Representative Katie Hall said Wednesday that a bill requiring minimum staffing, equipment and consumer‑facing signage for freestanding emergency rooms has cleared the Utah House and is awaiting action in the Senate.

Hall said the measure would require a board‑certified emergency physician, two nurses, a respiratory‑trained clinician, lab technicians, imaging such as X‑ray and CT, and blood capability at facilities that advertise and bill as emergency rooms. "When people see emergency room on a sign on a building and go there for an emergency, they should, they deserve emergency care," Hall said. The bill also would require signage warning that the facility is an emergency room and that emergency‑room prices apply, Hall said.

The bill, Hall said, passed both House committees unanimously and passed the House floor unanimously; she said it currently "is on the second reading calendar" in the Utah Senate and is awaiting a floor vote. The measure also relaxes a Department of Human Services rule that previously limited how many freestanding ERs could open, Hall said, while tying any expansion to meeting the new minimum standards.

Why it matters: Hall framed the bill as both a public‑safety and consumer‑protection measure aimed at preventing facilities that advertise emergency care from operating with reduced staffing or limited capabilities while charging emergency prices. She said physicians and nurses raised concerns after newer freestanding facilities opened with fewer resources than earlier ones did.

Details Hall described include minimum staff and equipment requirements and a transparency requirement so patients are not misled into expecting urgent‑care level services for an emergency price. Hall said she convened multiple stakeholder meetings last year — bringing physicians, nurses, hospital administrators and others together — to reach the provisions currently in the bill.

Stakeholders and next steps: Hall said nurses and physicians are monitoring the measure and that hospitals were included in negotiations. She characterized the process as contentious at times but concluded by saying the parties reached a workable compromise. The Senate must still hold a floor vote to move the bill forward.

Ending: If the Senate votes the bill out, the measure would proceed to the governor for signature; Hall said supporters are "fingers crossed" the Senate will act.