House File 115 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 115 BY BRINK A BILL FOR An Act relating to emergency care policy and procedure 1 requirements applicable to an ambulatory surgical center. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 2072YH (1) 89 pf/rh

H.F. 115 Section 1. NEW SECTION . 135Q.1 Ambulatory surgical centers 1 —— emergency care policies and procedures. 2 1. An ambulatory surgical center shall have in place 3 established written policies and procedures to provide 4 appropriate care to the center’s patients if a patient requires 5 emergency care. The policies and procedures shall provide for 6 all of the following: 7 a. Readily available on-site equipment and supplies and the 8 appropriately trained staff necessary to administer emergency 9 care protocols. 10 b. Prearranged obtainability of ambulance services for 11 transporting a patient to a local hospital when emergency 12 services are required and notification of the patient’s next of 13 kin or a responsible party when such transport is required. 14 c. A written transfer agreement between the ambulatory 15 surgical center and at least one local hospital that requires 16 the hospital to accept a patient requiring emergency care 17 being transferred from the ambulatory surgical center to the 18 hospital. 19 d. The documentation required to accompany the patient to 20 the hospital to be submitted by the ambulatory surgical center 21 to the receiving hospital at the time a patient is transferred 22 for emergency care. Such documentation shall include a copy of 23 all of the patient’s medical records related to the patient’s 24 condition including observations of the patient’s signs and 25 symptoms, the patient’s preliminary diagnosis, any treatment 26 provided to the patient, the results of any tests, and a copy 27 of the informed written consent for the patient’s procedure 28 scheduled or performed at the ambulatory surgical center prior 29 to the transfer. 30 2. For the purposes of this section, “ambulatory surgical 31 center” means a distinct facility that operates exclusively 32 for the purpose of providing surgical services to patients not 33 requiring hospitalization and in which the expected duration of 34 services does not exceed twenty-four hours following admission. 35 -1- LSB 2072YH (1) 89 pf/rh 1/ 3

H.F. 115 “Ambulatory surgical center” includes a facility that otherwise 1 meets the definition of an ambulatory surgical center whether 2 or not licensed, certified, or accredited as an ambulatory 3 surgical center and which may or may not operate on a partially 4 cash-only or completely cash-only basis. “Ambulatory surgical 5 center” does not include individual or group practice offices 6 of private physicians or podiatrists that do not contain a 7 distinct area used for outpatient surgical treatment on a 8 regular basis or that only provide surgery routinely provided 9 in a physician’s or podiatrist’s office using local anesthesia 10 or conscious sedation; individual or group practice offices 11 of private dentists; or a portion of a licensed hospital 12 designated for outpatient surgical treatment. 13 EXPLANATION 14 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 15 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 16 This bill relates to emergency care policies and procedures 17 for ambulatory surgical centers. The bill specifies the 18 established written policies and procedures to provide 19 appropriate care to an ambulatory surgical center’s patients if 20 a patient requires emergency care. The policies and procedures 21 shall provide for readily available on-site equipment and 22 supplies and the appropriately trained staff necessary to 23 administer emergency care protocols; prearranged obtainability 24 of ambulance services for transporting a patient to a local 25 hospital when emergency services are required and notification 26 of the patient’s next of kin or a responsible party when such 27 transport is required; a written transfer agreement between the 28 ambulatory surgical center and at least one local hospital that 29 requires the hospital to accept a patient requiring emergency 30 care being transferred from the ambulatory surgical center 31 to the hospital; and the documentation required to accompany 32 a patient to the hospital to be submitted by the ambulatory 33 surgical center to the receiving hospital at the time the 34 patient is transferred for emergency care. The bill defines 35 -2- LSB 2072YH (1) 89 pf/rh 2/ 3

H.F. 115 “ambulatory surgical center” for the purposes of the bill. 1 -3- LSB 2072YH (1) 89 pf/rh 3/ 3