Texas House Bill HB2945

Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

• Filed: 2/18/25

Caption

Relating to patient stay reports submitted by freestanding emergency medical care facilities.

Impact

The introduction of this bill signifies a move towards increased regulation of emergency medical facilities, potentially leading to improvements in the state's ability to track patient outcomes and improve service delivery. By requiring facilities to report on extended patient stays, lawmakers hope to identify patterns that may indicate broader trends in patient care quality or the utilization of resources. This could result in better-informed regulatory practices and improvements in patient care across the state's emergency medical network.

Summary

House Bill 2945 aims to establish a mandatory reporting requirement for freestanding emergency medical care facilities in Texas regarding patient stays. Specifically, the bill stipulates that these facilities must submit reports for all patient stays that exceed 48 hours to the Health and Human Services Commission. This measure seeks to enhance the oversight and management of emergency medical services by ensuring that extended patient stays are documented and monitored appropriately.

Contention

Despite the potential benefits, there may be concerns regarding the administrative burden placed on healthcare facilities, particularly those that are smaller or operate under tighter resource constraints. Critics might argue that the reporting requirements could divert valuable staff time and resources away from patient care. Additionally, there is the possibility of pushback from facilities that may feel that the regulations are overly intrusive or could lead to implications on their operational flexibility.

Notable_points

The bill is scheduled to take effect on September 1, 2025, allowing time for facilities to prepare for compliance with the new reporting expectations. This implementation date suggests that the Texas legislature is taking a cautious approach, providing a transition period to minimize disruption to emergency medical care providers.

Texas Constitutional Statutes Affected

Health And Safety Code

• Chapter 254. Freestanding Emergency Medical Care Facilities
  • Section: New Section