SB 308 - This act requires the Department of Health and Senior Services to implement a health care quality program for the purpose of making available a health care quality report card to allow consumers to compare and assess the quality of health care services. The program shall be implemented in two phases. The first phase includes making available cost and quality outcome data on its Internet website by December 31, 2010. The data on the website shall consist of quality and performance outcome and patient charge data currently collected by the department from hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers under federal and state law, as well as data submitted to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services already required to be submitted under federal law. The data shall be disclosed in a manner that allows consumers to conduct an interactive search. The second phase shall be implemented by December 31, 2012, and shall consist of the department working with the recommendations from Health Care Quality Report Card Commission, which is created in this act, on implementation of a long-range plan for making available cost and quality outcome data on the department's internet website. The first health care quality report card shall be made available on that date and shall include data on the following: (1) The accreditation of hospitals, as well as sanctions and other violations found by accreditation or state licensing boards; (2) The volume of various procedures performed; (3) The quality of care for various patient populations, including pediatric populations and racial and ethnic minority populations; (4) The availability of emergency rooms, intensive care units, obstetrical units and burn units; (5) The quality of care in various hospitals settings, including inpatient, outpatient, emergency, maternity, intensive care unit, ambulatory surgical center, and physician practice settings; (6) The use of health information technology, telemedicine, and electronic medical records; (7) Average staffing levels of nurses and other health professionals, patient acuity, and duty hours by nursing unit or department and staff retention rates by nursing unit or department; (8) Training hours completed in a quarterly basis, by category of staff and type of training; (9) Ongoing patient safety initiatives; and (10) Other measures determined by the director or commission. The reports shall be distributed to the governor and General Assembly annually and to the general public upon request. The department shall develop and disseminate the public reports based on data compiled for a period of at least 12 months. The department may consider such additional measures that are adopted by the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services, National Quality Forum, the Joint Commission on Accreditations of Healthcare Organizations, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, or any other similar state or national entity that establishes standards to measure the performance of health care providers. The department shall not require the re-submission of data which has been submitted to the Department of Health and Senior Services or any other state departments under other provisions of law. Using the recommendations of the Commission established under this act, the department shall promulgate rules regarding the standards and procedures for the collection, analysis, risk adjustment, and reporting of health care quality data and procedures to be monitored under the act. Based on the continuing recommendations of the commission, the department shall issue an annual report card on December 31st of each year on it website and update the requirements for the submission of the data as well as include new health care facilities, entities or professionals, as appropriate. Penalties shall be assessed for willfully impeding access to information and for violation of the provisions of the act and rules promulgated thereunder. This act is identical to SB 1216 (2008). ADRIANE CROUSE