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HB107

HB107: Rules for Doctors in Hospital Emergency Rooms

Last scannedAug 24, 2026, 10:26 AM

In one sentence

This bill creates a new rule requiring hospitals with emergency departments to have at least one qualified physician on site and on duty whenever the department is open.

What it does

  • Creates a new section under Kentucky state law chapter 216B regarding hospital staffing.
  • Requires any hospital offering emergency medical services to employ at least one physician for its emergency department.
  • Mandates that this physician must be licensed in Kentucky.
  • States that the physician must hold board certification or be eligible for board certification in emergency medicine.
  • Orders that the physician must be physically on site and on duty while the emergency department is open.

Who it affects

  • Hospitals offering emergency medical services
  • Physicians working in hospital emergency departments

Limits and unknowns

  • The text does not state when this law will officially take effect.
  • The source material does not explain what happens if a hospital fails to meet these requirements.

Plain language

Terms to know

Board certified or board eligible
A doctor who has passed special exams to prove expertise in a specific field, or is currently completing the training needed for those exams.
On site and on duty
The physician must be physically present at the hospital location and actively working during that time.

Official record

Sources

Source attached

Official summary

AN ACT relating to hospital emergency departments.