(REPRINTED WITH ADOPTED AMENDMENTS)

 

Assembly Bill No. 13–Assemblywoman Parnell

 

Prefiled January 11, 2001

 

____________

 

Referred to Committee on Health and Human Services

 

SUMMARY—Revises provisions governing membership of boards of trustees of public hospitals and county hospital districts.  (BDR 40‑436)

 

FISCAL NOTE:            Effect on Local Government: No.

                                    Effect on the State: No.

 

~

 

EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.

 

AN ACT relating to hospitals; authorizing the appointment of a physician to serve on the board of trustees of a public hospital or a county hospital district under certain circumstances; and providing other matters properly relating thereto.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN

SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

 

1-1    Section 1. NRS 450.090 is hereby amended to read as follows:

1-2    450.090  1.  In any county whose population is 400,000 or more, the

1-3  board of county commissioners is, ex officio, the board of hospital trustees,

1-4  and the county commissioners shall serve as hospital trustees during their

1-5  terms of office as county commissioners.

1-6    2.  In any county whose population is less than 400,000, the board of

1-7  county commissioners may enact an ordinance providing that the board of

1-8  county commissioners is, ex officio, the board of hospital trustees. If such

1-9  an ordinance is enacted in a county:

1-10    (a) The county commissioners shall serve as hospital trustees during

1-11  their terms of office as county commissioners; and

1-12    (b) If hospital trustees have been elected pursuant to NRS 450.070 and

1-13  450.080, the term of office of each hospital trustee who is serving in that

1-14  capacity on the effective date of the ordinance is terminated as of the

1-15  effective date of the ordinance.

1-16    3.  A board of county commissioners shall not enact an ordinance

1-17  pursuant to subsection 2 unless it determines that:

1-18    (a) The county has fully funded its indigent care account created

1-19  pursuant to NRS 428.010;

2-1    (b) The county has fulfilled its duty to reimburse the hospital for

2-2  indigent care provided to qualified indigent patients; and

2-3    (c) During the previous calendar year:

2-4       (1) At least one of the hospital’s accounts payable was more than 90

2-5  days in arrears;

2-6       (2) The hospital failed to fulfill its statutory financial obligations,

2-7  such as the payment of taxes, premiums for industrial insurance or

2-8  contributions to the public employees’ retirement system;

2-9       (3) One or more of the conditions relating to financial emergencies

2-10  set forth in subsection 1 of NRS 354.685 existed at the hospital; or

2-11      (4) The hospital received notice from the Federal Government or the

2-12  State of Nevada that the certification or licensure of the hospital was in

2-13  imminent jeopardy of being revoked because the hospital had not carried

2-14  out a previously established plan of action to correct previously noted

2-15  deficiencies found by the regulatory body.

2-16    4.  Except in counties where the board of county commissioners is the

2-17  board of hospital trustees, in any county whose population is 100,000 or

2-18  more but less than 400,000, the board of hospital trustees for the public

2-19  hospital must be composed of the five regularly elected or appointed

2-20  members, and, in addition, three county commissioners selected by the

2-21  chairman of the board of county commissioners shall serve as voting

2-22  members of the board of hospital trustees during their terms of office as

2-23  county commissioners.

2-24    5.  Except in counties where the board of county commissioners is the

2-25  board of hospital trustees, in any county whose population is less than

2-26  100,000, the board of hospital trustees for the public hospital must be

2-27  composed of the five regularly elected or appointed members, and, in

2-28  addition, the board of county commissioners may, by resolution, provide

2-29  that [one] :

2-30    (a) One county commissioner selected by the chairman of the board of

2-31  county commissioners shall serve as a voting member of the board of

2-32  hospital trustees during his term of office as county commissioner[.] ;

2-33    (b) A physician who is the chief of the staff of physicians for the

2-34  public hospital shall serve as a voting member of the board of hospital

2-35  trustees; or

2-36    (c) Both a county commissioner appointed pursuant to the provisions

2-37  of paragraph (a) and a physician appointed pursuant to the provisions of

2-38  paragraph (b) shall serve as voting members of the board of hospital

2-39  trustees.

2-40  The term of office of a member appointed pursuant to the provisions of

2-41  paragraph (b) is 2 years and begins on the date the board of county

2-42  commissioners appoints the member.

2-43    Sec. 2.  NRS 450.110 is hereby amended to read as follows:

2-44    450.110  Except in counties where the board of county commissioners

2-45  is the board of hospital trustees, [vacancies] a vacancy in the board of

2-46  hospital trustees occasioned by [resignations, removals] a resignation,

2-47  removal or otherwise [shall] must be reported to the board or boards of

2-48  county commissioners and [shall] must be filled in the same manner as the

3-1  original [appointments. Appointees] appointment. An appointee shall hold

3-2  office [until] :

3-3    1.  Until the next following general election in the usual manner[.] ; or

3-4    2.  If the appointee is a physician appointed to fill the vacancy of a

3-5  member appointed pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (b) of

3-6  subsection 5 of NRS 450.090, for the unexpired term of that member.

3-7    Sec. 3.  NRS 450.550 is hereby amended to read as follows:

3-8  450.550  As used in NRS 450.550 to 450.750, inclusive, unless the

3-9  context otherwise requires:

3-10    1.  “Board of trustees” means:

3-11    (a) A board of hospital trustees:

3-12      (1) Elected pursuant to NRS 450.620 [;] and a physician who is

3-13  appointed pursuant to subsection 1 of NRS 450.640, if applicable; or

3-14      (2) Appointed pursuant to NRS 450.625 [;] and a physician who is

3-15  appointed pursuant to subsection 1 of NRS 450.640, if applicable; or

3-16    (b) A board of county commissioners, if that board enacts an ordinance

3-17  which provides that the board of county commissioners is, ex officio, the

3-18  board of hospital trustees [.] , and a physician who is appointed pursuant

3-19  to subsection 1 of NRS 450.640, if applicable.

3-20    2.  “District hospital” means a hospital constructed, maintained and

3-21  governed pursuant to NRS 450.550 to 450.750, inclusive.

3-22    Sec. 4.  NRS 450.640 is hereby amended to read as follows:

3-23    450.640  The board of trustees may:

3-24    1.  After the board is formed pursuant to the provisions of NRS

3-25  450.620 or 450.625, increase the number of members who serve on the

3-26  board by appointing, as a voting member of the board, one physician who

3-27  is the chief of staff of physicians for a district hospital. The term of office

3-28  of a member who is appointed pursuant to this subsection is 2 years,

3-29  commencing on the date of appointment by the board of trustees. A

3-30  vacancy in the term of a member appointed pursuant to this subsection

3-31  must be filled in the same manner as the original appointment for the

3-32  remainder of the unexpired term.

3-33    2.  Appoint a chief executive officer and necessary assistants for each

3-34  hospital, and fix the compensations of such persons.

3-35    [2.] 3.  Employ physicians, surgeons and interns, as the board

3-36  determines necessary, and fix their compensation.

3-37    [3.] 4.  Remove such appointees and employees.

3-38    [4.] 5.  Remove persons who are appointed or employed pursuant to

3-39  this section.

3-40    6.  Control the admission of physicians, surgeons and interns to the

3-41  staff by promulgating rules, regulations and standards governing such

3-42  appointments.

3-43    Sec. 5.  This act becomes effective on July 1, 2001.

 

3-44  H