MO HB351

Allows Missouri cities with hospitals organized under municipal law that have not received city appropriations for 20 years and maintain 200+ licensed beds to sell, lease, or transfer hospital property only with voter approval by majority vote after board of trustees and city council approval.

Increases fees for copying and retrieving patient health records to $22.82 for search and retrieval plus $0.53 per page, or up to $21.36 for off-site storage retrieval, with electronic records capped at $100 total; fees adjust annually based on medical care inflation rates.

Requires the Department of Health and Senior Services to review and revise hospital licensure regulations to eliminate duplicative inspections with federal CMS standards while maintaining state standards that exceed federal requirements and promote higher patient safety.

Establishes complaint investigation guidelines requiring specific regulatory citations, focused investigations, hospital disclosure of complaint data, and timelines for departmental responses aligned with federal CMS procedures.

Directs the Department of Health and Senior Services to post substantiated hospital complaints on its website including investigation dates, findings, corrective action plans, and comparative complaint rates organized by hospital type; designates section 96.229 as an emergency measure effective upon passage.