Proposed Rulemaking Notices
The Oregon Health Authority, Public Health Division is extending the public comment period for the proposed rulemaking noted below. The public comment period will close at 5:00 p.m., January 4, 2021 in order to allow additional time for public input.
The Oregon Health Authority, Public Health Division is proposing to amend and make permanent the temporary rule changes in chapter 333, divisions 501 and 505 that were filed on July 29, 2020 and effective August 1, 2020 requiring hospitals to adopt and implement policies regarding the designation of support persons by patients who need assistance to effectively communicate, make health care decisions, understand health care information, or engage in activities of daily living due to a disability.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many Oregon hospitals revised their visitor policies in order to help protect the health of patients, providers, and staff. The visitor restrictions revealed the need to clarify the difference between visitors and support persons and as a result, SB 1606 was passed during the 2020 Special Session.
These proposed rules clarify the policy and patient notification requirements; specify that a hospital may not condition the provision of treatment on a patient having a POLST, an advance directive, a form appointing a health care representative, or any instruction relating to the administration, withholding or withdrawing of life-sustaining procedures; and require a hospital to conduct a clinical care conference for patients admitted to psychiatric units or for patient's whose request to allow a support person in an operating room, procedure room or other restricted area of the hospital is denied.
Persons are being invited to review these proposed rules and to comment on them.
Persons wishing to present oral testimony may do so at a public hearing being held by teleconference on
December 17th at 2:00 p.m.
Conference call number: 1-877-848-7030 - Access Code: 2030826
Persons may also submit
written comments before 5:00 p.m. on January 4, 2021 to the Public Health Division's Rules Coordinator at the following address:
OHA, Public Health Division
Brittany Hall, Administrative Rules Coordinator
800 NE Oregon Street, Suite 930
Portland, OR 97232
Written comments may also be sent by E-mail to:
publichealth.rules@state.or.us or by fax to (971) 673-1299.
Final rules will be filed after consideration of all comments.
For more details, please see the following Notice of Proposed Rulemaking including the Statement of Need and Fiscal Impact.
Please contact Mellony Bernal at
mellony.c.bernal@dhsoha.state.or.us for questions.