HB 2450 Summary

• Creates licensure exemption for outpatient treatment centers that share the same governing authority as a licensed hospital and are staffed by licensed healthcare providers, unless patients are kept overnight, treated under general anesthesia, or the center is an abortion or pain management clinic.

• Allows clinical nurse specialists to prescribe medications at exempt outpatient treatment centers (in addition to licensed ones) for behavioral health services, with restrictions on opioid prescribing limited to medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorders.

• Establishes that exempt outpatient treatment centers may colocate with licensed outpatient treatment centers, share common areas and non-treatment personnel, and contract with licensed healthcare providers under specified agreements and written policies.

• Requires the Department of Health Services to have reasonable cause and substantiated complaints of patient harm before inspecting exempt outpatient treatment centers, with violations counted against the parent hospital's license.

• Adds definitions for "exempt outpatient treatment center" and "exempt health care provider" throughout the health care institution licensure statutes to clarify regulatory framework for hospital-affiliated outpatient facilities.