California Senate Bill SB173 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: SB 173AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 15, 2011 AMENDED IN SENATE MAY 31, 2011 AMENDED IN SENATE MAY 4, 2011 AMENDED IN SENATE MAY 3, 2011 AMENDED IN SENATE MARCH 30, 2011 INTRODUCED BY Senator Simitian (Principal coauthor: Senator Alquist) (Coauthor: Senator Runner) FEBRUARY 7, 2011 An act to add  Section 687 to   and repeal Section 687 of  the Business and Professions Code, relating to healing arts. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 173, as amended, Simitian. Healing arts: mammograms. Existing  law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975 (Knox-Keene Act), provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care. Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing  law provides for the regulation of health care practitioners, as defined.  Existing law requires health care service plan contracts, except specialized health care service plan contracts, and certain health insurance policies to provide a certain level of coverage for mammograms and breast cancer screening and diagnosis, as specified.  Existing federal law requires a written report of the results of each mammography examination and requires a summary of that report to be sent to the patient within a specified time period. This bill would require, under specified circumstances, a health care practitioner who performs a mammography examination  under those provisions  to include in the summary of the written report sent to the patient a specified notice on breast density.  The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2018.  Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 687 is added to the Business and Professions Code, to read: 687.  (a)    A health care practitioner who performs a mammography examination  pursuant to Section 1367.65 of the Health and Safety Code or Section 10123.81 of the Insurance Code  shall, if a patient has heterogeneously dense breasts or extremely dense breasts based on the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System established by the American College of Radiology, include in the summary of the written report sent to the patient, as required by federal law, the following notice: "Because your mammogram demonstrates that you have dense breast tissue, which could hide small abnormalities, you might benefit from supplementary screening tests, depending on your individual risk factors. A report of your mammography results, which contains information about your breast density, has been sent to your physician's office and you should contact your physician if you have any questions or concerns about this report."  (b) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2018, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2018, deletes or extends that date.