SB829

Hawaii SB829 aims to alleviate the physician shortage in rural and neighbor island areas by reducing administrative burdens for organized ambulatory.

The bill addresses the significant shortage of health care providers in Hawaii, particularly in rural areas and on the neighbor islands. It seeks to support organized ambulatory health care facilities by exempting physicians from needing hospital privileges at a licensed hospital in the same location and eliminating the requirement for a written transfer agreement when transferring patients to a licensed hospital. This is intended to make healthcare more accessible in medically underserved areas, especially following the 2023 Maui wildfires that exacerbated the shortage.