SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1815        FILED ON: 1/14/2009

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 885

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Nine

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An Act Intructing DPH to Conduct a Study of Community Health Trends ..

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1.  Notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law to the contrary, the department of public health shall conduct a study of the commonwealth’s community hospitals, with a particular focus on outmigration of patients and related trends, including but not limited to an examination of observed effects and their potential causes with respect to the following:

(1) The impact on individual community hospitals caused by the opening of additional health care services by providers within the primary service areas of such community hospital, in terms of changes in the number and types of procedures performed and changes in revenues;

(2) Recruitment and retention of personnel; and

(3) Changes in payer mix.

The department shall issue a report summarizing its findings and making recommendations with respect to strengthening community hospitals not later than December 31, 2009, and shall file such report with the joint committee on health care financing.