HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 61
(By Mr. Speaker, Mr. Kiss, and Delegates
Cann and Beach)
Requesting the Joint Committee on Government and Finance study the
state of emergency medicine in West Virginia to address: (1)
Access to care in emergency departments throughout West
Virginia; (2) boarding of admitted patients in the emergency
department; and (3) the medico-liability environment.
Whereas, There is a crucial need for emergency departments
(EDs) to have access to certain specialists to participate in the
call lists for their hospitals, which is currently not being met,
and jeopardizing the quality of emergency care; and
Whereas, The "boarding" of patients, which is defined as being
admitted to the emergency departments for hours or days due to an
insufficient number of hospital beds, in emergency departments
across the state continues to worsen, impeding the ability to care
for critically ill and injured patients; and
Whereas, The medical liability crisis in West Virginia
continues to result in high costs of professional liability
insurance for physicians, impeding access of patients to care by
emergency physicians and other specialists such as surgeons,
obstetricians, and neurosurgeons and results in attrition and an
inability to recruit new physicians to West Virginia; which is compounded by federal law that requires emergency departments to
care for everyone but does not provide for payment of these
mandated services; and
Whereas, Some of the key factors supporting the need for this
interim study include issues identified in the first ever Report
Card prepared by the American College of Emergency Physicians
regarding The State of Emergency Medicine, citations for which are
contained in the Appendix to this Resolution; where West Virginia
received an overall grade of "C+", with categorical grades of: (1)
A "C+" in Access to Emergency Care; (2) an "A" in Quality and
Patient Safety; (3) a "D" in Public Health and Injury Prevention;
and (4) a "D" in Medical Liability Environment; and
Whereas, Emergency physicians throughout West Virginia can
provide astounding personal accounts regarding the challenges they
face in everyday practice regarding access to care, boarding, the
medico-liability environment; and
Whereas, It is in the best interest of all West Virginia
citizens to ensure that the safety net of their health care system
remains intact which is currently in question; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Joint Committee on Government and Finance is hereby
requested to study the state of emergency medicine in West Virginia
to address: (1) Access to care in emergency departments throughout
West Virginia; (2) boarding of admitted patients in the emergency department; and (3) the medico-liability environment; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Joint Committee on Government and
Finance report to the regular session of the Legislature, 2007, on
its findings, conclusions and recommendations, together with drafts
of any legislation necessary to effectuate its recommendations;
and, be it
Further Resolved, That the expenses necessary to conduct this
study, to prepare a report and to draft necessary legislation be
paid from legislative appropriations to the Joint Committee on
Government and Finance.