| 1 | 1 | | By: Guerra H.B. No. 3581 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 5 | 5 | | AN ACT |
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| 6 | 6 | | relating to establishing a coordinated system for the dispatch, |
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| 7 | 7 | | triage, transport, and transfer of patients in certain trauma |
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| 8 | 8 | | service area regional advisory councils; providing rulemaking |
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| 9 | 9 | | authority. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter E, Chapter 773, Health and Safety |
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| 12 | 12 | | Code, is amended by adding Section 773.1141 to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 773.1141. INFORMATION AND GUIDELINES RELATED TO |
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| 14 | 14 | | CERTAIN PATIENT TRANSFERS AND RELATED SERVICES. (a) This section |
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| 15 | 15 | | applies only to a trauma service area regional advisory council |
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| 16 | 16 | | that includes: |
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| 17 | 17 | | (1) at least one county located on the international |
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| 18 | 18 | | border of this state; and |
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| 19 | 19 | | (2) at least one county adjacent to the Gulf of Mexico. |
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| 20 | 20 | | (b) For each trauma service area regional advisory council |
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| 21 | 21 | | to which this section applies, the department, by January 1, 2022, |
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| 22 | 22 | | by rule shall: |
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| 23 | 23 | | (1) require the council to create an advisory |
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| 24 | 24 | | committee composed of equally represented designated trauma |
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| 25 | 25 | | hospital members located within the geographic boundaries of the |
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| 26 | 26 | | council to: |
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| 27 | 27 | | (A) develop guidelines for patient transfers; |
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| 28 | 28 | | and |
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| 29 | 29 | | (B) periodically review patient transfers to |
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| 30 | 30 | | ensure compliance with applicable guidelines; |
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| 31 | 31 | | (2) for the purpose of ensuring that patients located |
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| 32 | 32 | | in the council's geographic boundaries receive health care at the |
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| 33 | 33 | | closest and most appropriate health care facility, require the |
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| 34 | 34 | | council to implement a centralized system to assist the council in |
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| 35 | 35 | | the dispatch, triage, transport, and transfer of patients; and |
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| 36 | 36 | | (3) require each hospital and emergency services |
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| 37 | 37 | | provider operating within the geographic boundaries of the council |
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| 38 | 38 | | to collect and report to the council data on patients transferred |
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| 39 | 39 | | outside the geographic boundaries of the council. |
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| 40 | 40 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 41 | 41 | | a vote of two-thirds of all members elected to each house, as |
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| 42 | 42 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 43 | 43 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 44 | 44 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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