Section 128681.

The office shall conduct, under contract with a qualified consulting firm, a comprehensive review of the financial and utilization reports that hospitals are required to file with the office and similar reports required by other departments of state government, as appropriate. The contracting consulting firm shall have a strong commitment to public health and health care issues, and shall demonstrate fiscal management and analytical expertise. The purpose of the review is to identify opportunities to eliminate the collection of data that no longer serve any significant purpose, to reduce the redundant reporting of similar data to different departments, and to consolidate reports wherever practical. The contracting consulting firm shall evaluate specific reporting requirements, exceptions to and exemptions from the requirements, and areas of duplication or overlap within the requirements. The contracting consulting firm shall consult with a broad range of data users, including, but not limited to, consumers, payers, purchasers, providers, employers, employees, and the organizations that represent the data users. It is expected that the review will result in greater efficiency in collecting and disseminating needed hospital information to the public and will reduce hospital costs and administrative burdens associated with reporting the information.

(Added by Stats. 1998, Ch. 735, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 1999.)