AB 591, as introduced, Fox. Hospital emergency room: geriatric physician.
Existing law provides for the licensure of health facilities, including general acute care hospitals, by the State Department of Public Health. The violation of these provisions is a misdemeanor.
This bill would require each general acute care hospital with an emergency department to have, at all times, a geriatric physician serving on an “on-call” basis to that department. By creating a new crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: yes.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 1255.4 is added to the Health and Safety
2Code, to read:
Each general acute care hospital with an emergency
2department shall, at all times, have a physician specializing in
3geriatric medicine serving on an “on-call” basis to the hospital’s
4emergency department.
No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to
6Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because
7the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school
8district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or
9infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty
10for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of
11the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within
12the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California
13Constitution.
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