2005 Texas Health & Safety Code CHAPTER 105. HEALTH PROFESSIONS RESOURCE CENTER

HEALTH & SAFETY CODE

CHAPTER 105. HEALTH PROFESSIONS RESOURCE CENTER


	§ 105.001. DEFINITIONS.  In this chapter:                                   
		(1)  "Health profession" means any health or allied 
health profession that is licensed, certified, or registered by a 
state board, agency, or association.
		(2)  "Council" means the statewide health coordinating 
council.             

Added by Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 14, § 40, eff. Sept. 1, 1991.  
Amended by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1386, § 3, eff. Sept. 1, 
1997.


	§ 105.002. ESTABLISHMENT OF CENTER.  (a) In conjunction 
with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and in such a way 
as to avoid duplication of effort, the council shall establish a 
comprehensive health professions resource center for the 
collection and analysis of educational and employment trends for 
health professions in this state.
	(b)  In conjunction with the committee formed under Section 
104.0155, to avoid duplication of effort, and to the extent funding 
is available through fees collected under Section 301.155(c), 
Occupations Code, the council shall establish a nursing resource 
section within the center for the collection and analysis of 
educational and employment trends for nurses in this state.
	(c)  If the nursing resource section established under 
Subsection (b) is funded from surcharges collected under Section 
301.155(c), Occupations Code, the council shall provide the Board 
of Nurse Examiners with an annual accounting of the money received 
from the board.  The council may expend a reasonable amount of the 
money to pay administrative costs of maintaining the nursing 
resource section.

Added by Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 14, § 40, eff. Sept. 1, 1991.  
Amended by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1386, § 4, eff. Sept. 1, 
1997;  Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 728, § 9, eff. June 20, 2003;  
Acts 2005, 79th Leg., ch. 113, § 1, eff. May 20, 2005.


	§ 105.003. COLLECTION OF DATA.  (a) The council shall 
place a high priority on collecting and disseminating data on 
health professions demonstrating an acute shortage in this state, 
including:
		(1)  data concerning nursing personnel;  and                                  
		(2)  data concerning the health professions in which 
shortages occur in rural areas.
	(b)  To the extent possible, the council may collect the data 
from existing sources that the council determines are credible.  
The council may enter agreements with those sources that establish 
guidelines concerning the identification, acquisition, transfer, 
and confidentiality of the data.
	(c)  At a minimum, the data collected by the council must 
include the following in regard to health professionals:
		(1)  their number and geographic distribution;                                
		(2)  licensure or certification status;                                       
		(3)  specialty areas, if applicable;  and                                     
		(4)  trends or changes in license holders according to 
number or geographic distribution.
	(d)  To the extent feasible, the council shall use a 
researcher with a doctorate in nursing to collect, analyze, and 
disseminate nursing data that may be used to predict supply and 
demand for nursing personnel in this state using appropriate 
federal or state supply-and-demand models.  The nursing data must 
at least:
		(1)  include demographics, areas of practice, supply, 
demand, and migration;  and
		(2)  be analyzed to identify trends relating to numbers 
and geographical distribution, practice setting, and area of 
practice and, to the extent possible, compare those trends with 
corresponding national trends. 
	(e)  Data received under this section by the nursing resource 
section established under Section 105.002 that contains 
information identifying specific patients or health care 
facilities is confidential, is not subject to disclosure under 
Chapter 552, Government Code, and may not be released unless all 
identifying information is removed.

Added by Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 14, § 40, eff. Sept. 1, 1991.  
Amended by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1386, § 5, eff. Sept. 1, 
1997;  Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 728, § 10, eff. June 20, 2003;  
Acts 2005, 79th Leg., ch. 113, § 2, eff. May 20, 2005.


	§ 105.004. REPORTS.  (a) The council may use the data 
collected and analyzed under this chapter to publish reports 
regarding:
		(1)  the educational and employment trends for health 
professions;          
		(2)  the supply and demand of health professions;  and                        
		(3)  other issues, as necessary, concerning health 
professions in this state.
	(b)  The council shall publish reports regarding the data 
collected and analyzed under this chapter related to:
		(1)  the educational and employment trends of nursing 
professionals;        
		(2)  the supply and demand of nursing professionals;  
and                   
		(3)  other issues, as determined necessary by the 
council, concerning nursing professionals in this state.

Added by Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 14, § 40, eff. Sept. 1, 1991.  
Amended by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1386, § 6, eff. Sept. 1, 
1997;  Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 728, § 11, eff. June 20, 2003.


	§ 105.005. RULES.  The board may adopt rules to govern the 
reporting and collection of data.

Added by Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 14, § 40, eff. Sept. 1, 1991.           


	§ 105.006. ASSISTANCE OF OTHER STATE AGENCIES.  The Texas 
Higher Education Coordinating Board or the department may require 
the assistance of other state agencies or institutions of higher 
education for the development of, or the collection of data for, any 
report.

Added by Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 14, § 40, eff. Sept. 1, 1991.  
Amended by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 1276, § 10.001(a), eff. 
Sept. 1, 2003.


	§ 105.007. CLEARINGHOUSE.  (a) As part of the 
comprehensive health professions resource center, the council 
shall develop and establish a clearinghouse for health 
professionals seeking collaborative practice.
	(b)  The council may:                                                          
		(1)  set and collect a reasonable fee to offset the cost 
of complying with this section;
		(2)  solicit, receive, and spend grants, gifts, and 
donations from public and private sources to comply with this 
section;  and
		(3)  contract with public or private entities in the 
performance of its responsibilities under this section.

Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 965, § 1, eff. June 16, 1995.  
Amended by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1386, § 7, eff. Sept. 1, 
1997.


	§ 105.008. GOALS AND STRATEGIES CONCERNING THE NUMBER OF 
GRADUATES FROM PROFESSIONAL NURSING PROGRAMS.  

Text of section effective until June 1, 2007
	(a)  In this section, "professional nursing program" has the 
meaning assigned by Section 61.9621, Education Code.
	(b)  The council, in consultation with the Texas Higher 
Education Coordinating Board, shall perform an analysis to 
determine, for each academic year, a target number of graduates 
from the state's professional nursing programs, goals for 
increasing the number of graduates from those programs, and the 
levels of public and private funding needed to achieve the target 
number and goals.  The analysis must include assessments and 
projections concerning:
		(1)  the number of registered nurses working in this 
state and the number of registered nurses needed in this state;  and
		(2)  the number of professional nursing program 
graduates needed to address any difference between the numbers 
described by Subdivision (1).
	(c)  Not later than January 1, 2007, the council shall report 
to the legislature concerning the results of the analysis under 
Subsection (b).
	(d)  The council shall use existing resources to perform 
duties imposed under this section.
	(e)  This section expires June 1, 2007.                                        

Added by Acts 2005, 79th Leg., ch. 674, § 1, eff. June 17, 2005.