RESUMEHB372 4465 5611
RÉSUMÉ DIGEST
ACT 691 (HB 372) 2024 Regular Session Crews
New law creates the Ambulance Patient Offload Delay Collaborative (collaborative) within
the La. Dept. of Health, bureau of emergency medical services.
New law the members of the collaborative include the bureau, the Louisiana Hospital
Association, the Louisiana Ambulance Alliance, and other appropriate stakeholders.
New law provides that the collaborative shall hold its first meeting on or before Oct. 1, 2024,
and shall meet as often necessary to accomplish the requirements of new law.
New law states that the collaborative shall be responsible for all of the following:
(1)Reviewing the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA).
(2)Collecting currently available data from emergency medical services and hospitals
concerning ambulance patient offload times.
(3)Tracking hospitals that exceed established industry standards for patient offload
delays.
(4)Exploring enacted legislation and best practices and policies in other areas of the wor
to address the issue of long patient transfer times.
(5)Exploring options to reduce demand on hospital emergency departments.
(6)Proposing a format for facilitating local collaborative communications between
ambulance service providers and hospital administrators.
New law provides that the collaborative shall prepare and submit a report summarizing the
collaborative's findings and recommendations to the House and Senate committees on health
and welfare by Feb. 1, 2025.
New law permits the collaborative to meet as necessary after submitting the final report
required by new law. If the collaborative continues to meet, it shall submit an annual report
to the House and Senate committees on health and welfare by February 1st of each year.
Effective August 1, 2024.
(Adds R.S. 36:259(B)(20) and R.S. 40:1134)