Bill Text: TX HB2020 | 2015-2016 | 84th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Relating to the scope of duties of an emergency medical technician-paramedic and a licensed paramedic.
Sponsorship: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 3-1)
Status: (Passed) 2015-06-19 - Effective immediately [HB2020 Detail]
Download: Texas-2015-HB2020-Enrolled.html
| H.B. No. 2020 | ||
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| relating to the scope of duties of an emergency medical | ||
| technician-paramedic and a licensed paramedic. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 773, Health and Safety | ||
| Code, is amended by adding Section 773.0496 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 773.0496. SCOPE OF EMERGENCY MEDICAL | ||
| TECHNICIAN-PARAMEDIC AND LICENSED PARAMEDIC DUTIES. (a) In this | ||
| section: | ||
| (1) "Advanced life support" means health care provided | ||
| to sustain life in an emergency, life-threatening situation. The | ||
| term includes the initiation of intravenous therapy, endotracheal | ||
| or esophageal intubation, electrical cardiac defibrillation or | ||
| cardioversion, and drug therapy procedures. | ||
| (2) "Direct supervision" means supervision of an | ||
| emergency medical technician-paramedic or licensed paramedic by a | ||
| licensed physician who is present in the same area or an area | ||
| adjacent to the area where an emergency medical | ||
| technician-paramedic or licensed paramedic performs a procedure | ||
| and who is immediately available to provide assistance and | ||
| direction during the performance of the procedure. | ||
| (b) Notwithstanding other law, a person who is certified | ||
| under this chapter as an emergency medical technician-paramedic or | ||
| a licensed paramedic, is acting under the delegation and direct | ||
| supervision of a licensed physician, and is authorized to provide | ||
| advanced life support by a health care facility may in accordance | ||
| with department rules provide advanced life support in the | ||
| facility's emergency or urgent care clinical setting, including a | ||
| hospital emergency room and a freestanding emergency medical care | ||
| facility. | ||
| SECTION 2. As soon as practicable after the effective date | ||
| of this Act, the executive commissioner of the Health and Human | ||
| Services Commission shall adopt any rules necessary to implement | ||
| Section 773.0496, Health and Safety Code, as added by this Act. | ||
| SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
| a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
| provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
| Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
| Act takes effect September 1, 2015. | ||
| ______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
| President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
| I certify that H.B. No. 2020 was passed by the House on May | ||
| 15, 2015, by the following vote: Yeas 130, Nays 0, 1 present, not | ||
| voting. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
| I certify that H.B. No. 2020 was passed by the Senate on May | ||
| 27, 2015, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Secretary of the Senate | ||
| APPROVED: _____________________ | ||
| Date | ||
| _____________________ | ||
| Governor | ||
