We became aware of a notice sent to all hospitals by DHCS in June of 2016 that recalled a number of program flexibility notices on several regulations. One of the regulations impacted was Title 22 section 70223 ( g) . That regulation states;
(g) all anatomical parts, tissues, and foreign objects removed by operation shall be delivered to a pathologist designated by the hospital and a report of his findings shall be filed in the patient's medical record.
A letter was issued by DHCS in 1985 that allowed hospital medical staff's to adopt modified policy allowing for direct disposal of certain surgical specimens without pathologist examination that included bone fragments , foreign bodies and other specimens.
The impact of this new notice is that all tissues and objects removed during surgery must be sent for pathologist review with no exceptions. A hospital can request regulatory flexibility by contacting their CDPH district by submitting a written request with evidence to substantiate their request . We have attached a copy of the All Facilities Notice and suggest that you this issue with hospital administration and your medical staff.
