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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4070 FILED ON: 1/20/2023
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2156
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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PRESENTED BY:
William J. Driscoll, Jr.
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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act relative to enhancing statewide hospital capacity coordination.
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PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:William J. Driscoll, Jr.7th Norfolk1/20/2023 1 of 2
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4070 FILED ON: 1/20/2023
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2156
By Representative Driscoll of Milton, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2156) of
William J. Driscoll, Jr., relative to enhancing statewide hospital capacity coordination. Public
Health.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)
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An Act relative to enhancing statewide hospital capacity coordination.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 SECTION 1. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the department
2of public health (“the department”) shall create a real-time, statewide, Hospital Capacity
3Coordination Dashboard. To support these efforts, the department of public health shall
4collaborate with healthcare providers with clinical, emergency management, and hospital
5operations expertise and members of the legislature. This dashboard shall be a real-time,
6electronic tool to, at a minimum, gather, report, and facilitate data related to managing hospital
7capacity, capability, and available beds in hospitals across the Commonwealth in the event of a
8public health emergency or other surge in patient need.
9 Said data should ensure and understanding of relevant individual hospital, regional, and
10statewide bed availability. The department may also include other data points as deemed relevant
11to the purpose of monitoring local, regional, and statewide hospital capacity and capability,
12situational awareness, and facilitation of patient load balancing efforts. 2 of 2
13 SECTION 2. The department, the executive office of technology services, and the
14executive office of health and human services shall provide the staffing and funding for this
15dashboard and the operational costs for the final Hospital Capacity Coordination Dashboard,
16subject to future appropriation by the legislature explicitly for this purpose.
17 SECTION 3. Upon completion of the electronic Hospital Capacity Coordination
18Dashboard tool and any corresponding governance or use guideline documents, a healthcare
19coalition, representing medical providers broadly, shall assume control of the Dashboard, and
20manage the operations of this tool, and be given administrative control of the tool, including the
21data produced for and by the Hospital Capacity Coordination Dashboard.
22 SECTION 4. Within 1 year following the effective date of this act, the department shall
23complete the electronic tool.