SB0761eng 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB0761 Engrossed LRB103 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, 3.65, 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) how emergency medical responder and emergency medical technician licensure and testing and certification requirements affect the recruitment and retention of emergency medical technicians, including, without limitation, how the implementation of the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technician training criteria have impacted the certification and licensure of new EMRs, EMTs, and Paramedics;

(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 to 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 Senate President, who shall serve as co-chair;

(2) one member of the Illinois General Assembly, appointed by the Speaker of the House;

(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 ground ambulance providers, appointed by the Governor;

(6) 3 members representing hospitals, appointed by the Speaker of the House, 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 Minority Leader of the House; and

(9) 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 50/3.65)

Sec. 3.65. EMS Lead Instructor.

(a) "EMS Lead Instructor" means a person who has successfully completed a course of education as approved by the Department or has obtained sufficient experience as determined by the EMS Medical Director, and who is currently approved by the Department to coordinate or teach education, training and continuing education courses, in accordance with standards prescribed by this Act and rules adopted by the Department pursuant to this Act.

(b) The Department shall have the authority and responsibility to:

(1) Prescribe education requirements for EMS Lead Instructor candidates through rules adopted pursuant to this Act.

(2) Prescribe testing requirements for EMS Lead Instructor candidates through rules adopted pursuant to this Act.

(3) Charge each candidate for EMS Lead Instructor a fee to be submitted with an application for an examination, an application for licensure, and an application for relicensure.

(4) Approve individuals as EMS Lead Instructors who have met the Department's education and testing requirements.

(5) Require that all education, training and continuing education courses for EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, Paramedic, PHRN, PHPA, PHAPRN, ECRN, EMR, and Emergency Medical Dispatcher be coordinated by at least one approved EMS Lead Instructor. A program which includes education, training or continuing education for more than one type of personnel may use one EMS Lead Instructor to coordinate the program, and a single EMS Lead Instructor may simultaneously coordinate more than one program or course.

(6) Provide standards and procedures for awarding EMS Lead Instructor approval to persons previously approved by the Department to coordinate such courses, based on qualifications prescribed by the Department through rules adopted pursuant to this Act.

(7) Suspend, revoke, or refuse to issue or renew the approval of an EMS Lead Instructor, after an opportunity for a hearing, when findings show one or more of the following:

(A) The EMS Lead Instructor has failed to conduct a course in accordance with the curriculum prescribed by this Act and rules adopted by the Department pursuant to this Act; or

(B) The EMS Lead Instructor has failed to comply with protocols prescribed by the Department through rules adopted pursuant to this Act.

(Source: P.A. 100-1082, eff. 8-24-19.)

(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 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.

An EMS System Program Plan for a Basic Life Support, advanced life support, and critical care transport services transport utilizing an EMR and an EMT, Paramedic, or appropriate critical care transport staff 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 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 shall implement a quality assurance plan with mechanisms outlined to audit dispatch screening and the outcome of transports performed.

(D) The EMT, Paramedic, and critical care transport staff shall have the minimum at least one year of experience in performance of pre-hospital, inter-hospital emergency care and other health care experience as a clinician, as determined by the EMS Medical Director in accordance with the EMS System Program Plan.

(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.

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, SEMSV, limited operation vehicle, special use vehicle, ambulance assist vehicle, reserve ambulance) and shall allow for ambulances to be immediately upgraded to a higher level of service when the Vehicle Service Provider sends an ambulance assist vehicle with appropriate equipment and licensed staff to intercept with the licensed ambulance in the field.

(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.

(Source: P.A. 102-623, eff. 8-27-21.)