Substitute House Bill (SHB) 1198, concerning health provider misconduct, takes effect October 1, 2019.
As a reminder, Substitute House Bill (SHB) 1198, concerning health provider misconduct, takes effect October 1, 2019. Passed during the 2019 Legislative Session, the new law requires health care providers to notify a patient if they have been sanctioned for sexual misconduct and are subject to disciplinary order. Patients must be provided with the disclosure at or prior to the patient’s first visit following the order.
The disclosure must include:
- A copy of the public order;
- A description of all sanctions placed on the license holder;
- The duration of all sanctions;
- The disciplining authority's telephone number;
- An explanation of how the patient can find more information about the license holder on the disciplining authority's online license information website.
SHB 1198 allows disciplining authorities to adopt rules to exempt certain types of sexual misconduct from such a requirement. The Dental Quality Assurance Commission has opened rulemaking to evaluate the current sexual misconduct rule and determine whether there should be any exceptions to the patient notification requirement. WSDA will keep members apprised of any developments.
To learn more about legislation passed during the 2019 legislative session that may impact you, your patients or your practice, read the 2019 Legislative Session Summary on the WSDA Blog.