Emergency Room (ER) nurses routinely experience frustration and delays while trying to safely discharge elderly patients back to their Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs), Assisted Living Facilities (ALFs), and Rehabilitation Centers.

One of the most common and dangerous problems during these discharges is when no local staff at these facilities available to take phone calls for report. This results in our vulnerable seniors being kept in local Emergency Rooms for hours post treatment, and sometimes even requires local law enforcement intervention just to get local staff to answer their phones.

This is not an isolated issue. Across the country, ER nurses and medical professionals face this problem. This common obstacle not only impacts immediate patient care but also puts unnecessary strain on emergency services and medical transport companies, which in turn delays other patients awaiting those same services.

A common sense solution is a open and transparent national and state level database where hospitals, Emergency Medical Services, and Medical Transport Companies can report delays in care and discharges of patients back to their SNFs, ALFs, and Rehabilitation Centers. With such a system in place, we can identify those facilities that persistently display poor behavior or lack accountability.

Those found wanting should be held accountable - through fines, loss of state or federal funds ,or even revocation of licensing if required. It's time we put patient care above all else.

Please join me in urging our lawmakers to establish this much-needed database – because every minute counts when it comes to patient care. Sign this petition today!