WUSF by Christine Sexton/News Service of Florida
February 14, 2019
Patients admitted to Florida hospitals could get more paperwork in the future in the name of health care “transparency.”
A House panel on Wednesday approved a bill that would require hospitals to give patients written information about the facilities’ infection rates, 15-day readmission rates and overall ratings on a national health-system survey.
The information already is available to consumers on a state website, but bill sponsor Michael Grant, R- Port Charlotte, said it’s not being utilized.
“What we have found through research is few, if any, patients are actually accessing that information,” Grant told members of the House Health Market Reform Subcommittee. “What this bill would require is that hospitals provide that information to patients when they are in a non-emergency situation prior to treatment or upon admission.”
The proposal (HB 319) goes beyond providing the already-available information to consumers in a written form.
Grant’s bill also would require hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers to begin surveying their staffs about patient safety, including inquiring whether staff members would be admitted for procedures at the facilities where they work. Hospitals and ambulatory surgical center would be required to submit the results to the state for publication.