Bill > S1515

This bill requires the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) to create a real-time, statewide Hospital Capacity Coordination Dashboard, a digital tool designed to track and manage hospital bed availability and capabilities across the Commonwealth during public health emergencies or periods of high patient demand. The dashboard will be developed through collaboration with healthcare providers, emergency management experts, and legislative members, and will provide comprehensive data on individual hospital, regional, and statewide bed availability. The Department of Public Health, Executive Office of Technology Services, and Executive Office of Health and Human Services will provide staffing and funding for the dashboard, subject to legislative appropriation. After the dashboard is completed, a healthcare coalition representing medical providers will assume administrative control of the tool and manage its operations, including data governance. The bill mandates that the electronic dashboard be completed within one year of the act's effective date, with the goal of improving situational awareness and facilitating patient load balancing during healthcare emergencies.

Health and Social Services

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S1515