Bill Text: FL S0520 | 2013 | Regular Session | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Emergency Medical Services

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2013-06-10 - Chapter No. 2013-128 [S0520 Detail]

Download: Florida-2013-S0520-Introduced.html

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       Florida Senate - 2013                                     SB 520
       
       
       
       By Senator Bradley
       
       
       
       
       7-00941-13                                             2013520__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to emergency medical services;
    3         amending s. 381.0034, F.S.; deleting a requirement
    4         that emergency medical technicians, paramedics, and
    5         911 public safety telecommunicators complete an
    6         educational course on HIV and AIDS; amending s.
    7         401.23, F.S.; redefining the terms “basic life
    8         support” and “advanced life support” for purposes of
    9         the Raymond H. Alexander, M.D., Emergency Medical
   10         Transportation Services Act; amending s. 401.24, F.S.;
   11         revising the period for review of the comprehensive
   12         state plan for emergency medical services and
   13         programs; amending s. 401.27, F.S.; revising
   14         requirements for the certification and recertification
   15         of emergency medical technicians and paramedics;
   16         revising requirements for the certification of
   17         emergency medical technicians and paramedics trained
   18         outside the state; revising the time limit by which
   19         applicants trained outside the state must complete the
   20         certification examination without having to submit a
   21         new application and meet all eligibility and fee
   22         requirements; amending s. 401.2701, F.S.; revising
   23         requirements for institutions that conduct approved
   24         programs for the education of emergency medical
   25         technicians and paramedics; revising requirements that
   26         students must meet in order to receive a certificate
   27         of completion from an approved program; providing an
   28         effective date.
   29  
   30  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   31  
   32         Section 1. Subsection (1) of section 381.0034, Florida
   33  Statutes, is amended to read:
   34         381.0034 Requirement for instruction on HIV and AIDS.—
   35         (1) The Department of Health shall require each person
   36  licensed or certified under chapter 401, chapter 467, part IV of
   37  chapter 468, or chapter 483, as a condition of biennial
   38  relicensure, to complete an educational course approved by the
   39  department on the modes of transmission, infection control
   40  procedures, clinical management, and prevention of human
   41  immunodeficiency virus and acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
   42  Such course shall include information on current state Florida
   43  law on acquired immune deficiency syndrome and its impact on
   44  testing, confidentiality of test results, and treatment of
   45  patients. Each such licensee or certificateholder shall submit
   46  confirmation of having completed the said course, on a form
   47  provided by the department, when submitting fees or application
   48  for each biennial renewal.
   49         Section 2. Subsections (1) and (7) of section 401.23,
   50  Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
   51         401.23 Definitions.—As used in this part, the term:
   52         (1) “Advanced life support” means assessment or treatment
   53  by a person qualified under this part of life-threatening
   54  medical emergencies through the use of techniques such as
   55  endotracheal intubation, the administration of drugs or
   56  intravenous fluids, telemetry, cardiac monitoring, and cardiac
   57  defibrillation, and other techniques described in the EMT
   58  Paramedic National Standard Curriculum or the National EMS
   59  Education Standards by a qualified person, pursuant to rules of
   60  the department.
   61         (7) “Basic life support” means the assessment or treatment
   62  by a person qualified under this part of medical emergencies by
   63  a qualified person through the use of techniques such as patient
   64  assessment, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), splinting,
   65  obstetrical assistance, bandaging, administration of oxygen,
   66  application of medical antishock trousers, administration of a
   67  subcutaneous injection using a premeasured autoinjector of
   68  epinephrine to a person suffering an anaphylactic reaction, and
   69  other techniques described in the EMT-Basic National Standard
   70  Emergency Medical Technician Basic Training Course Curriculum or
   71  the National EMS Education Standards of the United States
   72  Department of Transportation and approved by the department. The
   73  term “basic life support” also includes the administration of
   74  oxygen and other techniques that which have been approved and
   75  are performed under conditions specified by rules of the
   76  department.
   77         Section 3. Section 401.24, Florida Statutes, is amended to
   78  read:
   79         401.24 Emergency medical services state plan.—The
   80  department is responsible, at a minimum, for the improvement and
   81  regulation of basic and advanced life support programs. The
   82  department shall develop, and biennially revise every 5 years, a
   83  comprehensive state plan for basic and advanced life support
   84  services, the emergency medical services grants program, trauma
   85  centers, the injury control program, and medical disaster
   86  preparedness. The state plan shall include, but need not be
   87  limited to:
   88         (1) Emergency medical systems planning, including the
   89  prehospital and hospital phases of patient care, and injury
   90  control effort and unification of such services into a total
   91  delivery system to include air, water, and land services.
   92         (2) Requirements for the operation, coordination, and
   93  ongoing development of emergency medical services, which
   94  includes: basic life support or advanced life support vehicles,
   95  equipment, and supplies; communications; personnel; training;
   96  public education; state trauma system; injury control; and other
   97  medical care components.
   98         (3) The definition of areas of responsibility for
   99  regulating and planning the ongoing and developing delivery
  100  service requirements.
  101         Section 4. Subsections (4) and (12) of section 401.27,
  102  Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
  103         401.27 Personnel; standards and certification.—
  104         (4) An applicant for certification or recertification as an
  105  emergency medical technician or paramedic must:
  106         (a) Have completed an appropriate training program course
  107  as follows:
  108         1. For an emergency medical technician, an emergency
  109  medical technician training program approved by the department
  110  as course equivalent to the most recent EMT-Basic National
  111  Standard Curriculum or the National EMS Education Standards
  112  emergency medical technician basic training course of the United
  113  States Department of Transportation as approved by the
  114  department;
  115         2. For a paramedic, a paramedic training program approved
  116  by the department as equivalent to the most recent EMT-Paramedic
  117  National Standard Curriculum or the National EMS Education
  118  Standards paramedic course of the United States Department of
  119  Transportation as approved by the department;
  120         (b) Certify under oath that he or she is not addicted to
  121  alcohol or any controlled substance;
  122         (c) Certify under oath that he or she is free from any
  123  physical or mental defect or disease that might impair the
  124  applicant’s ability to perform his or her duties;
  125         (d) Within 2 years 1 year after program course completion
  126  have passed an examination developed or required by the
  127  department;
  128         (e)1. For an emergency medical technician, hold either a
  129  current American Heart Association cardiopulmonary resuscitation
  130  course card or an American Red Cross cardiopulmonary
  131  resuscitation course card or its equivalent as defined by
  132  department rule;
  133         2. For a paramedic, hold a certificate of successful course
  134  completion in advanced cardiac life support from the American
  135  Heart Association or its equivalent as defined by department
  136  rule;
  137         (f) Submit the certification fee and the nonrefundable
  138  examination fee prescribed in s. 401.34, which examination fee
  139  will be required for each examination administered to an
  140  applicant; and
  141         (g) Submit a completed application to the department, which
  142  application documents compliance with paragraphs (a), (b), (c),
  143  (e), (f), (g), and, if applicable, (d). The application must be
  144  submitted so as to be received by the department at least 30
  145  calendar days before the next regularly scheduled examination
  146  for which the applicant desires to be scheduled.
  147         (12) An applicant for certification as who is an out-of
  148  state trained emergency medical technician or paramedic who is
  149  trained outside the state must provide proof of current
  150  emergency medical technician or paramedic certification or
  151  registration based upon successful completion of a training
  152  program approved by the department as equivalent to the most
  153  recent EMT-Basic or EMT-Paramedic National Standard Curriculum
  154  or the National EMS Education Standards of the United States
  155  Department of Transportation emergency medical technician or
  156  paramedic training curriculum and hold a current certificate of
  157  successful course completion in cardiopulmonary resuscitation
  158  (CPR) or advanced cardiac life support for emergency medical
  159  technicians or paramedics, respectively, to be eligible for the
  160  certification examination. The applicant must successfully
  161  complete the certification examination within 2 years 1 year
  162  after the date of the receipt of his or her application by the
  163  department. After 2 years 1 year, the applicant must submit a
  164  new application, meet all eligibility requirements, and submit
  165  all fees to reestablish eligibility to take the certification
  166  examination.
  167         Section 5. Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) and subsection
  168  (5) of section 401.2701, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
  169         401.2701 Emergency medical services training programs.—
  170         (1) Any private or public institution in Florida desiring
  171  to conduct an approved program for the education of emergency
  172  medical technicians and paramedics shall:
  173         (a) Submit a completed application on a form provided by
  174  the department, which must include:
  175         1. Evidence that the institution is in compliance with all
  176  applicable requirements of the Department of Education.
  177         2. Evidence of an affiliation agreement with a hospital
  178  that has an emergency department staffed by at least one
  179  physician and one registered nurse.
  180         3. Evidence of an affiliation agreement with a current
  181  Florida-licensed emergency medical services provider that is
  182  licensed in this state. Such agreement shall include, at a
  183  minimum, a commitment by the provider to conduct the field
  184  experience portion of the education program.
  185         4. Documentation verifying faculty, including:
  186         a. A medical director who is a licensed physician meeting
  187  the applicable requirements for emergency medical services
  188  medical directors as outlined in this chapter and rules of the
  189  department. The medical director shall have the duty and
  190  responsibility of certifying that graduates have successfully
  191  completed all phases of the education program and are proficient
  192  in basic or advanced life support techniques, as applicable.
  193         b. A program director responsible for the operation,
  194  organization, periodic review, administration, development, and
  195  approval of the program.
  196         5. Documentation verifying that the curriculum:
  197         a. Meets the course guides and instructor’s lesson plans in
  198  the most recent Emergency Medical Technician-Basic National
  199  Standard Curriculum or the National EMS Education Standards
  200  approved by the department Curricula for emergency medical
  201  technician programs and Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic
  202  National Standard Curriculum or the National EMS Education
  203  Standards approved by the department Curricula for paramedic
  204  programs.
  205         b. Includes 2 hours of instruction on the trauma scorecard
  206  methodologies for assessment of adult trauma patients and
  207  pediatric trauma patients as specified by the department by
  208  rule.
  209         c. Includes 4 hours of instruction on HIV/AIDS training
  210  consistent with the requirements of chapter 381.
  211         6. Evidence of sufficient medical and educational equipment
  212  to meet emergency medical services training program needs.
  213         (5) Each approved program must notify the department within
  214  30 days after of any change in the professional or employment
  215  status of faculty. Each approved program must require its
  216  students to pass a comprehensive final written and practical
  217  examination evaluating the skills described in the current
  218  United States Department of Transportation EMT-Basic or EMT
  219  Paramedic, National Standard Curriculum or the National EMS
  220  Education Standards and approved by the department. Each
  221  approved program must issue a certificate of completion to
  222  program graduates within 14 days after of completion.
  223         Section 6. This act shall take effect July 1, 2013.