DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part of the
legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute part of the law
or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HB 494 Original 2015 Regular Session Willmott
Abstract: Requires ambulance services to establish protocols for transporting patients with cardiac
and stroke emergencies.
Proposed law provides the following definitions for terms used therein:
(1)"Acute stroke ready hospital", "comprehensive stroke center", and "primary stroke center"
mean facilities recognized as such in present administrative code relative to stroke center
recognition.
(2)"STEMI", an abbreviation for "ST segment elevation myocardial infarction", means a type
of heart attack characterized by full thickness cardiac muscle damage resulting from an acute
interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart.
(3)"STEMI receiving center" and "STEMI referring center" mean facilities recognized as such
in present administrative code relative to STEMI center recognition.
Proposed law requires each ambulance service licensed pursuant to present law to establish
pre-hospital care protocols related to the assessment and transport of stroke and STEMI patients.
Proposed law requires that the protocols include, at minimum, all of the following:
(1)Plans for the transport of acute stroke patients to the closest comprehensive stroke center,
primary stroke center, or level three acute stroke ready hospital within a specified time frame
of onset of symptoms.
(2)Plans for the transport of STEMI heart attack patients to the closest STEMI receiving center
or, when appropriate, to a STEMI referring center within a specified time frame of onset of
symptoms.
Proposed law provides that an ambulance service may either establish its own pre-hospital protocols
which conform to the requirements of proposed law or adopt the pre-hospital protocols developed
and promulgated by the La. Emergency Response Network.
Proposed law stipulates that if a life-threatening condition arises during the transport of a stroke or
STEMI heart attack patient, the ambulance service shall transport the patient to the nearest hospital.
Proposed law requires that on or before Jan. 1 annually, each licensed ambulance service submit to the Dept. of Health and Hospitals (DHH) a copy of its stroke and STEMI transportation protocol
required by proposed law. Requires DHH to keep these protocols on file and make them available
to any person upon request.
Proposed law requires any ambulance service that revises its stroke and STEMI transportation
protocol to submit the revised protocol to DHH no more than 30 days after implementation of the
protocol.
Proposed law stipulates that it shall not be construed to limit the right of a patient to refuse
emergency transport to a recommended destination.
(Adds R.S. 40:1236.8)