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House panel advances temporary expedited review for insolvent hospitals in H7407
Summary
The Health and Human Services Committee advanced H7407, a one‑year, expedited Hospital Conversions Act review aimed at protecting Roger Williams Medical Center and Our Lady of Fatima. Sponsors described it as a safety‑net measure; committee members sought changes to the sunset timeline.
Chairwoman Donovan called the House Health and Human Services Committee to consider House Bill 7407, an amendment to the state’s Hospital Conversions Act designed to allow an accelerated review where hospitals are in insolvency proceedings.
The bill’s primary witnesses — Neil Haiteman of the Rhode Island Department of Health and Julia Harvey of the Office of the Attorney General — said the measure is intended as a narrowly targeted, temporary safety‑net to preserve access to emergency, maternity, behavioral health and specialty services at Roger Williams Medical Center and Our Lady of Fatima while a sale is pending. Neil Haiteman said the department and the attorney general “have already spent well over a year examining the current status of operations” and that the agencies are prepared to undertake an expedited review if needed.
Harvey told the committee the bill would allow the Department and Attorney General to use an existing streamlined application already used for expedited reviews of not‑for‑profit hospital conversions and would require that such an application be reviewed within 90 days. “This bill would amend the Hospital Conversions Act,” she said, and “the review of such an application would occur within 90 days.”
Members asked why the bill includes a one‑year sunset. Representative Place and others said a temporary window risks forcing future rushed sessions if similar situations arise. Department and AG staff said the statute already provides expedited review for not‑for‑profit hospitals and that this language addresses the particular mix of a for‑profit owner and a not‑for‑profit purchaser in the current transaction.
The committee voted on the bill at the hearing: a motion to pass H7407 was moved and seconded and the clerk recorded the roll call. The transcript shows 13 recorded affirmative votes and Chair Donovan announced, “The act passes.” Later in the evening, a motion to reconsider and hold H7407 for further study was made, seconded, and carried by roll call; the clerk recorded that the bill is now held for additional study.
What’s next: The committee advanced H7407 out of committee on the first roll call but later reconsidered and held the bill for further study; sponsors and agency staff said the provision is intended as a temporary, narrowly targeted mechanism to preserve access if an alternate sale becomes necessary.
