Bill Text: DE HJR5 | 2017-2018 | 149th General Assembly | Draft
Bill Title: Relating To Improving Medical Outcomes By Establishing Statewide Metrics For Emergency Room Wait Times.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2017-06-23 - Assigned to Health, Children & Social Services Committee in Senate [HJR5 Detail]
Download: Delaware-2017-HJR5-Draft.html
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SPONSOR: |
Rep. Potter & Rep. Longhurst |
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Reps. Bentz, Bolden, J. Johnson, Keeley; Sens. Ennis, Marshall |
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
149th GENERAL ASSEMBLY
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 5
RELATING TO IMPROVING MEDICAL OUTCOMES BY ESTABLISHING STATEWIDE METRICS FOR EMERGENCY ROOM WAIT TIMES.
WHEREAS, the Delaware Emergency Medical System Improvement Act was enacted in 1999 to improve the emergency medical response system in Delaware; and
WHEREAS, the Delaware Emergency Medical Services Oversight Council (DEMSOC) was created to monitor the Delaware Emergency Medical Services system to ensure that all elements of the system are functioning in a coordinated and effective manner to reduce morbidity and mortality rates for the citizens of Delaware; and
WHEREAS, DEMSOC includes key stakeholders in the emergency medical response system in Delaware and is staffed by the Delaware Office of Emergency Medical Services; and
WHEREAS, DEMSOC has appropriately focused on response time for emergency responders, including establishing metrics and reporting on results, which has improved the performance of Delaware’s emergency medical system to the benefit of Delawareans; and
WHEREAS, in July 2016 the News Journal reported on analyses of federal statistics concerning emergency room wait times which highlighted individual hospitals in this State with the slowest response times and concluded that patients in Delaware endure the longest emergency room wait times in the country; and
WHEREAS, reducing emergency room wait times should improve medical outcomes and it is an important metric that our emergency medical system should monitor and improve upon; and
WHEREAS, advancements in technology should allow emergency responders to be aware of emergency room wait times on a real-time basis and such information should inform their decision making in terms of where to transport patients.
NOW, THEREFORE:
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the 149th General Assembly of the State of Delaware, with the approval of the Governor, that DEMSOC, in consultation with the Office of Emergency Medical Services, is directed to consider and establish statewide metrics for emergency room wait times to be adopted by the Division of Public Health.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that DEMSOC and the Office of Emergency Medical Services shall consider mechanisms by which emergency responders will have real-time access to emergency room wait time metrics, so as to be better able to inform their decision making in terms of the most appropriate facility to transport patients.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that once statewide metrics are established, emergency room wait times shall be made public so Delawareans and public officials can readily measure performance in this regard.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that DEMSOC, in consultation with the Office of Emergency Medical Services, shall report to the General Assembly and the Governor on the status of this initiative on or before January 9, 2018.
SYNOPSIS
This resolution directs the Delaware Emergency Medical Services Oversight Council and the Office of Emergency Medical Services to establish statewide metrics for emergency room wait times, with such information being publicly reported on a regular basis and available to emergency responders.
