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AB-1196 • 2026

Health facilities: cardiac surgery.

Health facilities: cardiac surgery.

Healthcare
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Gallagher
Last action
Official status
Assembly - Died - Appropriations
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The specific requirements for the registered nurses and physician assistants are mentioned but not defined in the provided text.

Changing Staff Rules for Heart Surgery Teams

This law changes the rules for heart surgeries using blood-pumping machines, requiring a team of one surgeon and two additional staff members who are either registered nurses or physician assistants.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes the rule so that instead of three surgeons, a surgical team must have at least one surgeon plus two other individuals.
  • Requires those two extra team members to be either a physician assistant or a registered nurse who meets specific requirements.
  • Orders the State Department of Public Health to update its regulations by January 1, 2027.
  • Sets a deadline of January 1, 2029, for the department to review and update these rules based on current medical standards.

Who It Names or Affects

  • General acute care hospitals that perform cardiac surgery
  • Surgeons who lead heart surgery teams
  • Registered nurses and physician assistants working in operating rooms
  • The State Department of Public Health

Terms To Know

Extracorporeal bypass
A procedure where a machine takes over the job of pumping blood through the body during surgery.
Cardiovascular operative service
Surgery performed on the heart or blood vessels.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not list the specific requirements that nurses and physician assistants must meet.
  • The exact date this law takes effect is not listed in the provided summary.
  • The text states no state reimbursement is required but only gives a general reason without details.

Bill History

  1. California Legislative Information

    Assembly - Died - Appropriations

Official Summary Text

Health facilities: cardiac surgery.