Critical access hospitals: employment.

Existing law, the Medical Practice Act, authorizes the Medical Board of California to grant approval of the employment of licensees on a salary basis by licensed charitable institutions, foundations, or clinics if no charge for professional services is made, in accordance with specified requirements. Existing law provides an exception to the prohibition on charging for professional services for a federally certified critical access hospital that employs licensees and charges for professional services rendered by those licensees to patients under specified conditions, including that the medical staff concur by an affirmative vote that the licensee's employment is in the best interest of the communities served by the hospital. Existing law makes that exception operative only until January 1, 2024. This bill would delete the provision making the above-specified exception inoperative on January 1, 2024. The bill would make nonsubstantive changes by deleting inoperative reporting requirements.