The Washington Legislature was “remarkably productive' for a short session this year, especially on health-care issues, according to Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Des Moines.

Keiser, who chairs the Senate Health and Long-Term Care Committee, offered her assessment of lawmakers’ accomplishments following their final adjournment on March 8.

“Washington will be better prepared for what many experts believe is an inevitable outbreak of bird flu, thanks to a measure that passed in the final hours of a legislative session that also produced significant gains in access to affordable health care,' she said.

“Not only did we do the prudent thing by making a significant investment in our public health system so we’ll be ready for an avian flu outbreak, but we addressed the ongoing health care crisis in both traditional and innovative ways.'

Keiser pointed to the Small Business Partnership Program (House Bill 2572) and the Community Health Care Grant Program (Senate Bill 6459) as examples of “innovative measures designed to expand access to health care through the creation of partnerships with small businesses and local community groups.

“Both of these bills are premised on the notion that everybody has a role in addressing the problem of the uninsured. Government can’t do it alone. The private sector can’t do it alone.

“It’s got to be a partnership between government, employers, employees and local communities, all of us working together to solve the health care crisis,' Keiser added.

The supplemental budget provides $1.5 million for the Community Health Care Grant Program, which is designed to assist local groups that help the uninsured get regular and specialty care.

Other health-care related legislation adopted this year an noted by Keiser includes:

The Small Business Partnership Program, through which employers with low-income workers will be able to find more affordable coverage for these employees, she noted.

SB 6366, which she sponsored, that requires local health districts to develop emergency response plans to the outbreak of an avian flu pandemic by Jan. 1, and provides $9 million in grants so local health districts have the resources to ensure they are ready to deal with an outbreak.

Medical malpractice reforms (SB 2292), a “landmark effort to resolve the contentious medical malpractice issue ... aimed at improving patient safety, reforming practices in the medical malpractice insurance market and improving the civil justice system.'

HB 2493, which tightens requirements related to the licensing and sanctioning of physicians and other health care professionals as part of an effort to protect the public from incompetent and unprofessional practitioners.

Hospital patient billing (SB 6189), an effort to make hospital bills more understandable by requiring hospitals to provide discharged patients with more about information about billing and good contact information.

Establishment of an Advance Directives Registry (HB 2342), a response to the Terri Schiavo case that will enable people to file their advance medical directives in a secure statewide registry that health care professionals can access to understand the wishes of patients when they can’t speak for themselves.

HB 2575, which creates a Technology Clinical Advisory Committee to use evidence-based methods to ensure that the state purchase proven and effective health care services for low-income families and state employees.