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