HLS 15RS-752 ORIGINAL
2015 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 494
BY REPRESENTATIVE WILLMOTT
Prefiled pursuant to Article III, Section 2(A)(4)(b)(i) of the Constitution of Louisiana.
HEALTH/EMERG MED SERVICE: Requires ambulance services to establish protocols
for transporting patients with cardiac and stroke emergencies
1 AN ACT
2To enact R.S. 40:1236.8, relative to emergency medical transportation; to require ambulance
3 services to establish protocols for transporting patients with cardiac and stroke
4 emergencies; to require filing of such protocols with the Department of Health and
5 Hospitals; to require the Department of Health and Hospitals to maintain the
6 protocols and make them available upon request; to provide relative to right of a
7 patient to refuse emergency transport to a recommended destination; and to provide
8 for related matters.
9Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
10 Section 1. R.S. 40:1236.8 is hereby enacted to read as follows:
11 ยง1236.8. Stroke and STEMI transportation; ambulance service protocols required
12 A. As used in this Section, the following terms have the meaning ascribed
13 in this Subsection:
14 (1) "Acute stroke ready hospital", "comprehensive stroke center", and
15 "primary stroke center" mean facilities recognized as such in regulations of the
16 Louisiana Emergency Response Network relative to stroke center recognition (LAC
17 48:I.18701 et seq.).
18 (2) "STEMI", an abbreviation for "ST segment elevation myocardial
19 infarction", means a type of heart attack characterized by full thickness cardiac
20 muscle damage resulting from an acute interruption of blood supply to a part of the
21 heart.
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HB NO. 494
1 (3) "STEMI receiving center" and "STEMI referring center" mean facilities
2 recognized as such in regulations of the Louisiana Emergency Response Network
3 relative to STEMI center recognition (LAC 48:I.18901 et seq.).
4 B.(1) Each ambulance service licensed pursuant to the provisions of this Part
5 shall establish pre-hospital care protocols related to the assessment and transport of
6 stroke and STEMI patients. Such protocols shall include, without limitation, all of
7 the following:
8 (a) Plans for the transport of acute stroke patients to the closest
9 comprehensive stroke center, primary stroke center, or level three acute stroke ready
10 hospital within a specified time frame of onset of symptoms.
11 (b) Plans for the transport of STEMI heart attack patients to the closest
12 STEMI receiving center or, when appropriate, to a STEMI referring center within a
13 specified time frame of onset of symptoms.
14 (2) An ambulance service may either establish its own pre-hospital protocols
15 which conform to the requirements of this Subsection or adopt the pre-hospital
16 protocols developed and promulgated by the Louisiana Emergency Response
17 Network.
18 C.(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section, if a life-
19 threatening condition arises during the transport of a stroke or STEMI heart attack
20 patient, the ambulance service shall transport the patient to the nearest hospital.
21 (2) For purposes of this Subsection, "life-threatening condition" shall
22 include, without limitation, serious airway or respiratory compromise and any other
23 condition that poses an immediate threat to the life of the patient and cannot be
24 managed in the field.
25 D.(1) On or before January first annually, each licensed ambulance service
26 shall submit to the department a copy of the stroke and STEMI transportation
27 protocol it has established pursuant to this Section.
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HB NO. 494
1 (2) Any ambulance service that revises its stroke and STEMI transportation
2 protocol shall submit the revised protocol to the department no more than thirty days
3 after implementation of the protocol.
4 (3) The department shall keep on file each transportation protocol it receives
5 pursuant to this Subsection and shall make such protocols available to any person
6 upon request.
7 E. Nothing in this Section shall be construed to limit the right of a patient to
8 refuse emergency transport to a recommended destination.
9 Section 2. The Louisiana State Law Institute is hereby authorized to redesignate the
10number of any Section of statute enacted by this Act in a manner that comports with the
11technical recodification provisions of House Concurrent Resolution No. ____ of this 2015
12Regular Session of the Legislature.
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.
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HB NO. 494
(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)
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