(a) The State Department of Public Health shall be responsible for the enforcement of the provisions of this article for violations occurring prior to January 1, 2024. The Department of Health Care Access and Information shall be responsible for the enforcement of the provisions of this article for violations occurring on or after January 1, 2024.
(b) For investigations involving hospital actions required by this article occurring on or after January 1, 2024, the Department of Health Care Access and Information shall also have enforcement authority to assess penalties for violations that occurred on or after January 1, 2022, that arise out of the same investigation. The State Department of Public Health and the Department of Health Care Access and Information shall not impose a penalty for any violation for which the other department has imposed a penalty. Any action brought by the Director of the Department of Health Care Access and Information against a hospital shall not abate by reason of a sale or other transfer of ownership of the hospital that is a party to the action except with the express written consent of the director.
(Amended by Stats. 2024, Ch. 511, Sec. 3. (AB 2297) Effective January 1, 2025.)