Pennsylvania HB 832: An Act providing for hospital closure procedure requirements, for notice of proposed general hospital closure or significant impact closure, for health equity impact assessments, for closure plans and for enforcement actions.

Bill Text

PRINTER'S NO. 1192
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 832
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY O'MARA, PASHINSKI, WAXMAN, KHAN, GUENST, MADDEN,
GIRAL, PIELLI, HILL-EVANS, HANBIDGE, OTTEN, HOWARD, MAYES,
SANCHEZ, HADDOCK, DALEY, DONAHUE, KENYATTA, FREEMAN,
DAVIDSON, CIRESI AND CERRATO, APRIL 1, 2025
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, APRIL 1, 2025
AN ACT
Providing for hospital closure procedure requirements, for
notice of proposed general hospital closure or significant
impact closure, for health equity impact assessments, for
closure plans and for enforcement actions.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Short title.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the Hospital
Closure Procedure and Notification Act.
Section 2. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Closure plan." A detailed plan for a general hospital
closure or a significant impact unit closure as required under
this act.
"Department." The Department of Health of the Commonwealth.
"General hospital closure." The closure of all or a majority
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of the units or departments of a hospital.
"Health equity impact assessment." A report that provides
data metrics on a hospital as required under section 7.
"Hospital." As defined in 28 Pa. Code § 101.4 (relating to
definitions).
"Hospital authority." A hospital's parent company or
governing body or a similar authority that oversees the
hospital's operations and a closure plan.
"Significant impact closure." The closure of an emergency
treatment unit or department of a hospital, a labor and delivery
unit or department of a hospital or any other type of unit or
department of a hospital, that the department determines, by
regulation under section 10, significantly impacts the health
and welfare of an affected community.
Section 3. Hospital closure procedure requirements.
(a) Prohibition.--A hospital authority may not engage in a
general hospital closure or significant impact closure unless
the hospital has adopted a closure plan that has been approved
by the Office of Attorney General and either the department or
the health department of the county or municipality where the
hospital is located.
(b) Approval process.--
(1) The Office of Attorney General and either the
department or the health department of the county or
municipality where the hospital is located may not approve a
closure plan unless the Office of Attorney General and either
the department or the health department of the county or
municipality where the hospital is located determine that
continuity of patient care and the health and safety needs of
the affected community have been adequately addressed in the
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closure plan.
(2) The Office of Attorney General and either the
department or the health department of the county or
municipality where the hospital is located may provide a
conditional approval of the closure plan based on the
hospital authority entering into an agreement with the Office
of Attorney General and either the department or the health
department of the county or municipality where the hospital
is located to meet the requirements under this act.
Section 4. Notice of proposed general hospital closure or
significant impact closure.
No later than 180 days before engaging in a general hospital
closure or significant impact closure, a hospital authority
shall submit a notice of the closure plan to the Office of
Attorney General and either the department or the health
department of the county or municipality where the hospital is
located.
Section 5. Public hearings.
(a) Duty of hospital authority.--Before engaging in a
general hospital closure or significant impact closure, a
hospital authority shall hold a minimum of two public hearings
in the affected community. The hospital authority shall hold one
public hearing no later than 60 days after submitting the notice
under section 4. The hospital authority shall hold a second
public hearing no later than 120 days after submitting the
notice under section 4.
(b) Advertisements.--The hospital authority shall provide a
notice of each public hearing under subsection (a) by
advertising each public hearing in a newspaper of general
circulation within the impacted county, including the time and
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place of each public hearing and other relevant information. The
hospital authority shall advertise each public hearing no
earlier than 60 days before the date of the public hearing and
no later than 10 days before the date of the public hearing.
(c) Hearing information.--No later than 10 days before the
date of each public hearing under subsection (a), the h