New Jersey-2024-A4022-Introduced

An Act concerning emergency medical services and supplementing Title 26 of the Revised Statutes.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. a. The Office of Emergency Medical Services in the Department of Health shall develop a Statewide Emergency Medical Services Plan that shall provide for a comprehensive, coordinated, emergency medical services system in New Jersey. The plan shall include both short-term and long-term goals and objectives, and may incorporate the use of regional emergency medical services plans tailored to the specific needs of regions within the State as may be designated by the office. Regional plans, if used, shall be jointly developed by each county board of health in that region, in consultation with local boards of health as needed. A regional plan shall be subject to approval by the office; upon approval, the regional plan shall be deemed to be part of the Statewide plan. The office shall review and update the Statewide plan triennially, and shall make such changes to the plan as may be necessary to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the State's emergency medical services system of care. The department shall make the Statewide Emergency Medical Services Plan available on its Internet website.

b. In developing and updating the Statewide Emergency Medical Services Plan pursuant to subsection a. of this section, the office shall, at a minimum:

(1) conduct an inventory of emergency medical services resources available within the State;

(2) conduct an assessment of the current effectiveness of the emergency medical services system of care in the State;

(3) determine the need for changes to the current emergency medical services system of care in the State, including any changes as may be needed to improve access to emergency medical services in a given region of the State or for a given population within the State;

(4) develop performance metrics with regard to the delivery of emergency medical services in the State, establish a schedule for achieving the performance metrics, develop a method for monitoring and evaluating whether the performance metrics are being achieved, and prepare an estimate of costs for achieving the performance metrics;

(5) work with professional medical organizations, hospitals, and other public and private agencies to develop approaches whereby individuals who presently use the existing emergency department for routine, nonurgent, primary medical care will be served more appropriately and economically; and

(6) consult with and review, with appropriate emergency medical services providers and organizations, the development of applications to governmental or other appropriate sources for grants or other funding to support emergency medical services programs.

c. The Statewide Emergency Medical Services Plan developed pursuant to subsection a. of this section shall:

(1) establish a comprehensive Statewide emergency medical services system, incorporating facilities, transportation, manpower, communications, and other components as integral parts of a unified system that will serve to improve the delivery of emergency medical services and thereby decrease morbidity, hospitalization, disability, and mortality;

(2) seek to reduce the time period between the identification of an acutely ill or injured patient and the provision of definitive treatment for the illness or injury;

(3) increase access to high quality emergency medical services for all citizens of New Jersey;

(4) promote continuing improvement in system components, including: ground, water, and air transportation; communications; hospital emergency departments and other emergency medical care facilities; health care provider training and health care service delivery; and consumer health information and education;

(5) ensure performance improvement of the emergency medical services system and of the emergency medical services and care delivered on scene, in transit, in hospital emergency departments, and within the hospital environment;

(6) conduct, promote, and encourage programs of education and training designed to upgrade the knowledge and skills of emergency medical services personnel, including expanding the availability of paramedic and advanced life support training throughout the State, with particular emphasis on regions underserved by emergency medical services personnel having such skills and training;

(7) maintain a process for designating appropriate hospitals as trauma centers, certified stroke centers, and specialty care centers based on an applicable national evaluation system;

(8) maintain a comprehensive emergency medical services patient care data collection and performance improvement system, which shall incorporate the information reported to the department pursuant to section 2 of P.L.2017, c.116 (C.26:2K-67);

(9) collect data and information and prepare reports for the sole purpose of designating and verifying trauma centers and other specialty care centers, as described in paragraph (7) of this subsection; provided that data and information collected and reports prepared pursuant to this paragraph shall not be considered a government record pursuant to P.L.1963, c.73 (C.47:1A-1 et seq.), P.L.2001, c.404 (C.47:1A-5 et al.), or the common law concerning access to government records;

(10) establish and maintain a process for crisis intervention and peer support services for emergency medical services personnel and public safety personnel, including Statewide availability and accreditation of critical incident stress management or peer support teams and personnel. Such accreditation standards shall include a requirement that a peer support team be headed by a clinical psychologist, psychiatrist, clinical social worker, or professional counselor who: (a) is licensed pursuant to Title 45 of the Revised Statutes; and (b) has at least five years of experience as a mental health consultant working directly with emergency medical services personnel or public safety personnel;

(11) coordinate with the Emergency Medical Services for Children Program to maintain, and update as needed, the Statewide program of emergency medical services for children developed pursuant to P.L.1992, c.96 (C.26:2K-48 et seq.);

(12) establish and support a Statewide system of health and medical emergency response teams, including emergency medical services disaster task forces, coordination teams, disaster medical assistance teams, and other support teams that shall assist local emergency medical services providers at their request during mass casualty events, disasters, or whenever local resources are overwhelmed;

(13) establish and maintain a program to improve the dispatching of emergency medical services personnel and vehicles, including establishing and supporting emergency medical services dispatch training, accrediting 911 dispatch centers, and establishing and maintaining public safety answering points; and

(14) identify and establish best practices for managing and operating emergency medical services providers, improving and managing emergency medical services response times, and disseminating such information to the appropriate persons and entities.

d. In developing the Statewide Emergency Medical Services Plan, the office shall coordinate with the Emergency Medical Services for Children program and the State trauma medical director, which shall each revise any plans, programs, protocols, or other requirements related to emergency medical services as may be necessary to bring those plans, programs, protocols, or other requirements into conformity with the Statewide Emergency Medical Services Plan.

2. This act shall take effect 180 days after the date of enactment.

STATEMENT

This bill requires the Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS) in the Department of Health (DOH) to develop a Statewide Emergency Medical Services Plan that provides for a comprehensive, coordinated, emergency medical services (EMS) system in New Jersey. The plan is to include both short-term and long-term goals and objectives, and may incorporate the use of regional emergency medical services plans tailored to the specific needs of regions within the State as may be designated by the OEMS. If used, regional plans are to be jointly developed by each county board of health within the designated region, and will be developed in consultation with local boards of health, as needed. Regional plans will be subject to approval by the OEMS; upon receiving such approval, the regional plan will be deemed to be part of the Statewide plan. The OEMS will be required to review and update the Statewide plan triennially, and to make such changes to the plan as may be necessary to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the State's EMS system of care. The DOH will be required to make the Statewide Emergency Medical Services Plan available on its Internet website.

In developing and updating the Statewide Emergency Medical Services Plan, the OEMS will be required, at a minimum, to:

(1) conduct an inventory of EMS resources available within the State;

(2) conduct an assessment of the current effectiveness of the EMS system of care in the State;

(3) determine the need for changes to the current EMS system of care, including any changes as may be needed to improve access to EMS in a given region of the State or for a given population within the State;

(4) develop performance metrics with regard to the delivery of EMS, establish a schedule for achieving the performance metrics, develop a method for monitoring and evaluating whether the performance metrics are being achieved, and prepare a cost estimate for achieving the performance metrics;

(6) consult with and review, with appropriate EMS agencies and organizations, the development of applications to governmental or other appropriate sources for grants or other funding to support EMS programs.

The bill additionally requires the Statewide Emergency Medical Services Plan to:

(1) establish a comprehensive Statewide EMS system, incorporating facilities, transportation, manpower, communications, and other components as integral parts of a unified system that will serve to improve the delivery of EMS and thereby decrease morbidity, hospitalization, disability, and mortality;

(2) seek to reduce the time period between the identification of an acutely ill or injured patient and the provision of definitive treatment for the illness or injury;

(3) increase access to high quality EMS for all citizens of New Jersey;

(5) ensure performance improvement of the EMS system and of the emergency services and care delivered on scene, in transit, in hospital emergency departments, and within the hospital environment;

(6) conduct, promote, and encourage programs of education and training designed to upgrade the knowledge and skills of EMS personnel, including expanding the availability of paramedic and advanced life support training throughout the State, with particular emphasis on regions underserved by EMS personnel having such skills and training;

(7) maintain a process for designating appropriate hospitals as trauma centers, certified stroke centers, and specialty care centers based on an applicable national evaluation system;

(8) maintain a comprehensive EMS patient care data collection and performance improvement system, which is to incorporate certain EMS data currently reported to the DOH;

(9) collect data and information and prepare reports for the sole purpose of designating and verifying trauma centers and other specialty care centers, which data, information, and reports will not be considered a government record for the purposes of open public records access laws;

(10) establish and maintain a process for crisis intervention and peer support services for EMS personnel and public safety personnel, including Statewide availability and accreditation of critical incident stress management or peer support teams and personnel. The accreditation standards are to include a requirement that a peer support team be headed by a clinical psychologist, psychiatrist, clinical social worker, or professional counselor who: (a) is licensed pursuant to Title 45 of the Revised Statutes; and (b) has at least five years of experience as a mental health consultant working directly with EMS personnel or public safety personnel;

(11) coordinate with the Emergency Medical Services for Children Program to maintain, and update as needed, the Statewide program of EMS for children developed under current law;

(12) establish and support a Statewide system of health and medical emergency response teams, including EMS disaster task forces, coordination teams, disaster medical assistance teams, and other support teams that will assist local EMS providers at their request during mass casualty events, disasters, or whenever local resources are overwhelmed;

(13) establish and maintain a program to improve dispatching of EMS personnel and vehicles, including establishing and supporting EMS dispatch training, accrediting 911 dispatch centers, and establishing and maintaining public safety answering points; and

(14) identify and establish best practices for managing and operating EMS providers, improving and managing EMS response times, and disseminating such information to the appropriate persons and entities.

In developing the Statewide Emergency Medical Services Plan, the OEMS will be required to coordinate with the Emergency Medical Services for Children program and the State trauma medical director, both of which will be required to revise any plans, programs, protocols, or other requirements related to EMS as may be necessary to bring those plans, programs, protocols, or other requirements into conformity with the Statewide Emergency Medical Services Plan.