HB233

Mississippi HB233 mandates that rural hospitals transfer patients to major hospitals when deemed medically necessary by a doctor.

Mississippi HB233 establishes that patients of rural hospitals must be admitted to the emergency room of a major hospital when a doctor deems it medically necessary. The bill defines "rural hospital" as a licensed Mississippi hospital with fifty or fewer licensed general acute, nonspecialty beds, and "major hospital" as a licensed Mississippi hospital with more than fifty such beds. The State Department of Health is tasked with prescribing rules and regulations for such transfers, considering factors like disparities between hospitals, chronic conditions, and emergency conditions.