All hospitals across the country would have to report when they close their doors to ambulances or may eventually face federal funding cuts, under a bill introduced Thursday in Congress, according to the Milwaukee Journal Standard. https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/investigations/2020/01/30/hospitals-must-report-when-they-turn-away-ambulances-under-new-bill/4615861002/
The bill, authored by U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., would also direct federal health officials to study ambulance diversion and report back to Congress on ideas to reduce the practice. The bill would require self-reporting of all ambulance diversions to federal authorities as early as January 2021, national analysis of diversion practices, and potential reductions in federal funding for high-diversion hospitals.
The Journal Standard reportedly is investigating 21 instances of diversion that resulted in patient deaths.
Ambulance diversion is permitted under limited circumstances by the federal EMTALA law. Ambulances that have entered hospital property cannot be legally diverted, and ambulances requesting to come to a hospital cannot be diverted unless the hospital is on formal diversion status as determined by state laws. If a patient or ambulance still comes to a hospital on diversion status, even if advised in advance to go elsewhere, the hospital must provide care under EMTALA.
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