Bill Text: IL SB0761 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Chaptered


Bill Title: Reinserts the provisions of the engrossed bill with the following changes. Further amends the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems Act. In provisions concerning scope of practice, provides that an EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, Paramedic, PHRN, PHAPRN, or PHPA shall be eligible to work for another EMS System for a period not to exceed 2 weeks, if they meet specified requirements. Provides that the membership of the EMT Training, Recruitment, and Retention Task Force shall include 2 EMS Medical Directors appointed by the Governor and makes other changes to the appointing authority for certain members of the Task Force. Provides that the EMS personnel licensed at the highest level shall provide the initial assessment of the patient to determine the level of care required for transport to the receiving health care facility, and that assessment shall be documented in the patient care report and documented with online medical control. Provides that the EMS personnel licensed at or above the level of care required by the specific patient as directed by the EMS Medical Director shall be the primary care provider en route to the destination facility or patient's residence. Sets forth provisions concerning EMS System Program Plan deployments for out-of-state disasters. Sets forth provisions concerning quality assurance reports. Sets forth provisions concerning a pilot program beginning July 1, 2023 that shall not exceed a term of 3 years. Removes provisions concerning an EMS Lead Instructor. Makes other changes. Provides an immediate effective date.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Passed) 2023-08-11 - Public Act . . . . . . . . . 103-0547 [SB0761 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-SB0761-Chaptered.html



Public Act 103-0547
SB0761 EnrolledLRB103 03215 CPF 48221 b
AN ACT concerning regulation.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems
Act is amended by changing Sections 3.20, 3.55, and 3.85 and by
adding Section 3.22 as follows:
(210 ILCS 50/3.20)
Sec. 3.20. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems.
(a) "Emergency Medical Services (EMS) System" means an
organization of hospitals, vehicle service providers and
personnel approved by the Department in a specific geographic
area, which coordinates and provides pre-hospital and
inter-hospital emergency care and non-emergency medical
transports at a BLS, ILS and/or ALS level pursuant to a System
program plan submitted to and approved by the Department, and
pursuant to the EMS Region Plan adopted for the EMS Region in
which the System is located.
(b) One hospital in each System program plan must be
designated as the Resource Hospital. All other hospitals which
are located within the geographic boundaries of a System and
which have standby, basic or comprehensive level emergency
departments must function in that EMS System as either an
Associate Hospital or Participating Hospital and follow all
System policies specified in the System Program Plan,
including but not limited to the replacement of drugs and
equipment used by providers who have delivered patients to
their emergency departments. All hospitals and vehicle service
providers participating in an EMS System must specify their
level of participation in the System Program Plan.
(c) The Department shall have the authority and
responsibility to:
(1) Approve BLS, ILS and ALS level EMS Systems which
meet minimum standards and criteria established in rules
adopted by the Department pursuant to this Act, including
the submission of a Program Plan for Department approval.
Beginning September 1, 1997, the Department shall approve
the development of a new EMS System only when a local or
regional need for establishing such System has been
verified by the Department. This shall not be construed as
a needs assessment for health planning or other purposes
outside of this Act. Following Department approval, EMS
Systems must be fully operational within one year from the
date of approval.
(2) Monitor EMS Systems, based on minimum standards
for continuing operation as prescribed in rules adopted by
the Department pursuant to this Act, which shall include
requirements for submitting Program Plan amendments to the
Department for approval.
(3) Renew EMS System approvals every 4 years, after an
inspection, based on compliance with the standards for
continuing operation prescribed in rules adopted by the
Department pursuant to this Act.
(4) Suspend, revoke, or refuse to renew approval of
any EMS System, after providing an opportunity for a
hearing, when findings show that it does not meet the
minimum standards for continuing operation as prescribed
by the Department, or is found to be in violation of its
previously approved Program Plan.
(5) Require each EMS System to adopt written protocols
for the bypassing of or diversion to any hospital, trauma
center or regional trauma center, which provide that a
person shall not be transported to a facility other than
the nearest hospital, regional trauma center or trauma
center unless the medical benefits to the patient
reasonably expected from the provision of appropriate
medical treatment at a more distant facility outweigh the
increased risks to the patient from transport to the more
distant facility, or the transport is in accordance with
the System's protocols for patient choice or refusal.
(6) Require that the EMS Medical Director of an ILS or
ALS level EMS System be a physician licensed to practice
medicine in all of its branches in Illinois, and certified
by the American Board of Emergency Medicine or the
American Osteopathic Board of Emergency Medicine, and that
the EMS Medical Director of a BLS level EMS System be a
physician licensed to practice medicine in all of its
branches in Illinois, with regular and frequent
involvement in pre-hospital emergency medical services. In
addition, all EMS Medical Directors shall:
(A) Have experience on an EMS vehicle at the
highest level available within the System, or make
provision to gain such experience within 12 months
prior to the date responsibility for the System is
assumed or within 90 days after assuming the position;
(B) Be thoroughly knowledgeable of all skills
included in the scope of practices of all levels of EMS
personnel within the System;
(C) Have or make provision to gain experience
instructing students at a level similar to that of the
levels of EMS personnel within the System; and
(D) For ILS and ALS EMS Medical Directors,
successfully complete a Department-approved EMS
Medical Director's Course.
(7) Prescribe statewide EMS data elements to be
collected and documented by providers in all EMS Systems
for all emergency and non-emergency medical services, with
a one-year phase-in for commencing collection of such data
elements.
(8) Define, through rules adopted pursuant to this
Act, the terms "Resource Hospital", "Associate Hospital",
"Participating Hospital", "Basic Emergency Department",
"Standby Emergency Department", "Comprehensive Emergency
Department", "EMS Medical Director", "EMS Administrative
Director", and "EMS System Coordinator".
(A) (Blank).
(B) (Blank).
(9) Investigate the circumstances that caused a
hospital in an EMS system to go on bypass status to
determine whether that hospital's decision to go on bypass
status was reasonable. The Department may impose
sanctions, as set forth in Section 3.140 of the Act, upon a
Department determination that the hospital unreasonably
went on bypass status in violation of the Act.
(10) Evaluate the capacity and performance of any
freestanding emergency center established under Section
32.5 of this Act in meeting emergency medical service
needs of the public, including compliance with applicable
emergency medical standards and assurance of the
availability of and immediate access to the highest
quality of medical care possible.
(11) Permit limited EMS System participation by
facilities operated by the United States Department of
Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration. Subject
to patient preference, Illinois EMS providers may
transport patients to Veterans Health Administration
facilities that voluntarily participate in an EMS System.
Any Veterans Health Administration facility seeking
limited participation in an EMS System shall agree to
comply with all Department administrative rules
implementing this Section. The Department may promulgate
rules, including, but not limited to, the types of
Veterans Health Administration facilities that may
participate in an EMS System and the limitations of
participation.
(12) Ensure that EMS systems are transporting pregnant
women to the appropriate facilities based on the
classification of the levels of maternal care described
under subsection (a) of Section 2310-223 of the Department
of Public Health Powers and Duties Law of the Civil
Administrative Code of Illinois.
(13) Provide administrative support to the EMT
Training, Recruitment, and Retention Task Force.
(Source: P.A. 101-447, eff. 8-23-19.)
(210 ILCS 50/3.22 new)
Sec. 3.22. EMT Training, Recruitment, and Retention Task
Force.
(a) The EMT Training, Recruitment, and Retention Task
Force is created to address the following:
(1) the impact that the EMT and Paramedic shortage is
having on this State's EMS System and health care system;
(2) barriers to the training, recruitment, and
retention of Emergency Medical Technicians throughout this
State;
(3) steps that the State of Illinois can take,
including coordination and identification of State and
federal funding sources, to assist Illinois high schools,
community colleges, and ground ambulance providers to
train, recruit, and retain emergency medical technicians;
(4) the examination of current testing mechanisms for
EMRs, EMTs, and Paramedics and the utilization of the
National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians,
including current pass rates by licensure level, national
utilization, and test preparation strategies;
(5) how apprenticeship programs, local, regional, and
statewide, can be utilized to recruit and retain EMRs,
EMTs, and Paramedics;
(6) how ground ambulance reimbursement affects the
recruitment and retention of EMTs and Paramedics; and
(7) all other areas that the Task Force deems
necessary to examine and assist in the recruitment and
retention of EMTs and Paramedics.
(b) The Task Force shall be comprised of the following
members:
(1) one member of the Illinois General Assembly,
appointed by the President of the Senate, who shall serve
as co-chair;
(2) one member of the Illinois General Assembly,
appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;
(3) one member of the Illinois General Assembly,
appointed by the Senate Minority Leader;
(4) one member of the Illinois General Assembly,
appointed by the House Minority Leader, who shall serve as
co-chair;
(5) 9 members representing private ground ambulance
providers throughout this State representing for-profit
and non-profit rural and urban ground ambulance providers,
appointed by the President of the Senate;
(6) 3 members representing hospitals, appointed by the
Speaker of the House of Representatives, with one member
representing safety net hospitals and one member
representing rural hospitals;
(7) 3 members representing a statewide association of
nursing homes, appointed by the President of the Senate;
(8) one member representing the State Board of
Education, appointed by the House Minority Leader;
(9) 2 EMS Medical Directors from a Regional EMS
Medical Directors Committee, appointed by the Governor;
and
(10) one member representing the Illinois Community
College Systems, appointed by the Minority Leader of the
Senate.
(c) Members of the Task Force shall serve without
compensation.
(d) The Task Force shall convene at the call of the
co-chairs and shall hold at least 6 meetings.
(e) The Task Force shall submit its final report to the
General Assembly and the Governor no later than January 1,
2024, and upon the submission of its final report, the Task
Force shall be dissolved.
(210 ILCS 50/3.55)
Sec. 3.55. Scope of practice.
(a) Any person currently licensed as an EMR, EMT, EMT-I,
A-EMT, PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, or Paramedic may perform emergency
and non-emergency medical services as defined in this Act, in
accordance with his or her level of education, training and
licensure, the standards of performance and conduct prescribed
by the Department in rules adopted pursuant to this Act, and
the requirements of the EMS System in which he or she
practices, as contained in the approved Program Plan for that
System. The Director may, by written order, temporarily modify
individual scopes of practice in response to public health
emergencies for periods not exceeding 180 days.
(a-5) EMS personnel who have successfully completed a
Department approved course in automated defibrillator
operation and who are functioning within a Department approved
EMS System may utilize such automated defibrillator according
to the standards of performance and conduct prescribed by the
Department in rules adopted pursuant to this Act and the
requirements of the EMS System in which they practice, as
contained in the approved Program Plan for that System.
(a-7) An EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, or
Paramedic who has successfully completed a Department approved
course in the administration of epinephrine shall be required
to carry epinephrine with him or her as part of the EMS
personnel medical supplies whenever he or she is performing
official duties as determined by the EMS System. The
epinephrine may be administered from a glass vial,
auto-injector, ampule, or pre-filled syringe.
(b) An EMR, EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, or
Paramedic may practice as an EMR, EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, or
Paramedic or utilize his or her EMR, EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, PHRN,
PHAPRN, PHPA, or Paramedic license in pre-hospital or
inter-hospital emergency care settings or non-emergency
medical transport situations, under the written or verbal
direction of the EMS Medical Director. For purposes of this
Section, a "pre-hospital emergency care setting" may include a
location, that is not a health care facility, which utilizes
EMS personnel to render pre-hospital emergency care prior to
the arrival of a transport vehicle. The location shall include
communication equipment and all of the portable equipment and
drugs appropriate for the EMR, EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, or
Paramedic's level of care, as required by this Act, rules
adopted by the Department pursuant to this Act, and the
protocols of the EMS Systems, and shall operate only with the
approval and under the direction of the EMS Medical Director.
This Section shall not prohibit an EMR, EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT,
PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, or Paramedic from practicing within an
emergency department or other health care setting for the
purpose of receiving continuing education or training approved
by the EMS Medical Director. This Section shall also not
prohibit an EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, or
Paramedic from seeking credentials other than his or her EMT,
EMT-I, A-EMT, PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, or Paramedic license and
utilizing such credentials to work in emergency departments or
other health care settings under the jurisdiction of that
employer.
(c) An EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, or Paramedic
may honor Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) orders and powers of
attorney for health care only in accordance with rules adopted
by the Department pursuant to this Act and protocols of the EMS
System in which he or she practices.
(d) A student enrolled in a Department approved EMS
personnel program, while fulfilling the clinical training and
in-field supervised experience requirements mandated for
licensure or approval by the System and the Department, may
perform prescribed procedures under the direct supervision of
a physician licensed to practice medicine in all of its
branches, a qualified registered professional nurse, or
qualified EMS personnel, only when authorized by the EMS
Medical Director.
(e) An EMR, EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, or
Paramedic may transport a police dog injured in the line of
duty to a veterinary clinic or similar facility if there are no
persons requiring medical attention or transport at that time.
For the purposes of this subsection, "police dog" means a dog
owned or used by a law enforcement department or agency in the
course of the department or agency's work, including a search
and rescue dog, service dog, accelerant detection canine, or
other dog that is in use by a county, municipal, or State law
enforcement agency.
(f) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to prohibit an
EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, Paramedic, or PHRN from completing an
initial Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Respirator Medical Evaluation Questionnaire on behalf of fire
service personnel, as permitted by his or her EMS System
Medical Director.
(g) An EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, Paramedic, PHRN, PHAPRN, or PHPA
shall be eligible to work for another EMS System for a period
not to exceed 2 weeks if the individual is under the direct
supervision of another licensed individual operating at the
same or higher level as the EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, Paramedic,
PHRN, PHAPRN, or PHPA; obtained approval in writing from the
EMS System's Medical Director; and tests into the EMS System
based upon appropriate standards as outlined in the EMS System
Program Plan. The EMS System within which the EMT, EMT-I,
A-EMT, Paramedic, PHRN, PHAPRN, or PHPA is seeking to join
must make all required testing available to the EMT, EMT-I,
A-EMT, Paramedic, PHRN, PHAPRN, or PHPA within 2 weeks after
the written request. Failure to do so by the EMS System shall
allow the EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, Paramedic, PHRN, PHAPRN, or PHPA
to continue working for another EMS System until all required
testing becomes available.
(Source: P.A. 102-79, eff. 1-1-22.)
(210 ILCS 50/3.85)
Sec. 3.85. Vehicle Service Providers.
(a) "Vehicle Service Provider" means an entity licensed by
the Department to provide emergency or non-emergency medical
services in compliance with this Act, the rules promulgated by
the Department pursuant to this Act, and an operational plan
approved by its EMS System(s), utilizing at least ambulances
or specialized emergency medical service vehicles (SEMSV).
(1) "Ambulance" means any publicly or privately owned
on-road vehicle that is specifically designed, constructed
or modified and equipped, and is intended to be used for,
and is maintained or operated for the emergency
transportation of persons who are sick, injured, wounded
or otherwise incapacitated or helpless, or the
non-emergency medical transportation of persons who
require the presence of medical personnel to monitor the
individual's condition or medical apparatus being used on
such individuals.
(2) "Specialized Emergency Medical Services Vehicle"
or "SEMSV" means a vehicle or conveyance, other than those
owned or operated by the federal government, that is
primarily intended for use in transporting the sick or
injured by means of air, water, or ground transportation,
that is not an ambulance as defined in this Act. The term
includes watercraft, aircraft and special purpose ground
transport vehicles or conveyances not intended for use on
public roads.
(3) An ambulance or SEMSV may also be designated as a
Limited Operation Vehicle or Special-Use Vehicle:
(A) "Limited Operation Vehicle" means a vehicle
which is licensed by the Department to provide basic,
intermediate or advanced life support emergency or
non-emergency medical services that are exclusively
limited to specific events or locales.
(B) "Special-Use Vehicle" means any publicly or
privately owned vehicle that is specifically designed,
constructed or modified and equipped, and is intended
to be used for, and is maintained or operated solely
for the emergency or non-emergency transportation of a
specific medical class or category of persons who are
sick, injured, wounded or otherwise incapacitated or
helpless (e.g. high-risk obstetrical patients,
neonatal patients).
(C) "Reserve Ambulance" means a vehicle that meets
all criteria set forth in this Section and all
Department rules, except for the required inventory of
medical supplies and durable medical equipment, which
may be rapidly transferred from a fully functional
ambulance to a reserve ambulance without the use of
tools or special mechanical expertise.
(b) The Department shall have the authority and
responsibility to:
(1) Require all Vehicle Service Providers, both
publicly and privately owned, to function within an EMS
System.
(2) Require a Vehicle Service Provider utilizing
ambulances to have a primary affiliation with an EMS
System within the EMS Region in which its Primary Service
Area is located, which is the geographic areas in which
the provider renders the majority of its emergency
responses. This requirement shall not apply to Vehicle
Service Providers which exclusively utilize Limited
Operation Vehicles.
(3) Establish licensing standards and requirements for
Vehicle Service Providers, through rules adopted pursuant
to this Act, including but not limited to:
(A) Vehicle design, specification, operation and
maintenance standards, including standards for the use
of reserve ambulances;
(B) Equipment requirements;
(C) Staffing requirements; and
(D) License renewal at intervals determined by the
Department, which shall be not less than every 4
years.
The Department's standards and requirements with
respect to vehicle staffing for private, nonpublic local
government employers must allow for alternative staffing
models that include an EMR who drives an ambulance with a
licensed EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, Paramedic, or PHRN, as
appropriate, in the patient compartment providing care to
the patient pursuant to the approval of the EMS System
Program Plan developed and approved by the EMS Medical
Director for an EMS System. The EMS personnel licensed at
the highest level shall provide the initial assessment of
the patient to determine the level of care required for
transport to the receiving health care facility, and this
assessment shall be documented in the patient care report
and documented with online medical control. The EMS
personnel licensed at or above the level of care required
by the specific patient as directed by the EMS Medical
Director shall be the primary care provider en route to
the destination facility or patient's residence. The
Department shall monitor the implementation and
performance of alternative staffing models and may issue a
notice of termination of an alternative staffing model
only upon evidence that an EMS System Program Plan is not
being adhered to. Adoption of an alternative staffing
model shall not result in a Vehicle Service Provider being
prohibited or limited in the utilization of its staff or
equipment from providing any of the services authorized by
this Act or as otherwise outlined in the approved EMS
System Program Plan, including, without limitation, the
deployment of resources to provide out-of-state disaster
response. EMS System Program Plans must address a process
for out-of-state disaster response deployments that must
meet the following:
(A) All deployments to provide out-of-state
disaster response must first be approved by the EMS
Medical Director and submitted to the Department.
(B) The submission must include the number of
units being deployed, vehicle identification numbers,
length of deployment, and names of personnel and their
licensure level.
(C) Ensure that all necessary in-state requests
for services will be covered during the duration of
the deployment.
An EMS System Program Plan for a Basic Life Support,
advanced life support, and critical care transport
utilizing an EMR and an EMT shall include the following:
(A) Alternative staffing models for a Basic Life
Support transport utilizing an EMR and an EMT shall
only be utilized for interfacility Basic Life Support
transports as specified by the EMS System Program Plan
as determined by the EMS System Medical Director and
medical appointments, excluding any transport to or
from a dialysis center.
(B) Protocols that shall include dispatch
procedures to properly screen and assess patients for
EMR-staffed transports and EMT-staffed Basic Life
Support transport.
(C) A requirement that a provider and EMS System
shall implement a quality assurance plan that shall
include for the initial waiver period the review of at
least 5% of total interfacility transports utilizing
an EMR with mechanisms outlined to audit dispatch
screening, reason for transport, patient diagnosis,
level of care, and the outcome of transports
performed. Quality assurance reports must be submitted
and reviewed by the provider and EMS System monthly
and made available to the Department upon request. The
percentage of transports reviewed under quality
assurance plans for renewal periods shall be
determined by the EMS Medical Director, however, it
shall not be less than 3%.
(D) The EMS System Medical Director shall develop
a minimum set of requirements for individuals based on
level of licensure that includes education, training,
and credentialing for all team members identified to
participate in an alternative staffing plan. The EMT,
Paramedic, PHRN, PHPA, PHAPRN, and critical care
transport staff shall have the minimum at least one
year of experience in performance of pre-hospital and
inter-hospital emergency care, as determined by the
EMS Medical Director in accordance with the EMS System
Program Plan, but at a minimum of 6 months of
prehospital experience or at least 50 documented
patient care interventions during transport as the
primary care provider and approved by the Department.
(E) The licensed EMR must complete a defensive
driving course prior to participation in the
Department's alternative staffing model.
(F) The length of the EMS System Program Plan for a
Basic Life Support transport utilizing an EMR and an
EMT shall be for one year, and must be renewed annually
if proof of the criteria being met is submitted,
validated, and approved by the EMS Medical Director
for the EMS System and the Department.
(G) Beginning July 1, 2023, the utilization of
EMRs for advanced life support transports and Tier III
Critical Care Transports shall be allowed for periods
not to exceed 3 years under a pilot program. The pilot
program shall not be implemented before Department
approval. Agencies requesting to utilize this staffing
model for the time period of the pilot program must
complete the following:
(i) Submit a waiver request to the Department
requesting to participate in the pilot program
with specific details of how quality assurance and
improvement will be gathered, measured, reported
to the Department, and reviewed and utilized
internally by the participating agency.
(ii) Submit a signed approval letter from the
EMS System Medical Director approving
participation in the pilot program.
(iii) Submit updated EMS System plans,
additional education, and training of the EMR and
protocols related to the pilot program.
(iv) Submit agency policies and procedures
related to the pilot program.
(v) Submit the number of individuals currently
participating and committed to participating in
education programs to achieve a higher level of
licensure at the time of submission.
(vi) Submit an explanation of how the provider
will support individuals obtaining a higher level
of licensure and encourage a higher level of
licensure during the year of the alternative
staffing plan and specific examples of recruitment
and retention activities or initiatives.
Upon submission of a renewal application and
recruitment and retention plan, the provider shall
include additional data regarding current employment
numbers, attrition rates over the year, and activities
and initiatives over the previous year to address
recruitment and retention.
The information required under this subparagraph
(G) shall be provided to and retained by the EMS System
upon initial application and renewal and shall be
provided to the Department upon request.
The Department must allow for an alternative rural
staffing model for those vehicle service providers that
serve a rural or semi-rural population of 10,000 or fewer
inhabitants and exclusively uses volunteers, paid-on-call,
or a combination thereof.
(4) License all Vehicle Service Providers that have
met the Department's requirements for licensure, unless
such Provider is owned or licensed by the federal
government. All Provider licenses issued by the Department
shall specify the level and type of each vehicle covered
by the license (BLS, ILS, ALS, ambulance, critical care
transport, SEMSV, limited operation vehicle, special use
vehicle, reserve ambulance).
(5) Annually inspect all licensed vehicles operated by
Vehicle Service Providers.
(6) Suspend, revoke, refuse to issue or refuse to
renew the license of any Vehicle Service Provider, or that
portion of a license pertaining to a specific vehicle
operated by the Provider, after an opportunity for a
hearing, when findings show that the Provider or one or
more of its vehicles has failed to comply with the
standards and requirements of this Act or rules adopted by
the Department pursuant to this Act.
(7) Issue an Emergency Suspension Order for any
Provider or vehicle licensed under this Act, when the
Director or his designee has determined that an immediate
and serious danger to the public health, safety and
welfare exists. Suspension or revocation proceedings which
offer an opportunity for hearing shall be promptly
initiated after the Emergency Suspension Order has been
issued.
(8) Exempt any licensed vehicle from subsequent
vehicle design standards or specifications required by the
Department, as long as said vehicle is continuously in
compliance with the vehicle design standards and
specifications originally applicable to that vehicle, or
until said vehicle's title of ownership is transferred.
(9) Exempt any vehicle (except an SEMSV) which was
being used as an ambulance on or before December 15, 1980,
from vehicle design standards and specifications required
by the Department, until said vehicle's title of ownership
is transferred. Such vehicles shall not be exempt from all
other licensing standards and requirements prescribed by
the Department.
(10) Prohibit any Vehicle Service Provider from
advertising, identifying its vehicles, or disseminating
information in a false or misleading manner concerning the
Provider's type and level of vehicles, location, primary
service area, response times, level of personnel,
licensure status or System participation.
(10.5) Prohibit any Vehicle Service Provider, whether
municipal, private, or hospital-owned, from advertising
itself as a critical care transport provider unless it
participates in a Department-approved EMS System critical
care transport plan.
(11) Charge each Vehicle Service Provider a fee per
transport vehicle, due annually at time of inspection. The
fee per transport vehicle shall be set by administrative
rule by the Department and shall not exceed 100 vehicles
per provider.
(12) Beginning July 1, 2023, as part of a pilot
program that shall not exceed a term of 3 years, an
ambulance may be upgraded to a higher level of care for
interfacility transports by an ambulance assistance
vehicle with appropriate equipment and licensed personnel
to intercept with the licensed ambulance at the sending
facility before departure. The pilot program shall not be
implemented before Department approval. To participate in
the pilot program, an agency must:
(A) Submit a waiver request to the Department with
intercept vehicle vehicle identification numbers,
calls signs, equipment detail, and a robust quality
assurance plan that shall list, at minimum, detailed
reasons each intercept had to be completed, barriers
to initial dispatch of advanced life support services,
and how this benefited the patient.
(B) Report to the Department quarterly additional
data deemed meaningful by the providing agency along
with the data required under subparagraph (A) of this
paragraph (12).
(C) Obtain a signed letter of approval from the
EMS Medical Director allowing for participation in the
pilot program.
(D) Update EMS System plans and protocols from the
pilot program.
(E) Update policies and procedures from the
agencies participating in the pilot program.
(Source: P.A. 102-623, eff. 8-27-21.)
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