Massachusetts 2023-2024 Regular Session

Massachusetts House Bill H2154 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1 of 1
2	2	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3484 FILED ON: 1/20/2023
3	3	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2154
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	William J. Driscoll, Jr.
8	8	_________________
9	9	To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
10	10	Court assembled:
11	11	The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
12	12	An Act establishing a task force to study the sustainability of emergency medical services.
13	13	_______________
14	14	PETITION OF:
15	15	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:William J. Driscoll, Jr.7th Norfolk1/20/2023 1 of 3
16	16	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3484 FILED ON: 1/20/2023
17	17	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2154
18	18	By Representative Driscoll of Milton, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2154) of
19	19	William J. Driscoll, Jr. relative to establishing a task force to study the sustainability of
20	20	emergency medical services. Public Health.
21	21	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
22	22	_______________
23	23	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
24	24	(2023-2024)
25	25	_______________
26	26	An Act establishing a task force to study the sustainability of emergency medical services.
27	27	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
28	28	of the same, as follows:
29	29	1 SECTION XX. (a) Notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law to the
30	30	2contrary, the executive office of health and human services, in collaboration with the department
31	31	3of public health and the emergency medical care advisory board, shall establish a special task
32	32	4force to issue a report and make recommendations on the structure, support and delivery of
33	33	5emergency medical services in the commonwealth. The commission shall look at all aspects of
34	34	6emergency medical services and impact on patient quality of care, including but not limited to:
35	35	7the ability to designate emergency medical services as an essential service in the commonwealth;
36	36	8workforce development initiatives; training; compensation; retention; costs versus expenses of
37	37	9care; reimbursement rates; organization of EMS services; the feasibility of reorganizing the
38	38	10emergency medical care advisory board within the executive office of public safety and security,
39	39	11and; local and state support. The task force shall consist of the following members: the secretary
40	40	12of health and human services or their designee, who shall serve as co-chair; the commissioner of
41	41	13the department of public health or their designee, who shall service as co-chair; and one 2 of 3
42	42	14representative from each of the following organizations: the Massachusetts Health & Hospital
43	43	15Association; the Massachusetts Ambulance Association; the Professional Fire Fighters of
44	44	16Massachusetts; the Massachusetts Association of Behavioral Health Systems; the Association for
45	45	17Behavioral Health Care; the Massachusetts College of Emergency Physicians, the Massachusetts
46	46	18Emergency Nurses Association, and; the Massachusetts Senior Care Association.
47	47	19 (b) The task force shall conduct an analysis and issue a report which shall include but not
48	48	20be limited to: (i) a review of the methodologies used for determining reimbursement rates
49	49	21affecting the availability of emergency and non-emergency ambulance transport, including a
50	50	22review of a cost-based method for rate determination, and the potential need to reimburse certain
51	51	23transports requiring longer transport-times or further geographical distances at a higher rate,
52	52	24including but not limited to transports to and within the behavioral health system; (ii) an
53	53	25assessment on the efficacy of the MassHealth non-emergency wheelchair van brokerage
54	54	26program; (iii) industry-wide workforce initiatives including, but not limited to, strategies to
55	55	27improve recruitment, training, including but not limited to, transitional training opportunities for
56	56	28emergency medical services, and cost of training, certification, and licensure ; (iv) impact of
57	57	29municipal ambulance service contracts being exempt from public bidding requirements; (v)
58	58	30impact of administrative barriers on access and utilization of non-emergency ambulance
59	59	31transport; (vi) the role of external economic factors on the development, sustainability, and
60	60	32retention of the emergency medical service workforce such as the increases in the minimum
61	61	33wage and competition from other industries; and (vii) recommendations on coverage and
62	62	34reimbursement methodology for emerging models, including but not limited to mobile integrated
63	63	35health and alternative behavioral health transportation. 3 of 3
64	64	36 (c) The task force shall convene its first meeting within 30 days of the effective date of
65	65	37this act. The task force shall submit its report, including recommendations to address any
66	66	38statutory, regulatory, budgetary, or other barriers to implementing said recommendations, with
67	67	39the clerks of the house of representatives and senate, the joint committee on health care
68	68	40financing, the joint committee on labor and workforce development, joint committee on public
69	69	41safety and homeland security, and the house and senate committees on ways and means within
70	70	42six months of the effective date of this act.