HI HCR172

Director of Health requested to convene a working group to address patient transfer and ambulance service delays, which have caused serious and sometimes fatal consequences for patients on Oahu and neighbor islands.

Working group to evaluate three primary issues: lack of coordinated bed/service identification system requiring physicians to contact facilities individually (delays up to 5 days), limited transportation capacity with Hawaii Life Flight as sole air ambulance provider for neighbor islands and American Medical Response as sole private ground ambulance on Oahu, and insufficient bed availability and specialized medical services at receiving hospitals.

Working group to evaluate potential solutions including formation of statewide coordinated transfer system, increased ground and air transportation capacity including interisland air transport, and increased bed and specialized medical service availability focusing on high-need areas like hemodialysis.

Working group membership to include county emergency services, State Emergency Medical Services Advisory Committee, Healthcare Association of Hawaii, Hawaii Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians, hospitals and federally qualified health centers from each county, and air and ground transportation service providers.

Working group to submit final report with recommendations and proposed legislation to the Legislature no later than twenty days before the Regular Session of 2025.