(1) The department shall:

(a) Receive and investigate, where necessary, notifications and reports of adverse events, including root cause analyses and corrective action plans submitted as part of reports, and communicate to individual facilities the department's conclusions, if any, regarding an adverse event reported by a facility; and

(b) Adopt rules as necessary to implement this chapter.

(2) The department may enforce the reporting requirements of RCW 70.56.020 using its existing enforcement authority provided in chapter 18.46 RCW for childbirth centers, chapter 70.41 RCW for hospitals, and chapter 71.12 RCW for *psychiatric hospitals.

Reviser's note: *(1) The term "psychiatric hospital" was changed to "behavioral health hospital" by 2024 c 121 s 19.

(2) This section was amended by 2009 c 488 s 1 and by 2009 c 495 s 13, each without reference to the other. Both amendments are incorporated in the publication of this section under RCW 1.12.025(2). For rule of construction, see RCW 1.12.025(1).

Effective date—2009 c 495: See note following RCW 43.20.050.

Subheadings not law—2007 c 259: See note following RCW 7.70.060.