Michigan Votes Forum

Introduced in the Senate on April 30, 2009

The vote was 36 in favor, 0 opposed and 1 not voting

(Senate Roll Call 380 at Senate Journal 0)

Click here to view bill details.

 

Senator Hardiman asked and was granted unanimous consent to make a statement and moved that the statement be printed in the Journal.

The motion prevailed.

Senator Hardiman’s statement is as follows:

I rise to speak in favor of Senate Bill No. 528 and to ask members to join me in supporting it. This bill would help to correct a flaw in our Public Health Code. It would help put the minds of many of my constituents at ease.

About two years ago, Kent County residents were shocked to discover that a doctor they had known and trusted violated that trust by deliberately reusing medical devices, regardless of the consequences to literally thousands of patients. That doctor was convicted in federal court for falsely billing for services, but the Public Health Code has a gray area about the actual practice of misusing single-use devices.

We need to pass Senate Bill No. 528 to clarify state law and penalize health professionals who would do this to their patients. We don’t want to outlaw the proper use of devices when medically appropriate. Senate Bill No. 528 has some exceptions to recognize legitimate situations, and I have worked with the medical community to try to strike the proper balance in this regulation.

Senate Bill No. 528 is a workable and reasonable response to a terrible situation. Passage of this bill will bring great relief to many in Kent County, and I thank you for your consideration of it.

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Senator Hardiman asked and was granted unanimous consent to make a statement and moved that the statement be printed in the Journal.

The motion prevailed.

Senator Hardiman’s statement is as follows:

I urge members to concur in the House amendments to Senate Bill No. 528. They make relatively small changes, and the main objective of the bill is preserved. With this concurrence, Senate Bill No. 528 and the House companion bill will address a vital issue, especially in Kent County, and bring some peace of mind to thousands of my constituents and residents.

As many of you know, there was a doctor a few years ago who deliberately reused medical devices in complete disregard for his patients’ safety. This has been deeply distressing to those patients and other residents. That doctor was convicted for billing fraud, but Michigan law still contains a grey area on the misuse of medical devices. This bill will clear that up.

No one should have to go through the experience that these patients had. They would all want us to prevent this from happening again. With Senate Bill No. 528, we will, hopefully, take that step. On behalf of those patients and many others, I’m glad we can respond to those concerns in legislation, and thank you for your support.