(a) (1) Beginning July 1, 2013, a general acute care hospital that has a licensed perinatal service shall offer to parents of a newborn, prior to discharge, a pulse oximetry test for the identification of CCHD.
(2) The State Department of Health Care Services shall issue guidance stating that hospitals perform this test in a manner consistent with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for CCHD screening.
(3) A hospital described in paragraph (1) shall be responsible for developing a screening program that provides competent CCHD screening, utilizes appropriate staff and equipment for administering the testing, completes the testing prior to the newborn’s discharge from a newborn nursery unit, refers infants with abnormal screening results for appropriate care, maintains and reports data as required by the department, and provides physician and family-parent education.
(b) A pulse oximetry test provided for pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be performed by a licensed physician, licensed registered nurse, or an appropriately trained individual who is supervised in the performance of the test by a licensed health care professional.
(c) This section shall not apply to a newborn whose parent or guardian objects to the test on the grounds that the test is in violation of his or her beliefs.
(Added by Stats. 2012, Ch. 336, Sec. 2. (AB 1731) Effective January 1, 2013.)