Bill > H2024

This bill mandates that every hospital in the Commonwealth operating an Emergency Room (ER) must annually submit a written plan to the Department of Public Health, within 30 days of their fiscal year's start, aimed at eliminating ER overcrowding and diversions. This plan must include a detailed assessment of the previous year's ER wait times, complaints received, steps taken to reduce waits, and the number of hours the ER was on diversion status, broken down by day. It also requires a summary of specific measures the hospital will implement in the current year to reduce overcrowding, such as adjusting elective surgery schedules, and an outline of the plan's anticipated impact on staffing ratios, with actual impacts reported after the first year. Furthermore, the plan must define clear metrics for success, like the number of ER diversions, average wait times for emergency services, or the percentage of patients who are placed in a bed within one hour of arrival. The Department has 20 days to approve or disapprove the plan, with plans automatically approved if no action is taken; disapproved plans require a revised submission within 20 days, and continued disapproval or failure to submit a plan can lead to appropriate action by the commissioner.