Gov. Tony Evers announced in a recent press release his support for U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin’s Hospital Stability and Health Services Act (HSHS Act), which is aimed at protecting communities from abrupt hospital closures that interrupt care and leave patients without access to the essential services.
In addition to severely impacting health care access in the area, according to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, the closures have been estimated to impact approximately 1,400 workers, among others, in the surrounding region.
According to Sen. Baldwin, the HSHS Act would require hospitals that are closing or eliminating service to notify the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and allow HHS to request a mitigation plan to ensure patients can still access the care they need. The legislation requires hospitals to notify HHS at least 90 days prior to the discontinuation of services or a full hospital closure. During the notification period, hospitals are prohibited from discontinuing essential services unless continuing to provide the service would be dangerous to patients or employees.
The legislation continues that if HHS determines that the closure would negatively affect access to care, the hospital must submit a plan to HHS that outlines how it will maintain essential services for the community through partnerships with surrounding facilities, including patient transportation plans, and support the transition of health care employees to other positions. 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 a report every two years to Congress on hospital closure trends and the capacity of the health care system to meet surge demands.
The full text of Sen. Baldwin’s legislation is available here.
