements or other state reporting requirements;
Identify opportunities to streamline hospital data and information reporting, including instances in which data or information is required to be reported by hospitals to multiple state or federal entities;
For state data or information reporting requirements, identify whether the data or information is accessible to the public; and
Identify state data or information reporting requirements that should be subject to further review to evaluate the relevance of and the continuing need for the data and information.
For the purposes of this section, "hospital" or "hospitals" means facilities licensed under chapter 70.41 or 71.12 RCW.