§1519.7. Hospital advisory committees

           A. A community advisory committee shall represent each area served by a hospital in the division, and the board may establish other hospital committee structures in its discretion. The board shall establish bylaws to govern community advisory committees and any other hospital committee structure and shall set terms of office for committee members.

           B. The board, upon recommendation of the division, shall appoint members to the community advisory committees as the board deems appropriate. Such appointments shall be submitted to the Senate for confirmation.

           C. In selecting community advisory committee members, an effort shall be made to reflect the demographic diversity of the community the hospital serves including age, gender, race, and other relevant factors. The board shall solicit and accept nominations from the community at large and from organizations representing community interests, including without limitation health professionals, religious and community leaders, consumer advocates, and consumers of hospital services.

           D. Each community advisory committee shall select its own officers. Community advisory committee members shall serve without remuneration, but may be reimbursed for expenses directly related to their service on the committee in accordance with state travel regulations established by the division of administration.

           E. Each community advisory committee shall perform the following functions:

           (1) Assess unmet health needs within the community and make recommendations on ways to meet such needs.

           (2) Review the performance of the hospital in meeting its established patient care goals and make recommendations on improving performance, increasing the number of minority doctors, relying on evidence-based guidelines to determine what care is given and revising goals as needed.

           (3) Review plans that would result in changes in health services that would be available in the community and recommend changes as needed.

           (4) Review proposed agreements with other providers of health care services that might impact the accessibility or quality of health care services in the hospital and recommend changes as needed.

           (5) Safeguard the patient care mission of its respective hospital.

           (6) Work with the local hospital administration and the board to educate the community about the role, functions, and impact of the hospital.

           (7) Perform such other duties as the board shall determine.

           F. Each committee may provide recommendations to the administration of the hospital or hospitals which it advises, to the division, to the LSU HSC-NO, or to the board as the committee deems appropriate. If the committee believes that proposed changes in health care services would undermine access in the community to needed health services or would undermine the quality of patient care, the committee shall send a resolution indicating its objections to the board.

           G. Each community advisory committee shall receive staff support from the division. Such support will include a staff member selected by the hospital in consultation with the committee. Such support shall include the provision of health information such as the Health Care Report Card, parish health profiles, and other timely, accurate, and relevant information from the Louisiana Department of Health and other sources as requested by the members of the community advisory committee.

           Acts 1997, No. 3, §1, eff. July 1, 1997; Acts 1999, No. 802, §1, eff. July 2, 1999; Acts 2003, No. 906, §1, eff. July 1, 2003.