Hospital emergency room: geriatric physician.

Existing law provides for the licensure of health facilities, including general acute care hospitals, by the State Department of Public Health. The violation of these provisions is a misdemeanor. This bill would require each general acute care hospital with an emergency department to have, at all times, a geriatric physician serving on an "on-call" basis to that department. By creating a new crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.