Senate bill would protect rural residents from shock of healthcare service shutdowns
Hospitals planning to close facilities or cut services may soon have to notify HHS in enough time for the agency to oversee plans for maintaining patient access to care.
The scenario is on the table thanks to a bill introduced last week in the U.S. Senate by Wisconsin Democrat Tammy Baldwin.
Calling the legislation the Hospital Stability and Health Services (HSHS) Act, Baldwin suggests she wrote the bill with rural communities in mind.
Baldwin drafted the bill after Hospital Sisters Health System announced they were closing two hospitals and more than a dozen clinics in western Wisconsin earlier this year.
These closures threaten to deprive communities of ready access to emergency rooms, hospital beds and critical care units, as well as access to maternal healthcare, behavioral health care and dialysis treatments, Baldwin’s office says.
The HSHS bill would mandate HHS notification by hospitals at least 90 days before they shut off services or shutter facilities.
Upon receiving word of intent, HHS would have the right to demand a plan outlining how the hospital will maintain essential services for affected communities.
Acceptable mitigation measures might include partnerships with surrounding facilities and patient transportation arrangements.
HHS will also look out for employees in danger of losing their jobs, supporting their transition to other positions.
More from Baldwin’s office:
‘This mitigation plan would be available for public comment to ensure community input, and the agency can work with the hospital to develop an alternative plan should the original proposal be insufficient. The bill will also require an annual report to Congress on hospital closure trends and the capacity of the health care system to meet surge demands.’
“If a big hospital is going to shut down in one of our communities, they should help ensure patients don’t slip through the cracks when they are gone,” Baldwin says. “This legislation will help ensure those big hospital systems put their patients before profits and give Wisconsin families what they deserve: peace of mind that they will have access to the care they and their families need to stay healthy.”
Read the bill here, and find local coverage of its introduction here and here.
Dave P. has worked in journalism, marketing and public relations for more than 30 years, frequently concentrating on hospitals, healthcare technology and Catholic communications. He has also specialized in fundraising communications, ghostwriting for CEOs of local, national and global charities, nonprofits and foundations.