HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	53
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

REQUESTING THE HEALTHCARE ASSOCIATION OF HAWAII TO CONTINUE ITS EFFORTS TO DEVELOP SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEM OF PATIENTS IN HOSPITALS WHO ARE WAITLISTED FOR LONG-TERM CARE.

     WHEREAS, the Legislature adopted S.C.R. No. 198 in the 2007 legislative session to address the problem of patients who must remain in acute care hospitals because they cannot be transferred to a long-term care facility due to insufficient numbers of long-term care beds in nursing facilities; and

     WHEREAS, patients in hospitals who are waitlisted for long-term care represent a serious problem in Hawaii because valuable acute care beds may not be available for those with serious illnesses or injuries; and

     WHEREAS, this situation also results in high costs to hospitals that are avoidable; and

     WHEREAS, S.C.R. No. 198 requested the Healthcare Association of Hawaii to study the waitlist problem and report findings and recommendations prior to the Regular Session of 2008; and

     WHEREAS, in response, the Healthcare Association of Hawaii created the Waitlist Task Force (Task Force), which included representation from acute hospitals and long-term care facilities to identify and clarify issues, gather data, and develop solutions to the waitlist problem; and

     WHEREAS, the Task Force met a number of times and reported to the Legislature on its efforts, but due to the complexity of the waitlist problem the Task Force has not yet completed its work in gathering data and finalizing solutions; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2008, the Senate concurring, that the Healthcare Association of Hawaii is requested to continue its work in developing solutions to the waitlist problem; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Healthcare Association of Hawaii is requested to submit a second report of its findings and recommendations to the Legislature no later than 20 days prior to the convening Of the Regular Session of 2009; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Director of Health, Director of Human Services, and President of the Healthcare Association of Hawaii.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Long-term Care; Waitlisted Patients