Date: 03/24/2015

Final
BILL SUMMARY for HB15-1281

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC HEALTH CARE & HUMAN SERVICES

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
Adopt amendment L.001 (Attachment D). The motion p
Refer House Bill 15-1281, as amended, to the Commi		Pass Without Objection
PASS



02:44 PM -- HB 15-1281

Representative Primavera introduced House Bill 15-1281. The bill requires all newborns born in a Colorado birthing center below an elevation of 7,000 feet on or after January 1, 2016, to be screened for congenital health defects using pulse oximetry prior to being released from the center. The state Board of Health within the Department of Public Health and Environment must promulgate rules concerning pulse oximetry testing at hospitals at or above elevations of 7,000 feet. She explained that the test is designed to detect certain types of congenital heart defects. She responded to questions from the committee regarding the necessity of the bill, whether pulse oximetry testing is part of the standard protocol of tests that is performed after a baby is born, the number of birthing centers in Colorado located above 7,000 feet, and why the bill applies different requirements to those facilities. A handout and amendment L.001 were distributed to the committee (Attachments C and D).

150324 AttachC.pdf150324 AttachC.pdf150324 AttachD.pdf150324 AttachD.pdf

02:54 PM -- Marci Sontag, Colorado School of Public Health, testified in support of the bill and discussed newborn screening. She explained that 31 screening tests are mandated, 29 of which are administered through a blood test. She discussed the difficulty in implementing pulse oximetry screening due to Colorado's altitude, and stated that researchers estimate that 1 percent of infants will test positive for congenital heart defects as a result of the test. She spoke regarding the importance of data collection by the state Department of Public Health and Environment to improve the testing. She stated that waiting to implement the screening has resulted in Colorado being one of only a few states that has not implemented the screening. She responded to questions from the committee regarding whether there are any recommendations to bring the babies below 7,000 feet to conduct the test, the window after birth for the test to be conducted, and whether the bill will affect the tests that are conducted on children who are born at home. She further responded to questions regarding insurance coverage for the tests.

03:07 PM -- Janet Stephens, Colorado Hospital Association, testified in support of amendment L.001 and described the amendment. She stated that the amendment creates standard terminology regarding birthing centers and revises language regarding the testing that will occur at facilities above 7,000 feet. She discussed issues with the accuracy of the test at higher elevations. She responded to questions from the committee regarding why hospitals are not currently conducting the tests, stating that the cost of the test is minimal, but does require a certain expertise to administer. She stated that most metropolitan hospitals are conducting the tests, and some of the hospitals located in rural areas may not have the necessary testing equipment.

03:16 PM -- Dr. Jason Wright, Children's Hospital Colorado, testified in support of the bill. He stated that the bill is an early intervention that is critical for newborn health. He stated that lack of screening can leave infants vulnerable to death before the defects are diagnosed. He described the screening, and stated studies still need to be conducted regarding the accuracy of tests that are conducted at higher elevations.

03:21 PM -- Dr. Mary Kohn, University Hospital, demonstrated how the screening is conducted. She stated that parents expect that the test will be conducted as it is the standard of care in most states. She described cases in which children were screened using the test and referred for further treatment. Dr. Wright responded to questions from the committee regarding false positive results and false negative results from the test.

03:32 PM -- Kayla and Avery Mumby, representing themselves and the American Heart Association, described Avery's diagnosis with a heart defect and her subsequent open heart surgery. Ms. Mumby stated that the test was not conducted at Avery's birth and described the benefit she believed would have resulted if Avery had been tested earlier. Ms. Mumby responded to questions from the committee.

03:41 PM -- Gretchen and Cooper Whitehurst, representing themselves and the American Heart Association, spoke regarding Cooper's birth and the results of the pulse oximetry test that was conducted on him shortly after his birth. Ms. Whitehurst described Cooper's subsequent diagnosis with a congenital heart defect and the treatment he received.
BILL:HB15-1281
TIME: 03:46:46 PM
MOVED:Primavera
MOTION:Adopt amendment L.001 (Attachment D). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:Melton
VOTE
Conti
Danielson
Everett
Ginal
Joshi
Landgraf
Melton
Moreno
Ryden
Sias
Windholz
Singer
Primavera
YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection



03:47 PM

Representative Primavera gave concluding remarks regarding the bill.

BILL:HB15-1281
TIME: 03:48:03 PM
MOVED:Primavera
MOTION:Refer House Bill 15-1281, as amended, to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed on a vote of 11-2.
SECONDED:Ginal
VOTE
Conti
Yes
Danielson
Yes
Everett
No
Ginal
Yes
Joshi
No
Landgraf
Yes
Melton
Yes
Moreno
Yes
Ryden
Yes
Sias
Yes
Windholz
Yes
Singer
Yes
Primavera
Yes
Final YES: 11 NO: 2 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS




03:53 PM

The committee adjourned.