PRINTER'S NO. 2762
No. 1981 Session of 2007
INTRODUCED BY BOYD, BAKER, BELFANTI, CLYMER, CUTLER, DeLUCA, FRANKEL, GEIST, GRELL, HENNESSEY, HICKERNELL, HUTCHINSON, LONGIETTI, MICOZZIE, MUSTIO, NICKOL, RAPP, READSHAW, REICHLEY, SAYLOR, VULAKOVICH, WANSACZ, WATSON AND YOUNGBLOOD, OCTOBER 26, 2007
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON INSURANCE, OCTOBER 26, 2007
AN ACT 1 Amending the act of March 20, 2002 (P.L.154, No.13), entitled 2 "An act reforming the law on medical professional liability; 3 providing for patient safety and reporting; establishing the 4 Patient Safety Authority and the Patient Safety Trust Fund; 5 abrogating regulations; providing for medical professional 6 liability informed consent, damages, expert qualifications, 7 limitations of actions and medical records; establishing the 8 Interbranch Commission on Venue; providing for medical 9 professional liability insurance; establishing the Medical 10 Care Availability and Reduction of Error Fund; providing for 11 medical professional liability claims; establishing the Joint 12 Underwriting Association; regulating medical professional 13 liability insurance; providing for medical licensure 14 regulation; providing for administration; imposing penalties; 15 and making repeals," providing for Machinery and Equipment 16 Loan Fund eligibility; and making an appropriation. 17 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 18 hereby enacts as follows: 19 Section 1. The act of March 20, 2002 (P.L.154, No.13), known 20 as the Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error (Mcare) 21 Act, is amended by adding a section to read: 22 Section 410.1. Machinery and Equipment Loan Fund eligibility. 23 (a) Funds available.--Up to $25,000,000 of the funds
1 appropriated by the General Assembly for the Machinery and 2 Equipment Loan Fund for the purposes of this section shall be 3 made available for loans to health care facilities to assist in 4 acquiring technology systems that reduce health care-associated 5 infections. Loan and interest payments made by health care 6 facilities to the Machinery and Equipment Loan Fund as a result 7 of loans issued under this section shall be applied and 8 reapplied to the purposes of this section. 9 (b) Reservation.--Of the amount available under subsection 10 (a), $10,000,000 shall be reserved exclusively for loans for 11 qualifying electronic surveillance systems that will reduce 12 health care-associated infections. 13 (c) Limit.--Loans awarded under this section shall not 14 exceed 50% of a health care facility's costs of acquisition and 15 must be approved by the Department of Community and Economic 16 Development and the department. 17 (d) Criteria.--The Department of Community and Economic 18 Development and the department shall jointly develop criteria 19 for evaluating applications for loans under this section that 20 consider the fiscal condition of the health care facility, the 21 ability of the health care facility to implement the technology 22 and the potential savings through avoided costs. The criteria 23 shall be forwarded by the department to the Legislative 24 Reference Bureau for publication as a notice in the Pennsylvania 25 Bulletin. 26 (e) Governing law.--The provisions of 12 Pa.C.S. Ch. 29 27 (relating to machinery and equipment loans) insofar as they are 28 consistent with the provisions of this section shall apply to 29 loans made under this section. 30 Section 2. The sum of $25,000,000 is hereby appropriated to 20070H1981B2762 - 2 -
1 the Machinery and Equipment Loan Fund for the fiscal year July 2 1, 2007, to June 30, 2008, to carry out the provisions of 3 section 410.1 of the act. 4 Section 3. This act shall take effect in 60 days. I10L40BIL/20070H1981B2762 - 3 -