This bill creates a new chapter in Title 18 RCW establishing a licensure program for "health care administrators" employed by hospitals in Washington. The licensure requirement for hospital-employed health care administrators begins January 1, 2027. The Department of Health secretary may adopt rules and set initial licensing and renewal fees (consistent with RCW 43.70.110 and 43.70.250), forms and procedures, continuing education requirements, practice parameters, and hospital audits. Federal employees in the U.S. armed services or other federal branches are exempt from the state license requirement. The bill makes licensure contingent on an approved examination, a complete application including employer and activity information, payment of fees, and other requirements the secretary establishes. Licenses must be renewed annually with proof of approved continuing education. The secretary will develop or approve examinations addressing relevant health care laws and regulatory standards, patient safety protocols, and health-related ethical guidelines; rules will govern exam scheduling, application deadlines, preservation of exam materials for at least one year, impartial administration, and retake limits (applicants may take up to three subsequent exams after the first; failing four exams may allow the secretary to invalidate the application and require remedial education). The Uniform Disciplinary Act (chapter 18.130 RCW) will govern unlicensed practice, license issuance and denial, and discipline under the new chapter. The statute adds specified items that constitute "unprofessional conduct" for licensed health care administrators and directs disciplining authorities to consider an administrator's level of control over hospital policies and finances when imposing sanctions. The act lists many health professions' boards and requires those disciplining authorities to adopt procedures to ensure substantially consistent application of this chapter and the Uniform Disciplinary Act; sections 1–8 are declared a new chapter in Title 18 RCW and Sec. 9 reenacts and amends RCW 18.130.040. The exact new chapter number for health care administrators and the full, untruncated list of professions and any additional provisions are not provided in the extracted facts.

If enacted, hospitals in Washington will need to make sure their nonclinical managers and executives who supervise clinical staff or oversee hospital operations are licensed as "health care administrators" starting January 1, 2027. Those individuals will likely face new upfront costs and time commitments to pass a state-approved exam, submit employer and activity information, pay initial and annual renewal fees, complete required continuing education each year, and possibly undergo hospital audits; failing multiple exam attempts can lead to invalidated applications and required remedial education. Hospitals may change hiring, supervision, and training practices to ensure employees meet licensing requirements, and individual administrators will face greater regulatory risk because discipline will be applied under the state’s uniform disciplinary system with sanctions informed by how much control an administrator has over policies and finances; federal employees are exempt. The Department of Health will need to create rules, exams, fee schedules, and procedures (including preserving exam materials and setting retake limits), and existing health licensing boards must adopt consistent disciplinary procedures across professions named in the act. The bill text available here omits the final chapter number and parts of the list and details, so exact fee amounts, remedial education standards, full disciplinary specifics, and some implementation details are not clear from these extracts.