HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

88

TWENTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2006

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

requesting the director of health to develop a trauma system plan for hawaii.

 

WHEREAS, Hawaii’s trauma system consists largely of independently operating components revolving around a single large Level II designated center in Honolulu at the Queen’s Medical Center, which provides care for the vast majority of trauma on Oahu, as well as more serious trauma transferred from the Neighbor Islands; and

WHEREAS, the American College of Surgeons' (ACS) Committee on Trauma performed a study in 2005 at the request of the State Department of Health and issued a report entitled, "Trauma System Consultation, State of Hawaii," which identified the assets and challenges of Hawaii’s existing trauma system; and

WHEREAS, the ACS report emphasized the following assets of the State’s trauma system:

(1) A mature, statutorily enabled and funded State Emergency Medical Service system;

(2) A committed, high volume ACS-verified Level II trauma center in Honolulu;

(3) Growth, development, and individual provider commitment in some areas; and

(4) Electronic pre-hospital data collection;

and

WHEREAS, the ACS report also identified the following challenges:

(1) Extreme geographic isolation with limited access and re-supply capacity;

(2) Geographic and operational barriers to intra-system transport and transfer;

(3) Lack of sustained staffing and leadership to sustain trauma system development; and

(4) Variable physician commitment, recruitment, and retention for the provision of trauma care;

and

WHEREAS, to improve trauma care in Hawaii, the ACS report made the following recommendations:

(1) The creation of a comprehensive and inclusive Hawaii Trauma System Plan;

(2) The inclusion of county authorities in trauma system planning to explore partnership with the state lead agency for planning and policy development; and

(3) The development of a comprehensive funding proposal; a

and

WHEREAS, trauma care was also the subject of a recent report by Hawaii’s Legislative Reference Bureau entitled, "On-Call Crisis in Trauma Care: Government Responses," which focused on the difficulty in securing physician specialists for emergency call; and

WHEREAS, the Legislative Reference Bureau report identified the following causes of the on-call physician specialist shortage:

(1) The cost of care has increased, while payments to physicians from health plans, Medicare, and Medicaid have dramatically decreased;

(2) Many physician specialists have reduced or eliminated emergency call in favor of a more predictable lifestyle;

(3) There is a national shortage of physician specialists in many areas critical for trauma coverage; and

(4) Malpractice liability insurance premiums are rising;

and

WHEREAS, the emergency call physician crisis must be addressed in order to ensure the integrity of trauma care in Hawaii; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2006, the Senate concurring, that the Director of Health is requested to develop a comprehensive trauma system plan for Hawaii that encompasses all of the major islands and includes cost estimates; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Director of Health involve representatives of all relevant agencies and organizations, both public and private, in the development of the trauma plan; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Director of Health is requested to submit a trauma plan to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2007; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, the Mayors of Hawaii, Honolulu, Kauai, and Maui, the Director of Health, the Chief Executive Officer of the Healthcare Association of Hawaii, the Chief Executive Officer of the Hawaii Medical Association, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Queen’s Medical Center.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Requesting Director of Health to Develop a Trauma System Plan