Revised Code of Washington - RCW Title 70 Public Health And Safety - Chapter 70.41 Hospital Licensing And Regulation

70.41.005 Transfer of duties to the department of health
The powers and duties of the department of social and health services under this chapter shall be performed by the department of health.[1989 1st ex.s. ...

70.41.010 Declaration of purpose
The primary purpose of this chapter is to promote safe and adequate care of individuals in hospitals through the development, establishment and enforcement of minimum ...

70.41.020 Definitions
Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the following terms, whenever used in this chapter, shall be deemed to have the following meanings: (1) "Department" means ...

70.41.030 Standards and rules
The department shall establish and adopt such minimum standards and rules pertaining to the construction, maintenance, and operation of hospitals, and rescind, amend, or modify ...

70.41.040 Enforcement of chapter -- Personnel -- Merit system
The enforcement of the provisions of this chapter and the standards, rules and regulations established under this chapter, shall be the responsibility of the department ...

70.41.045 Hospital surveys or audits -- Frequent problems to be posted on agency web sites -- Hospital evaluation of survey or audit, form -- Notice
(1) Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this subsection apply throughout this section. (a) "Agency" means a department of state government created ...

70.41.080 Fire protection
Standards for fire protection and the enforcement thereof, with respect to all hospitals to be licensed hereunder shall be the responsibility of the chief of ...

70.41.090 Hospital license required -- Certificate of need required
(1) No person or governmental unit of the state of Washington, acting separately or jointly with any other person or governmental unit, shall establish, maintain, ...

70.41.100 Applications for licenses and renewals -- Fees
An application for license shall be made to the department upon forms provided by it and shall contain such information as the department reasonably requires ...

70.41.110 Licenses, provisional licenses -- Issuance, duration, assignment, posting
Upon receipt of an application for license and the license fee, the department shall issue a license or a provisional license if the applicant and ...

70.41.115 Specialty hospitals -- Licenses -- Exemptions
(1) The definitions in this subsection apply throughout this section unless the context clearly requires otherwise. (a) "Emergency services" means health care services medically necessary ...

70.41.120 Inspection of hospitals -- Alterations or additions, new facilities -- Coordination with state and local agencies -- Notice of inspection
The department shall make or cause to be made an inspection of all hospitals on average at least every eighteen months. Every inspection of a ...

70.41.122 Exemption from RCW 70.41.120 for hospitals accredited by the joint commission on the accreditation of health care organizations or the American osteopathic association
Surveys conducted by the joint commission on the accreditation of health care organizations or the American osteopathic association on hospitals accredited by those bodies shall ...

70.41.125 Hospital construction review process -- Coordination with state and local agencies
(1) The department shall coordinate its hospital construction review process with other state and local agencies having similar review responsibilities, including the department of labor ...

70.41.130 Denial, suspension, revocation, modification of license -- Procedure
The department is authorized to deny, suspend, revoke, or modify a license or provisional license in any case in which it finds that there has ...

70.41.150 Denial, suspension, revocation of license -- Disclosure of information
Information received by the department through filed reports, inspection, or as otherwise authorized under this chapter, may be disclosed publicly, as permitted under chapter 42.56 ...

70.41.155 Duty to investigate patient well-being
Any complaint against a hospital and event notification required by the department that concerns patient well-being shall be investigated.[2000 c 6 § 2.] ...

70.41.160 Remedies available to department -- Duty of attorney general
Notwithstanding the existence or pursuit of any other remedy, the department may, in the manner provided by law, upon the advice of the attorney general ...

70.41.170 Operating or maintaining unlicensed hospital or unapproved tertiary health service -- Penalty
Any person operating or maintaining a hospital without a license under this chapter, or, after June 30, 1989, initiating a tertiary health service as defined ...

70.41.180 Physicians' services
Nothing contained in this chapter shall in any way authorize the department to establish standards, rules and regulations governing the professional services rendered by any ...

70.41.190 Medical records of patients -- Retention and preservation
Unless specified otherwise by the department, a hospital shall retain and preserve all medical records which relate directly to the care and treatment of a ...

70.41.200 Quality improvement and medical malpractice prevention program -- Quality improvement committee -- Sanction and grievance procedures -- Information collection, reporting, and sharing
(1) Every hospital shall maintain a coordinated quality improvement program for the improvement of the quality of health care services rendered to patients and the ...

70.41.210 Duty to report restrictions on health care practitioners' privileges based on unprofessional conduct -- Penalty
(1) The chief administrator or executive officer of a hospital shall report to the department when the practice of a health care practitioner as defined ...

70.41.220 Duty to keep records of restrictions on practitioners' privileges -- Penalty
Each hospital shall keep written records of decisions to restrict or terminate privileges of practitioners. Copies of such records shall be made available to the ...

70.41.230 Duty of hospital to request information on physicians granted privileges
(1) Prior to granting or renewing clinical privileges or association of any physician or hiring a physician, a hospital or facility approved pursuant to this ...

70.41.235 Doctor of osteopathic medicine and surgery -- Discrimination based on board certification is prohibited
A hospital that provides health care services to the general public may not discriminate against a qualified doctor of osteopathic medicine and surgery licensed under ...

70.41.240 Information regarding conversion of hospitals to nonhospital health care facilities
The department of health shall compile and make available to the public information regarding medicare health care facility certification options available to hospitals licensed under ...

70.41.250 Cost disclosure to health care providers
(1) The legislature finds that the spiraling costs of health care continue to surmount efforts to contain them, increasing at approximately twice the inflationary rate. ...

70.41.300 Long-term care -- Definitions
"Cost-effective care" and "long-term care services," where used in RCW 70.41.310 and 70.41.320, shall have the same meaning as that given in *RCW 74.39A.008.[1995 1st ...

70.41.310 Long-term care -- Program information to be provided to hospitals -- Information on options to be provided to patients
(1)(a) The department of social and health services, in consultation with hospitals and acute care facilities, shall promote the most appropriate and cost-effective use of ...

70.41.320 Long-term care -- Patient discharge requirements for hospitals and acute care facilities -- Pilot projects
(1) Hospitals and acute care facilities shall: (a) Work cooperatively with the department of social and health services, area agencies on aging, and local long-term ...

70.41.330 Hospital complaint toll-free telephone number
Every hospital shall post in conspicuous locations a notice of the department's hospital complaint toll-free telephone number. The form of the notice shall be approved ...

70.41.340 Investigation of hospital complaints -- Rules
The department is authorized to adopt rules necessary to implement RCW 70.41.150, 70.41.155, and 70.41.330.[2000 c 6 § 6.] ...

70.41.350 Emergency care provided to victims of sexual assault -- Development of informational materials on emergency contraception -- Rules
(1) Every hospital providing emergency care to a victim of sexual assault shall: (a) Provide the victim with medically and factually accurate and unbiased written ...

70.41.360 Emergency care provided to victims of sexual assault -- Department to respond to violations -- Task force
The department must respond to complaints of violations of RCW 70.41.350. The department shall convene a task force, composed of representatives from community sexual assault ...

70.41.370 Investigation of complaints of violations concerning nursing technicians
The department shall investigate complaints of violations of RCW 18.79.350 and 18.79.360 by an employer. The department shall maintain records of all employers that have ...

70.41.380 Notice of unanticipated outcomes
Hospitals shall have in place policies to assure that, when appropriate, information about unanticipated outcomes is provided to patients or their families or any surrogate ...

70.41.390 Safe patient handling
(1) The definitions in this subsection apply throughout this section unless the context clearly requires otherwise. (a) "Lift team" means hospital employees specially trained to ...

70.41.400 Patient billing -- Written statement describing who may be billing the patient required -- Contact phone numbers -- Exceptions
(1) Prior to or upon discharge, a hospital must furnish each patient receiving inpatient services a written statement providing a list of physician groups and ...

70.41.410 Nurse staffing committee -- Definitions
The definitions in this section apply throughout this section and RCW 70.41.420 unless the context clearly requires otherwise. (1) "Hospital" has the same meaning as ...

70.41.420 Nurse staffing committee
(1) By September 1, 2008, each hospital shall establish a nurse staffing committee, either by creating a new committee or assigning the functions of a ...

70.41.900 Severability -- 1955 c 267
If any part, or parts, of this chapter shall be held unconstitutional, the remaining provisions shall be given full force and effect, as completely as ...