House Bill 1824 would permit birthing centers accredited by a national birthing-center accrediting body to forgo a Department of Health initial on-site licensure survey, provided the department finds the accrediting standards substantially equivalent to Washington law and receives recent accreditation reports.

Under the bill, the Department of Health (DOH) would retain enforcement authority and may still inspect any service areas not covered by the accreditor. DOH may perform validation surveys on up to 10% of accredited applicants but otherwise would accept the accrediting body's survey if it occurred within the prior 24 months (an amendment discussed in committee would extend that window to 36 months and require DOH to compare accreditor standards to statute and rule).

Licensed midwives and accredited birth-center operators testified in favor. Carolee Hall, owner of The Birth House in Olympia and a member of the Washington Association of Birth Centers, said national accreditation already requires meeting state licensure standards and that duplicative DOH inspections are time-consuming and inefficient. She cited published outcome studies showing strong maternal and infant outcomes at accredited freestanding birth centers.

Dr. Cynthia Flynn, a certified nurse-midwife and co-owner of Columbia Birth Center in Eastern Washington, told the committee that DOH inspections can be redundant for centers that have gone through national accreditation and that accepting accreditor surveys could save state resources while maintaining safety standards.

DOH staff provided technical context in committee and staff noted the department retains authority to validate accreditation findings and to enforce state licensure requirements. Lawmakers asked follow-up questions about inspection timing and whether the change would encourage more birth centers in underserved areas; witnesses said it could help sustain and expand existing accredited centers but additional work may be needed to increase birth-center access in remote regions.

Ending: Supporters asked legislators to advance HB 1824 as a cost- and time-saving measure while DOH retained enforcement oversight; the committee will evaluate the proposed amendment clarifying review windows and equivalency comparisons.