S.B. 408
- *SB408*
SENATE BILL NO. 408–COMMITTEE ON
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
MARCH 20, 2025
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Referred to Committee on Health and Human Services
SUMMARY—Revises provisions relating to county hospitals and
county hospital districts. (BDR 40-559)
FISCAL NOTE: Effect on Local Government: No.
Effect on the State: No.
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EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.
AN ACT relating to health care; revising provisions governing the
employment and training of certain physicians by a
county hospital or county hospital district; authorizing a
county or district hospital to contract for the provision of
certain services; authorizing a county or district hospital
to form a separate organization for certain purposes; and
providing other matters properly relating thereto.
Legislative Counsel’s Digest:
Existing law authorizes a county or group of counties to establish a public 1
hospital. (NRS 450.020) Existing law also authorizes a board of county 2
commissioners to establish a county hospital district to operate a district hospital or 3
otherwise provide the services of a hospital to the residents of this State. (NRS 4
450.590, 450.610, 450.630, 450.710) Existing law authorizes the governing body of 5
a county hospital or a county hospital district to: (1) employ physicians, interns and 6
dentists, on a full-time or part-time basis, and fix their compensations; and (2) 7
control the admission of such physicians and interns to the staff of the hospital by 8
promulgating appropriate rules, regulations and standards governing those 9
appointments. (NRS 450.180, 450.640) Existing law further authorizes the 10
governing body of a county hospital to institute and maintain training programs in 11
the county hospital for resident physicians, interns and postgraduates that meet 12
certain accreditation standards. (NRS 450.455) Sections 1 and 3 of this bill remove 13
interns from the list of persons that the governing body of a county hospital or 14
county hospital district may employ, and instead, authorizes such a governing body 15
to employ and control the admission of residents and fellows and fix their 16
compensation. Section 2 of this bill makes a conforming change to authorize a 17
county hospital to institute and maintain training programs for fellows in addition 18
to resident physicians. Section 2 also updates the name of an accrediting 19
organization for medical residencies. 20
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Existing law authorizes a county or district hospital to enter into a contract to 21
provide certain services in connection with or related to the operation of certain 22
hospitals or necessary for the health and welfare of the general public. (NRS 23
450.800) Section 3 specifies that such services include certain mental or behavioral 24
health services performed in connection with or related to a crisis stabilization 25
center, which is a hospital with an endorsement to provide such services. (NRS 26
449.0915) Section 3 also authorizes a county or district hospital to form a separate 27
organization to provide or contract for the provision of certain services. 28
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN
SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. NRS 450.180 is hereby amended to read as follows: 1
450.180 The board of hospital trustees or any hospital 2
governing board appointed pursuant to NRS 450.175 may: 3
1. Appoint a chief executive officer and necessary assistants, 4
and fix their compensations. 5
2. Employ physicians, [interns] including, without limitation, 6
residents and fellows, and dentists, either full-time or part-time, as 7
the board determines necessary, and fix their compensations. 8
3. Remove those appointees and employees. 9
4. Control the admission of physicians , including, without 10
limitation, residents and [interns] fellows, to the staff by 11
promulgating appropriate rules, regulations and standards governing 12
those appointments. 13
5. Contract with individual physicians or private medical 14
associations for the provision of certain medical services as may be 15
required by the hospital. 16
Sec. 2. NRS 450.455 is hereby amended to read as follows: 17
450.455 A board of hospital trustees may institute and maintain 18
training programs in the county hospital for resident physicians, 19
[including interns] fellows and postgraduates. Such programs must 20
meet the standards for recognition by the American Medical 21
Association , or its successor organization, and for accreditation by 22
the [Liaison Committee on] Accreditation Council for Graduate 23
Medical Education [.] , or its successor organization. 24
Sec. 3. NRS 450.640 is hereby amended to read as follows: 25
450.640 The board of trustees may: 26
1. After the board is formed pursuant to the provisions of NRS 27
450.620 or 450.625, increase the number of members who serve on 28
the board by appointing, as a voting member of the board, one 29
physician who is the chief of staff of physicians for a district 30
hospital. The term of office of a member who is appointed pursuant 31
to this subsection is 2 years, commencing on the date of 32
appointment by the board of trustees. A vacancy in the term of a 33
member appointed pursuant to this subsection must be filled in the 34
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- *SB408*
same manner as the original appointment for the remainder of the 1
unexpired term. 2
2. Appoint a chief executive officer and necessary assistants 3
for each hospital, and fix the compensations of such persons. 4
3. Employ physicians, including, without limitation, surgeons 5
, residents and [interns,] fellows, as the board determines necessary, 6
and fix their compensation. 7
4. Remove such appointees and employees. 8
5. Remove persons who are appointed or employed pursuant to 9
this section. 10
6. Control the admission of physicians, including, without 11
limitation, surgeons , residents and [interns] fellows, to the staff by 12
promulgating rules, regulations and standards governing such 13
appointments. 14
Sec. 4. NRS 450.800 is hereby amended to read as follows: 15
450.800 1. In addition to having the powers conferred under 16
chapter 277 of NRS, a county or district hospital may contract with 17
a private hospital or other organization for emergency medical 18
services, including the transportation of patients, or any other 19
services performed in connection with or related to the operation of 20
a hospital. The services may be performed by the parties to the 21
contract or the parties may establish a separate organization for that 22
purpose. 23
2. A county or district hospital may enter into a contract to 24
provide [services:] or form a separate organization to provide or 25
enter into a contract to provide: 26
(a) [For] Crisis stabilization services or any other mental or 27
behavioral health services performed in connection with a facility 28
that has received or is seeking an endorsement as a crisis 29
stabilization center pursuant to NRS 449.0915. 30
(b) Other services for persons, whether or not admitted to the 31
hospital, if those services are performed in connection with or 32
related to the operation of the hospital. 33
[(b) Necessary] 34
(c) Other services necessary for the health and welfare of the 35
general public. 36
3. As used in this section, “crisis stabilization services” has 37
the meaning ascribed to it in NRS 449.0915. 38
Sec. 5. This act becomes effective on July 1, 2025. 39
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