Hospitals: employee identification.

Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to license and regulate health facilities, including, among others, general acute care hospitals and acute psychiatric hospitals. A violation of these provisions is a crime. Existing law requires a health care practitioner to disclose, while working, their name and license status on a name tag in at least 18-point type, subject to specified exceptions. This bill would require general acute care hospitals and acute psychiatric hospitals, except those operated by the State Department of State Hospitals, to develop and implement a policy that requires all employees who have patient contact to wear an identification tag while on duty that contains prescribed information. By expanding the scope of a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.