A new version of a patient safety ordinance introduced to the Allen County Board of Commissioners last week is scheduled to be acted on at the board's April 2 legislative session.  The meeting will start at 10 a.m. in the Commissioners' Courtroom on the second floor of the City-County Building.

You can view the ordinance by clicking here.

The original ordinance drafted in August 2008 required all physicians who offer to perform any type of outpatient surgical tissue removal procedure to have admitting privileges at a local hospital if the procedure is performed within Allen County.

The new ordinance would affect any physician living outside Allen or any surrounding county and does not have admitting privileges who offers any type of medical care to a person in Allen County.  Those physicians would be required to provide emergency contact information to the Fort Wayne-Allen County Health Department and pay a $250 filing fee.  In addition, follow-up care would have to be made available on an appropriate and timely basis when clinically necessary by the physician or their alternate physician-designee.  Information about the physician-designee must be provided to the patient and the Health Department, as well as all Allen County operating hospitals, emergency departments and urgent care providers.

Any person who violates any provisions of the ordinance would be subject to a maximum fine of $1,000 for each violation and reported to the Indiana State Medical Licensing Board.