Boarding and Crowding Model Legislation Documents
Addressing systemic healthcare bottleneck challenges requires state legislation that establishes institutional accountability and implements hospital-wide operational solutions. ACEP's model bills provide state leaders with legislative templates designed to improve patient throughput and safeguard acute care capacity.
While each draft bill can be introduced independently by a state legislature, they are designed to function together as a comprehensive legislative package:
- Phase 1 – Establish Data and Accountability (Model Bill 1): Sets reporting standards to identify bottlenecks and track emergency department boarding metrics.
- Phase 2 – Implement Systemic Solutions (Model Bill 2): Enacts operational requirements across the hospital to address capacity constraints and resolve boarding.
State advocates may choose to introduce Model Bill 1 first to initiate the statutory process, or introduce Model Bill 1 and Model Bill 2 together to enact an end-to-end policy solution.
Model Bill 1: Hospital Throughput, Crowding, and Emergency Department Boarding Accountability Act
Model Bill 2: Hospital Throughput and Crowding Reduction Act
