AB1868 - Health facilities: cardiac surgery.

Amended IN Senate June 08, 2026 CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION Assembly Bill No. 1868 Introduced by Assembly Member Gallagher Hadwick (Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Hadwick) (Coauthors: Assembly Members Jeff Gonzalez, Johnson, Macedo, Ellis, and Wallis) February 11, 2026 An act to add Section 1255.4 to the Health and Safety Code, relating to health facilities. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 1868, as amended, Gallagher Hadwick. Health facilities: cardiac surgery. Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of health facilities, including general acute care hospitals, by the State Department of Public Health. Existing law authorizes a general acute care hospital to be approved to offer special services, including, among others, cardiac surgery. Existing regulation requires, when a general acute care hospital is providing cardiovascular operative service, that a minimum of 3 surgeons constitute a surgical team if the procedure requires extracorporeal bypass. This bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2030, to update that regulation to reflect current professional standards of care relating to extracorporeal bypass surgery. Digest Key Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO Bill Text The people of the State of California do enact as follows: SECTION 1. Section 1255.4 is added to the Health and Safety Code, to read: 1255.4. On or before January 1, 2030, the department shall update Section 70435(b)(2) paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 70435 of Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations to reflect current professional standards of care relating to extracorporeal bypass surgery.