(a) A technical committee shall be appointed by the secretary to examine and investigate each credentialing application referred by the secretary. Seven persons shall be appointed to each technical committee and such persons shall be appointed for a term of one year. Within 120 days after the expiration of such term, the secretary shall appoint a successor to fill such vacancy. The chairperson of the technical committee shall be designated by the secretary. Three members of the technical committee shall be health care personnel currently credentialed under the laws of this state. Four members of the technical committee shall be consumers of health care who are not also providers of health care. No member of the technical committee shall have a direct economic or personal interest in the credentialing or noncredentialing of health care personnel whose application for credentialing will be reviewed by the technical committee. If a member of the technical committee has a direct economic or personal interest in the credentialing or noncredentialing of health care personnel whose application for credentialing will be reviewed by the technical committee or otherwise has a conflict of interest concerning the credentialing or noncredentialing of health care personnel whose application for credentialing will be reviewed by the technical committee, the secretary shall replace such member on the technical committee by appointing a new member to the technical committee. The new member shall serve for the remainder of the term of the original member. A vacancy on the technical committee shall be filled by appointment within 120 days after such vacancy by the secretary for the remainder of the unexpired term of the vacant position.

(b) Each technical committee, as soon as possible after appointment of the members thereof, shall organize and review any credentialing application assigned to such committee by the secretary. The technical committee shall conduct fact-finding hearings and shall otherwise investigate the credentialing application.

(c) The technical committee shall attempt to obtain evidence and testimony from persons in support of the application and from persons opposed to the application, but evidence and testimony shall not be limited only to such persons. All interested persons shall have an opportunity to give evidence and testimony subject to such reasonable conditions as may be established by the technical committee in the conduct of the hearing and subject to applicable rules and regulations established under this act. A notice of all meetings of the technical committee shall be published in the Kansas register at least 30 days prior to the day of the meeting. The notice shall state the time and place of the meeting.

(d) The technical committee shall make findings in an objective, unbiased manner based on the criteria established in Kan. Stat. Ann. §§ 65-5006 and amendments thereto. Credentialing applicants shall have the burden of bringing forth evidence upon which findings may be made and shall have the burden of proving by clear and convincing evidence that the health care provider occupation or profession should be credentialed by the state. The evidence required to sustain this burden of proof shall be more than hypothetical examples or testimonials. The technical committee shall detail its findings in a report and shall file the report with the secretary. The technical committee shall complete hearings and shall file a report for any applicant group of health care personnel that has begun the process.

(e) If the technical committee determines after consideration of the evidence and testimony that all the criteria established by law or by rules and regulations for credentialing have not been met and that credentialing is not appropriate, the technical committee shall recommend that an application for credentialing be denied. If the technical committee determines after consideration of the evidence and testimony that clear and convincing evidence has been presented that an occupational or professional group of health care personnel has met all the criteria established by law or by rules and regulations for credentialing and that credentialing by the state is appropriate, the technical committee shall recommend the application for credentialing be approved. If the technical committee recommends that the application for credentialing be approved, there shall be included in the committee’s report a recommendation of the level or levels of credentialing, and such recommendation shall be based upon a finding by the technical committee, stated in the report, that all criteria established by law or by rules and regulations for the recommended level or levels of credentialing have been met. This recommendation shall be based on the criteria established in Kan. Stat. Ann. §§ 65-5007 and amendments thereto.