The Legislature finds and declares that:
(a) A pilot program was established by the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development to test the feasibility of performing high quality, safe diagnostic cardiac catheterization procedures in a freestanding cardiac catheterization laboratory.
(b) Evaluation of this pilot program by the office demonstrated that it is feasible to conduct these procedures in nonhospital settings and that these laboratories maintain the quality of the diagnostic procedures while also reducing the cost of care.
(c) Based on this evaluation, it is the intent of the Legislature that those freestanding cardiac catheterization laboratories that are in active status in the pilot program be licensed.