BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

Senate Research Center

S.B. 1397

 

By: Hinojosa

 

Health & Human Services

 

6/3/2021

 

Enrolled

 

 

 

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

 

S.B. 1397 requires the Lower Rio Grande Valley Trauma Regional Advisory Council (RAC-V) to work with stakeholders to develop guidelines for patient transfers and create a centralized patient transfer system. Currently, the RAC utilizes numerous contracts with single ambulatory services that does not result in the most efficient or highest quality care for patients. With this system in place, emergency services will know what facilities have the capacity and providers available to best treat the patient.

 

(Original Author's / Sponsor's Statement of Intent)

 

S.B. 1397 amends current law relating to regional protocols and processes for patient transfers and related services within the geographic area served by certain trauma service area regional advisory councils.

 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

 

Rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the executive commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission in SECTION 1 (Section 773.1141, Health and Safety Code) of this bill.

 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

 

SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter E, Chapter 773, Health and Safety Code, by adding Section 773.1141, as follows:

 

Sec. 773.1141. INFORMATION, GUIDELINES, AND PROTOCOLS RELATED TO CERTAIN PATIENT TRANSFERS AND RELATED SERVICES. (a) Provides that this section applies only to a trauma service area regional advisory council serving a geographic area that includes at least one county located on the international border of this state and at least one county adjacent to the Gulf of Mexico.

 

(b) Requires the executive commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission (executive commissioner) by rule, for each trauma service area regional advisory council to which this section applies, to:

 

(1) require the council to create an advisory committee composed of equally represented designated trauma hospital system members located within the geographic boundaries of the council or require the council to direct an existing advisory committee of the council established for a purpose similar to that described by this subsection to develop guidelines for patient transfers and to periodically review patient transfers to ensure compliance with applicable guidelines;

 

(2) for the purpose of ensuring that patients located in the council's geographic boundaries receive health care at the health care facility closest to and most appropriate for the patients, require the council to develop regional protocols and processes to assist the council in managing the dispatch, triage, transport, and transfer of patients; and

 

(3) require each hospital and emergency medical services provider operating within the council's geographic boundaries to collect and report to the council data on patients transferred outside the council's geographic boundaries.

 

SECTION 2. Requires the executive commissioner, not later than April 1, 2022, to adopt the rules required by Section 773.1141, Health and Safety Code, as added by this Act.

 

SECTION 3. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2021.