ABC-ED Act of 2025
The ABC-ED Act of 2025 would (1) authorize new uses of public health data modernization grants to build and improve real-time public health data systems that track hospital bed capacity and how bed capacity affects emergency department (ED) boarding, wait times, and EMS offload times, including the creation of a public-facing dashboard with privacy-protective redactions; (2) expand the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) pilot program to include new models focused on improving emergency care for older adults and for individuals in acute psychiatric crisis, such as geriatric-focused staffing, infrastructure changes, and better ED–post-acute care transfers; and (3) require the Comptroller General to study best practices for these data systems and their impact on ED boarding, wait times, and EMS offload times, with a report to Congress within one year. The overall aim is to reduce ED crowding and boarding by improving data visibility, care coordination, and targeted emergency-care innovations.
Key Points
- 1Expands the use of Public Health Service Act data grants to fund expansion and modernization of public health data systems that can real-time track hospital bed capacity and how capacity affects ED boarding, wait times, and EMS offload times; requires a public-facing, privacy-respecting dashboard.
- 2Mandates creation or expansion of state- or region-wide, real-time data systems and dashboards, with data redacted to comply with privacy laws.
- 3Adds to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) pilot program, requiring inclusion of new models described in two added categories focused on emergency care improvements.
- 4(xxviii) Focus on aging populations: improve ED operations for older adults through staffing and education, ED infrastructure, geriatric-focused policies and quality metrics, and enhanced coordination with post-acute facilities (e.g., skilled nursing, assisted living) with better information exchange and transfer processes.
- 5(xxix) Focus on psychiatric crises: support dedicated ED units for acute psychiatric emergencies and streamlined transfers to post-acute facilities, including faster placement when appropriate.
- 6Section 4 establishes a Comptroller General study on best practices for public health data systems tracking hospital capacity, including integration with hospital EHRs and assessment of impacts on ED boarding, wait times, and EMS offload times; required reporting within one year of enactment.