HB 7108, An Act Concerning Autism And Intellectual Disability

TESTIMONY OF THE CONNECTICUT HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION
SUBMITTED TO THE HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE

Thursday, March 6, 2025

The Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA) appreciates this opportunity to submit testimony concerning HB 7108, An Act Concerning Autism And Intellectual Disability. CHA supports Section 2 of the bill.

Connecticut hospitals and health systems care for patients, strengthen the state’s economy, and support vulnerable communities across the state. Every day, they work to improve healthcare access, affordability, and health equity. Even as they face ongoing challenges, hospitals provide world-class care to everyone who walks through their doors, regardless of their ability to pay. Hospitals also support an exemplary workforce as the largest collective employer in the state, contribute significantly to the state’s economy, and invest in their communities addressing social drivers of health.

Section 2 of HB 7108 would create a statewide coordinator to serve as a liaison with hospitals that care for patients with autism spectrum disorder or with intellectual or developmental disabilities. The liaison will coordinate and consult with agencies that serve individuals with these conditions and diagnoses and help hospitals navigate the difficult course of ensuring patients are discharged to the appropriate setting of care as soon as practicable. The bill also includes a report to the legislature regarding the efforts of the liaison. The report will include information about the liaison’s efforts to provide information on state programs and services available to hospitals that may provide an alternative to hospitalization for certain persons with autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, or other developmental disabilities.

CHA and Connecticut’s hospitals have been working for several years with various agencies, including the Connecticut Department of Developmental Services (DDS), and the legislature to better address the needs of complex patients, including those with intellectual and developmental disabilities, as well as behavioral health patients. There is an urgent need to increase the availability of community-based beds and resources for these patients who otherwise often get “stuck” in the hospital when their needs would be better served in a different care setting.

At the request of the leadership of the committee, in January, we surveyed our members at a point in time to assess the number of “stuck” or “difficult to place patients” present in each hospital. At that moment in time, more than 200 patients, who are clients of or accessing services from the state, were stuck in hospitals. (DCF: 26, DDS: 42, DSS: 109, DMHAS: 49, and those with multiple agencies: 48). In addition to the numbers we have shared, an additional 100 patients were stuck in hospitals due to complex medical needs that made placement in post-acute care settings difficult or nearly impossible. These conditions include the need for ventilator care, dialysis, a combination of ventilator care and dialysis, behavioral health services, or other complex care needs.

The lack of appropriate care settings, too few community or specialty facility beds, and frequent delays due to limited agency resources or probate court proceedings, converge to create a domino effect that significantly reduces timely throughput at hospitals. Many patients do not need hospital care but are unable to return to their homes, which in turn backlogs emergency departments (EDs), reduces capacity at the hospital for other patients, and drains resources unnecessarily. Stuck or difficult to place patients often measure their time in hospitals in weeks, months, or even years, rather than in days or hours.

Having an agency liaison is a welcome step that hopefully will have an immediate positive impact in assisting hospitals to place patients in the right setting of care as soon as possible. CHA is grateful for the legislature’s efforts in crafting this part of the solution.

Thank you for your consideration of our position. For additional information, contact CHA Government Relations at (203) 294-7301.