Hospitals across the nation would need to report whenever they turn away an ambulance under a bill introduced in Congress this week. Failure to comply with the reporting requirements would result in a fine, according to The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The bill, authored by Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., would require all hospitals to report ambulance diversion to HHS beginning next year. The report would need to contain why they went on diversion, how long they were on diversion and the number of ambulances diverted.
The bill also would require health officials to study ambulance diversion and provide recommendations to reduce the practice.
Hospitals that meet the reporting requirements would see an increase in federal funding. That incentive to report ambulance diversion would then slowly be phased out and replaced with a penalty for those that don't comply.