Texas health officials may lift a requirement mandating that all emergency room in the state have a physician on site at all times, according to a report by the Star-Telegram.
The proposed lift is intended to reduce the financial strain the requirement creates for small hospitals that treat very few ER patients.
Health officials are considering altering the requirement so that instead of a physician being on site at all times, a physician must be on call and available at the hospital within 30 minutes of a call, according to the report.
Opponents to the change argue that lifting the requirement would create risks for patients who expect to be treated by a physician immediately upon their arrival to an ER.
Read the Star-Telegram's report on the Texas ER physician requirement.
The proposed lift is intended to reduce the financial strain the requirement creates for small hospitals that treat very few ER patients.
Health officials are considering altering the requirement so that instead of a physician being on site at all times, a physician must be on call and available at the hospital within 30 minutes of a call, according to the report.
Opponents to the change argue that lifting the requirement would create risks for patients who expect to be treated by a physician immediately upon their arrival to an ER.
Read the Star-Telegram's report on the Texas ER physician requirement.