Require emergency departments to be supervised by physicians

HB 789 requires hospital and freestanding emergency departments to have physicians physically present and supervising medical and nursing staff during operating hours. The bill defines a freestanding emergency department as a facility that provides emergency care and is structurally separate from a hospital, and defines a physician as someone licensed in medicine or osteopathic medicine. Under this legislation, a physician must be on duty, immediately available to staff, and continuously involved in coordinating emergency care. This law directly affects hospitals and freestanding emergency facilities by mandating physician supervision of emergency care operations.