emergency medical services
providers
House Bill 2479 adds two sections pertaining to the provision of centralized medical direction and self-inspection of ambulances.
· Allows an emergency medical services provider or ambulance service to provide centralized medical direction if the communication center is:
· Located in a hospital, medical center, trauma center or freestanding communications center.
· Able to communicate by voice and telemetry with ambulance and emergency medical services.
· Staffed by licensed physicians or registered nurses 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
· Permits an ambulance service or emergency medical services provider to:
· Train or educate its personnel if the training program is staffed with at least three people who train emergency medical services personnel. Two of these people must be certified EMTs, and at least one must be a certified paramedic. The section shall also include a medical director who is a medical doctor or osteopathic physician.
· Investigate and discipline employees if the provider has a separate investigative staff, and also has policies and procedures regarding the monitoring of employees who have been suspected of or convicted for substance abuse. The service provider must also have the ability to test for drugs through the use of urinalysis or other accepted methods.
· Defines emergency medical services provider and centralized medical direction communications center.
· Stipulates that an ambulance service that uses more than six ambulances may self-inspect the vehicles. The service shall maintain inspections records.
· Allows the director to waive or suspend rules if it is either in the best interest of the public or if medical technique changes make the rule obsolete. To suspend a rule, the director must follow statutory requirements and inform all affected parties.
· Adds two lay-members to the emergency medical services council.
· Strikes language pertaining to the Governor’s permissive authority to accept recommendations for the appointment of council members.
House Bill 2479 was amended in the Health Committee as follows:
· Defines centralized medical direction communications center and emergency medical services provider.
· Allows an EMS provider or ambulance service to establish its own training section, and also to investigate and discipline employees, following certain guidelines.
House Bill 2479 was also amended in Committee of the Whole as follows:
· Allows the director to waive or suspend rules if it is either in the best interest of the public or if medical technique changes make the rule obsolete. To suspend a rule, the director must follow statutory requirements and inform all affected parties.
· Adds two lay-members to the emergency medical services council.
· Strikes language pertaining to the Governor’s permissive authority to accept recommendations for the appointment of council members.
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44th Legislature Analyst
Initials _______
Second Regular Session March
2, 2000
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