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General Assembly Raised Bill No. 1229
January Session, 2023
LCO No. 6024
Referred to Committee on PUBLIC HEALTH
Introduced by:
(PH)
AN ACT CONCERNING EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Subdivision (8) of section 19a-177 of the general statutes is 1
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 2
1, 2023): 3
(8) (A) Develop an emergency medical services data collection 4
system. Each emergency medical service organization licensed or 5
certified pursuant to this chapter shall submit data to the commissioner, 6
on a quarterly basis, from each licensed ambulance service, certified 7
ambulance service or paramedic intercept service that provides 8
emergency medical services. Such submitted data shall include, but not 9
be limited to: (i) The total number of and reasons for calls for emergency 10
medical services received by such licensed ambulance service, certified 11
ambulance service or paramedic intercept service through the 9-1-1 12
system during the reporting period; (ii) each level of emergency medical 13
services, as defined in regulations adopted pursuant to section 19a-179, 14
required for each such call; (iii) the response time for each licensed 15
ambulance service, certified ambulance service or paramedic intercept 16 Bill No. 1229
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service during the reporting period; (iv) the number of passed calls, 17
cancelled calls and mutual aid calls, both made and received, during the 18
reporting period; and (v) for the reporting period, the prehospital data 19
for the nonscheduled transport of patients required by regulations 20
adopted pursuant to subdivision (6) of this section. The data required 21
under this subdivision may be submitted in any electronic form selected 22
by such licensed ambulance service, certified ambulance service or 23
paramedic intercept service and approved by the commissioner, 24
provided the commissioner shall take into consideration the needs of 25
such licensed ambulance service, certified ambulance service or 26
paramedic intercept service in approving such electronic form. The 27
commissioner may conduct an audit of any such licensed ambulance 28
service, certified ambulance service or paramedic intercept service as 29
the commissioner deems necessary in order to verify the accuracy of 30
such reported data. 31
(B) On or before June 1, 2023, and annually thereafter, the 32
commissioner shall prepare a report to the Emergency Medical Services 33
Advisory Board, established pursuant to section 19a-178a, as amended 34
by this act, that shall include, but not be limited to, the following data: 35
(i) The total number of calls for emergency medical services received 36
during the reporting year by each licensed ambulance service, certified 37
ambulance service or paramedic intercept service; (ii) the level of 38
emergency medical services required for each such call; (iii) the name of 39
the emergency medical service organization that provided each such 40
level of emergency medical services furnished during the reporting 41
year; (iv) the response time, by time ranges or fractile response times, 42
for each licensed ambulance service, certified ambulance service or 43
paramedic intercept service, using a common definition of response 44
time, as provided in regulations adopted pursuant to section 19a-179; 45
and (v) the number of passed calls, cancelled calls and mutual aid calls 46
during the reporting year. The commissioner shall prepare such report 47
in a format that categorizes such data for each municipality in which the 48
emergency medical services were provided, with each such 49
municipality grouped according to urban, suburban and rural 50 Bill No. 1229
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classifications. 51
(C) If any licensed ambulance service, certified ambulance service or 52
paramedic intercept service does not submit the data required under 53
subparagraph (A) of this subdivision for a period of six consecutive 54
months, or if the commissioner believes that such licensed ambulance 55
service, certified ambulance service or paramedic intercept service 56
knowingly or intentionally submitted incomplete or false data, the 57
commissioner shall issue a written order directing such licensed 58
ambulance service, certified ambulance service or paramedic intercept 59
service to comply with the provisions of subparagraph (A) of this 60
subdivision and submit all missing data or such corrected data as the 61
commissioner may require. If such licensed ambulance service, certified 62
ambulance service or paramedic intercept service fails to fully comply 63
with such order not later than three months from the date such order is 64
issued, the commissioner (i) shall conduct a hearing, in accordance with 65
chapter 54, at which such licensed ambulance service, certified 66
ambulance service or paramedic intercept service shall be required to 67
show cause why the primary service area assignment of such licensed 68
ambulance service, certified ambulance service or paramedic intercept 69
service should not be revoked, and (ii) may take such disciplinary action 70
under section 19a-17 as the commissioner deems appropriate. 71
(D) The commissioner shall collect the data required by 72
subparagraph (A) of this subdivision, in the manner provided in said 73
subparagraph, from each emergency medical service organization 74
licensed or certified pursuant to this chapter. Any such emergency 75
medical service organization that fails to comply with the provisions of 76
this section shall be liable for a civil penalty not to exceed one hundred 77
dollars per day for each failure to report the required data regarding 78
emergency medical services provided to a patient, as determined by the 79
commissioner. The civil penalties set forth in this subparagraph shall be 80
assessed only after the department provides a written notice of 81
deficiency and the organization is afforded the opportunity to respond 82
to such notice. An organization shall have not more than fifteen business 83 Bill No. 1229
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days after the date of receiving such notice to provide a written response 84
to the department. The commissioner may adopt regulations, in 85
accordance with chapter 54, concerning the development, 86
implementation, monitoring and collection of emergency medical 87
service system data. All state agencies licensed or certified as emergency 88
medical service organizations shall be exempt from the civil penalties 89
set forth in this subparagraph. 90
(E) The commissioner shall, with the recommendation of the 91
Connecticut Emergency Medical Services Advisory Board established 92
pursuant to section 19a-178a, as amended by this act, adopt for use in 93
trauma data collection the most recent version of the National Trauma 94
Data Bank's National Trauma Data Standards and Data Dictionary and 95
nationally recognized guidelines for field triage of injured patients. 96
(F) On or before June 1, 2024, and annually thereafter, the 97
commissioner shall submit the report described in subparagraph (B) of 98
this subdivision, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, to 99
the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having 100
cognizance of matters relating to public health; 101
Sec. 2. Section 19a-178a of the general statutes is repealed and the 102
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2023): 103
(a) There is established within the Department of Public Health an 104
Emergency Medical Services Advisory Board. 105
(b) The advisory board shall consist of members appointed in 106
accordance with the provisions of this subsection and shall include the 107
Commissioner of Public Health, the department's emergency medical 108
services medical director and the president of each of the regional 109
emergency medical services councils, or their designees. The Governor 110
shall appoint the following members: (1) One person from the 111
Connecticut Association of Directors of Health; (2) three persons from 112
the Connecticut College of Emergency Physicians; (3) one person from 113
the Connecticut Committee on Trauma of the American College of 114 Bill No. 1229
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Surgeons; (4) one person from the Connecticut Medical Advisory 115
Committee; (5) one person from the Emergency Nurses Association; (6) 116
one person from the Connecticut Association of Emergency Medical 117
Services Instructors; (7) one person from the Connecticut Hospital 118
Association; (8) two persons representing commercial ambulance 119
services; (9) one person from the Connecticut State Firefighters 120
Association; (10) one person from the Connecticut Fire Chiefs 121
Association; (11) one person from the Connecticut Police Chiefs 122
Association; (12) one person from the Connecticut State Police; and (13) 123
one person from the Connecticut Commission on Fire Prevention and 124
Control. An additional eighteen members shall be appointed as follows: 125
(A) Three by the president pro tempore of the Senate; (B) three by the 126
majority leader of the Senate; (C) four by the minority leader of the 127
Senate; (D) three by the speaker of the House of Representatives; (E) two 128
by the majority leader of the House of Representatives; and (F) three by 129
the minority leader of the House of Representatives. The appointees 130
shall include a person with experience in municipal ambulance services; 131
a person with experience in for-profit ambulance services; three persons 132
with experience in volunteer ambulance services; a paramedic; an 133
emergency medical technician; an advanced emergency medical 134
technician; a person from an association in the state representing 135
paramedics and emergency medical technicians; three consumers and 136
four persons from state-wide organizations with interests in emergency 137
medical services as well as any other areas of expertise that may be 138
deemed necessary for the proper functioning of the advisory board. Any 139
appointment to the advisory board that is vacant for more than one year 140
shall be filled by the Commissioner of Public Health. The commissioner 141
shall notify the appointing authority of the identity of the 142
commissioner's appointment not later than thirty days before making 143
such appointment. 144
(c) The Commissioner of Public Health shall appoint a chairperson 145
from among the members of the advisory board who shall serve for a 146
term of one year. The advisory board shall elect a vice-chairperson and 147
secretary. The advisory board shall have committees made up of such 148 Bill No. 1229
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members as the chairperson shall appoint and such other interested 149
persons as the committee members shall elect to membership. The 150
advisory board may, from time to time, appoint nonmembers to serve 151
on such ad hoc committees as it deems necessary to assist with its 152
functions. The advisory board shall develop bylaws. The advisory board 153
shall establish a Connecticut Emergency Medical Services Medical 154
Advisory Committee as a standing committee. The standing committee 155
shall provide the commissioner, the advisory board and other ad hoc 156
committees with advice and comment regarding the medical aspects of 157
their projects. The standing committee may submit reports directly to 158
the commissioner regarding medically-related concerns that have not, 159
in the standing committee's opinion, been satisfactorily addressed by 160
the advisory board. 161
(d) The term for each appointed member of the advisory board shall 162
be coterminous with the appointing authority. Appointees shall serve 163
without compensation. 164
(e) The advisory board, in addition to other power conferred and in 165
addition to functioning in a general advisory capacity, shall assist in 166
coordinating the efforts of all persons and agencies in the state 167
concerned with the emergency medical service system, and shall render 168
advice on the development of the emergency medical service system 169
where needed. The advisory board shall make an annual report to the 170
commissioner. 171
(f) The advisory board shall be provided a reasonable opportunity to 172
review and make recommendations on all regulations, medical 173
guidelines and policies affecting emergency medical services before the 174
department establishes such regulations, medical guidelines or policies. 175
The advisory board shall make recommendations to the Governor and 176
to the General Assembly concerning legislation which, in the advisory 177
board's judgment, will improve the delivery of emergency medical 178
services. 179
(g) The advisory board shall conduct an annual study of emergency 180 Bill No. 1229
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medical services in the state. Such study shall include an analysis of the 181
report prepared by the Commissioner of Public Health pursuant to 182
subparagraph (B) of subdivision (8) of section 19a-177, as amended by 183
this act, an evaluation of trends and patterns of risk affecting emergency 184
medical services and identification of areas of the state that are at risk of 185
receiving delayed emergency medical services. Not later than January 186
1, 2024, and annually thereafter, the advisory board shall report, in 187
accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, to the joint standing 188
committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters 189
relating to public health regarding such study. 190
Sec. 3. (Effective from passage) The Emergency Medical Services 191
Advisory Board, established pursuant to section 19a-178a of the general 192
statutes, as amended by this act, shall study and make 193
recommendations to address the shortage of emergency medical 194
services personnel in the state. Not later than January 1, 2024, the 195
advisory board shall report, in accordance with the provisions of section 196
11-4a of the general statutes, to the joint standing committee of the 197
General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public 198
health regarding such study. 199
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2023 19a-177(8)
Sec. 2 October 1, 2023 19a-178a
Sec. 3 from passage New section
PH Joint Favorable