HLS 24RS-653 ENGROSSED
2024 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 372
BY REPRESENTATIVE CREWS
HEALTH CARE/PROVIDERS: Provides relative to patient wait time for the provision of
emergency care
1 AN ACT
2To enact R.S. 40:1134, relative to the transfer of a patient from a ground ambulance provider
3 to a hospital; to require the Louisiana Department of Health to collect certain
4 identifying information from a ground ambulance provider under certain
5 circumstances; to provide for the regulation of data collection; to provide for
6 definitions; and to provide for related matters.
7Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
8 Section 1. R.S. 40:1134 is hereby enacted to read as follows:
9 ยง1134. Ground ambulance providers and hospitals; transfer of patients seeking
10 emergency care; collection of data
11 A. As used in this Section:
12 (1) "Ambulance provider" has the same meaning as the term is defined in
13 R.S. 40:1131(5).
14 (2) "Department" means the Louisiana Department of Health.
15 (3) "Hospital" has the same meaning as the term is defined in R.S.
16 40:2102(2) but shall not include a rural hospital as defined in RS 40:1189.3.
17 B. The department shall collect data concerning wait times for patients
18 transported to a hospital by a ground ambulance provider for the purpose of
19 receiving emergency medical services.
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CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions. HLS 24RS-653 ENGROSSED
HB NO. 372
1 C. If a patient is transported to a hospital by a ground ambulance provider
2 to receive emergency care and the patient is not transferred to an appropriate place
3 in the hospital to receive emergency care by hospital staff within thirty minutes after
4 arriving at the hospital, the ground ambulance provider shall report the following
5 information to the department:
6 (1) The name of the ground ambulance provider and the hospital.
7 (2) The time the patient arrived at the hospital.
8 (3) The time the patient is transferred from the ground ambulance provider
9 to an appropriate place in the hospital to receive emergency care from hospital staff.
10 (4) The total number of patients transported by the ground ambulance
11 provider to the hospital in need of emergency care during the previous quarter.
12 (5) The total number of persons transported by the ground ambulance
13 provider to the hospital in need of emergency care who were not transferred to an
14 appropriate place in the hospital to receive emergency care from hospital staff within
15 thirty minutes after arriving at the hospital during the previous quarter.
16 D.(1) Each ground ambulance provider operating in or transporting a patient
17 to a hospital in a parish with a population of one hundred and twenty-five thousand
18 or more shall participate in data collection in accordance with this Section.
19 (2) Each ground ambulance provider operating in or transporting a patient
20 to a hospital in a parish with a population of less than one hundred and twenty-five
21 thousand may participate in data collection in accordance with this Section.
22 E. Any data required to be reported in accordance with Subsection C shall
23 be reported to the department on a quarterly basis.
24 F. The department shall submit an annual report summarizing the data
25 collected in accordance with this Section to the legislative committees on health and
26 welfare by February 1
st
of each year.
27 G. The department may promulgate rules in accordance with the
28 Administrative Procedure Act to carry out the provisions of this Section.
29 Section 2. This Act shall become effective on January 1, 2025.
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CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions. HLS 24RS-653 ENGROSSED
HB NO. 372
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HB 372 Engrossed 2024 Regular Session Crews
Abstract: Requires the La. Dept. of Health to collect certain information if a patient
seeking emergency care is transferred from the care of an ambulance provider to a
hospital when the transfer takes longer than 30 minutes.
Proposed law requires the La. Dept. of Health (LDH) to collect data from each ground
ambulance provider operating in a parish with a population exceeding 125,000 whenever a
patient seeking emergency care is transferred from the ground ambulance provider to the
hospital and the transfer time exceeds 30 minutes. LDH may collect the same data from a
ground ambulance provider in a parish with a population less than 125,000. Proposed law
requires the following information be collected:
(1)The name of the ground ambulance provider and the hospital.
(2)The time at which the patient arrived at the hospital, which is the time the patient is
presented at the hospital.
(3)The time the patient is transferred from the ground ambulance provider to an
appropriate place in the hospital to receive emergency care from hospital staff.
(4)The total number of persons transported by the ground ambulance provider to the
hospital in need of emergency care during the previous quarter.
(5)The total number of persons transported by the ground ambulance provider to the
hospital in need of emergency care who were not transferred to an appropriate place
in the hospital to receive emergency care from hospital staff within 30 minutes after
arriving at the hospital during the previous quarter.
Proposed law requires LDH to submit an annual report summarizing the data collected from
ground ambulance providers.
Proposed law requires data to be reported to LDH on a quarterly basis.
Proposed law authorizes LDH to promulgate rules to carry out the provisions of proposed
law.
Proposed law provides for definitions.
Effective Jan. 1, 2025.
(Adds R.S. 40:1134)
Summary of Amendments Adopted by House
The Committee Amendments Proposed by House Committee on Health and Welfare to
the original bill:
1. Remove the requirement for hospitals to report patient wait time data to the La.
Dept. of Health.
2. Remove the requirement for hospitals and ground ambulance providers to report
the reason for an extensive transfer wait time.
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CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.