Dr. Joyce Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Lower Emergency Department Wait Times and Increase Access to Care

Washington, D.C. – Congressman John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13) and Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-06) introduced H.R. 2936, the Addressing Boarding and Crowding in the Emergency Department (ABC-ED) Act, legislation that would relieve overburdened emergency departments by improving the efficiency and delivery of emergency care.

“Throughout the country, American patients cannot receive the care they need due to the lack of open hospital beds and long wait times, which have only increased due to the physician shortage,” said Rep. John Joyce, M.D. “By allowing the use of public health data modernization grants to create systems that track hospital capacity, this data will allow us to identify and implement solutions that will lower wait times for American patients.”

“Too many people have died waiting for a spot in the emergency room while beds sat empty at a hospital down the street. This legislation will empower public health departments to implement advanced preparedness and response technology to ensure patients make it to the facilities where they can receive timely and adequate care,” said Rep. Debbie Dingell.

Background:

• When inpatient hospital beds are full, patients are forced to board in the emergency department (ED).
• While only intended to be temporary, 97% of patients reported a boarding time of more than 24 hours.
• When ED beds are full, this delays care for new patients who require the ICU, forces ED nurses to care for 10 or more patients at a time, and delays first responders' ability to hand off patients, further delaying response times. 
• The ABC-ED Act will alleviate these issues by:
  • Expanding real-time tracking of hospital bed capacity.
  • Authorizing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Innovation Center to pilot improved care programs.
  • Studying the impact that hospital capacity tracking can have on delays to care.

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