Nevada SB 408: Revises provisions relating to county hospitals and county hospital districts. (BDR 40-559)

Bill Text

- 83rd Session (2025)
Senate Bill No. 408–Committee on
Health and Human Services

CHAPTER..........

AN ACT relating to health care; revising provisions governing the
employment and training of certain providers of health care
by a county hospital or county hospital district; authorizing a
county or district hospital to contract for the provision of
certain services; authorizing a county or district hospital to
form a separate organization for certain purposes; and
providing other matters properly relating thereto.
Legislative Counsel’s Digest:
Existing law authorizes a county or group of counties to establish a public
hospital. (NRS 450.020) Existing law also authorizes a board of county
commissioners to establish a county hospital district to operate a district hospital or
otherwise provide the services of a hospital to the residents of this State. (NRS
450.590, 450.610, 450.630, 450.710) Existing law authorizes the governing body of
a county hospital to: (1) employ physicians, interns and dentists, on a full-time or
part-time basis, and fix their compensations; and (2) control the admission of such
physicians and interns to the staff of the hospital by promulgating appropriate rules,
regulations and standards governing those appointments. (NRS 450.180) Existing
law similarly authorizes the governing body of a county hospital district to take
such actions with regard to physicians and interns. (NRS 450.640) Existing law
further authorizes the governing body of a county hospital to institute and maintain
training programs in the county hospital for resident physicians, interns and
postgraduates that meet certain accreditation standards. (NRS 450.455) Section 3
of this bill additionally authorizes the governing body of a county hospital district
to employ and fix the compensation of dentists. Sections 1 and 3 of this bill
remove interns from the list of persons that the governing body of a county hospital
or county hospital district may employ, and instead, authorizes such a governing
body to employ and control the admission of medical and dental residents and
fellows. Section 2 of this bill makes a conforming change to authorize a county
hospital to institute and maintain training programs for fellows in addition to
resident physicians. Section 2 also updates the name of an accrediting organization
for medical residencies.
Existing law authorizes a county or district hospital to enter into a contract to
provide certain services in connection with or related to the operation of certain
hospitals or necessary for the health and welfare of the general public. (NRS
450.800) Section 4 of this bill specifies that such services include certain mental or
behavioral health services performed in connection with or related to a crisis
stabilization center, which is a hospital with an endorsement to provide such
services. (NRS 449.0915) Section 4 also authorizes a county or district hospital to
form a separate organization to provide or contract for the provision of certain
services.

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- 83rd Session (2025)
EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN
SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

Section 1. NRS 450.180 is hereby amended to read as follows:
450.180 The board of hospital trustees or any hospital
governing board appointed pursuant to NRS 450.175 may:
1. Appoint a chief executive officer and necessary assistants,
and fix their compensations.
2. Employ physicians, [interns and dentists,] surgeons and
dentists, including, without limitation, medical and dental
residents and fellows, either full-time or part-time, as the board
determines necessary, and fix their compensations.
3. Remove those appointees and employees.
4. Control the admission of physicians , surgeons and dentists,
including, without limitation, medical and dental residents and
[interns] fellows, to the staff by promulgating appropriate rules,
regulations and standards governing those appointments.
5. Contract with individual physicians or private medical
associations for the provision of certain medical services as may be
required by the hospital.
Sec. 2. NRS 450.455 is hereby amended to read as follows:
450.455 A board of hospital trustees may institute and maintain
training programs in the county hospital for resident physicians,
[including interns] fellows and postgraduates. Such programs must
meet the standards for recognition by the American Medical
Association , or its successor organization, and for accreditation by
the [Liaison Committee on] Accreditation Council for Graduate
Medical Education [.] , or its successor organization.
Sec. 3. NRS 450.640 is hereby amended to read as follows:
450.640 The board of trustees may:
1. After the board is formed pursuant to the provisions of NRS
450.620 or 450.625, increase the number of members who serve on
the board by appointing, as a voting member of the board, one
phy