Bill > S614

This bill allows community hospitals, as defined by the Center for Health Information and Analysis, to apply for a waiver from the Department of Public Health's hospital licensure regulation to provide elective percutaneous coronary intervention, which is a non-emergency procedure to open blocked heart arteries, on-site without requiring on-site cardiac surgery. To receive this waiver, a hospital must have participated in the Department's Primary Angioplasty Special Project, submit an attestation similar to one used for a previous study, and present a plan demonstrating that the waiver would reduce patient travel time, maintain or improve quality, generate cost savings, potentially integrate with a health care system, and not negatively affect other community hospitals. The approval process for this waiver is designed to be swift, not exceeding 30 days, and all community hospitals must obtain this deemed approval before offering such a program.