EMS ENHANCED PROTOCOLS; TASK FORCE                                                       S.B. 885:

                                                                                                    SUMMARY OF BILL

                                                                                      REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE

Senate Bill 885 (as reported without amendment)

Sponsor:  Senator Tom Casperson

Committee:  Health Policy

CONTENT

The bill would amend Part 209 (Emergency Medical Services) of the Public Health Code to do the following:

-- Require the Department of Community Health (DCH) to authorize a medical control authority to establish enhanced protocols for emergency medical services (EMS) personnel, if certain conditions were met.

-- Permit a medical control authority to establish an enhanced protocol without following Department procedures for an ordinary protocol.

-- Provide that a medical control authority could allow a life support agency to use all types of licensed EMS personnel, and require the authority to develop written protocols for the use of personnel.

-- Require the Department to convene and support a rural EMS task force to evaluate the provision of prehospital emergency medical services in rural areas.

-- Require the task force to give the DCH a comprehensive rural EMS status and recommendation report within 14 months after the bill's effective date.

Specifically, a medical control authority could establish the enhanced procedures if all of the following conditions were met:

-- The DCH reviewed the enhanced protocols before implementation.

-- The enhanced protocols were used in a region for which a medical control authority had been designated by the DCH.

-- The personnel subject to the enhanced protocols received training for the new skill, technique, procedure, or equipment.

-- The medical control authority monitored the events when the enhanced protocols were used.

-- The medical control authority collected data as necessary and submitted the data to the DCH for inclusion in a repository of enhanced protocols.

MCL 333.20910 & 333.20919                                           Legislative Analyst:  Julie Cassidy

FISCAL IMPACT

The bill would result in administrative costs to the DCH, which would have to review enhanced protocols, collect and retain data, and convene and support a task force. Each action would result in minor costs to the Department.

Date Completed:  11-18-14                                               Fiscal Analyst:  Steve Angelotti

This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.