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Sen. Stuts’ substitute to track ER physician presence wins committee backing, but final measure fails
Summary
Sen. Stuts proposed a substitute for bill 84N1HF-1 requiring hospitals to record quarterly whether a physician is physically present in the emergency department and report that to the Alabama Department of Public Health; the committee adopted the substitute 10-2 but a subsequent motion to advance the measure failed 5-8.
Sen. Stuts told the committee that his substitute to bill 84N1HF-1 would require hospitals to collect quarterly data showing whether a licensed physician is "physically present" and to report that information to the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH).
"The public fully expects that if you show up in the emergency room a doctor's going to be there to take care of you," Sen. Stuts said, arguing the measure is a transparency tool that would let policymakers see whether emergency departments are routinely staffed.
The substitute narrows enforcement language from the sponsor’s earlier draft and removes a proposed requirement that hospitals update a public website minute-by-minute when an ER doctor leaves. The substitute also clarified that telemedicine or physicians available only by telephone would not…
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