Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Massachusetts Senate Bill S1513 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1 of 1
2	2	SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2532 FILED ON: 1/17/2025
3	3	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1513
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 :William J. Driscoll, Jr.Norfolk, Plymouth and BristolBarry R. FinegoldSecond Essex and Middlesex3/6/2025 1 of 3
16	16	SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2532 FILED ON: 1/17/2025
17	17	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1513
18	18	By Mr. Driscoll, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1513) of William J. Driscoll, Jr.
19	19	and Barry R. Finegold for legislation to establish 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-Fourth General Court
24	24	(2025-2026)
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 (a) Notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law to the contrary, the
30	30	2executive office of health and human services, in collaboration with the department of public
31	31	3health and the emergency medical care advisory board, shall establish a special task force to
32	32	4issue a report and make recommendations on the structure, support and delivery of emergency
33	33	5medical services in the commonwealth. The commission shall look at all aspects of emergency
34	34	6medical services and impact on patient quality of care, including but not limited to: the ability to
35	35	7designate emergency medical services as an essential service in the commonwealth; workforce
36	36	8development initiatives; training; compensation; retention; costs versus expenses of care;
37	37	9reimbursement 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; Fire Chiefs Association of Massachusetts; the Massachusetts Association of
45	45	17Behavioral Health Systems; the Association for Behavioral Health Care; the Massachusetts
46	46	18College of Emergency Physicians, the Massachusetts Emergency Nurses Association, and; the
47	47	19Massachusetts Senior Care Association.
48	48	20 (b) The task force shall conduct an analysis and issue a report which shall include but not
49	49	21be limited to: (i) a review of the methodologies used for determining reimbursement rates
50	50	22affecting the availability of emergency and non-emergency ambulance transport, including a
51	51	23review of a cost-based method for rate determination, and the potential need to reimburse certain
52	52	24transports requiring longer transport-times or further geographical distances at a higher rate,
53	53	25including but not limited to transports to and within the behavioral health system; (ii) an
54	54	26assessment on the efficacy of the MassHealth non-emergency wheelchair van brokerage
55	55	27program; (iii) industry-wide workforce initiatives including, but not limited to, strategies to
56	56	28improve recruitment, training, including but not limited to, transitional training opportunities for
57	57	29emergency medical services, and cost of training, certification, and licensure ; (iv) impact of
58	58	30municipal ambulance service contracts being exempt from public bidding requirements; (v)
59	59	31impact of administrative barriers on access and utilization of non-emergency ambulance
60	60	32transport; (vi) An analysis of current EMS point of entry protocols in urban, suburban, and rural
61	61	33settings, including but not limited to the assessment of resource allocation and capacity planning
62	62	34related to EMS transport; (vii) the role of external economic factors on the development,
63	63	35sustainability, and retention of the emergency medical service workforce such as the increases in
64	64	36the minimum wage and competition from other industries; and (IX) recommendations on 3 of 3
65	65	37coverage and reimbursement methodology for emerging models, including but not limited to
66	66	38mobile integrated health and alternative behavioral health transportation.
67	67	39 (c) The task force shall convene its first meeting within 30 days of the effective date of
68	68	40this act. The task force shall submit its report, including recommendations to address any
69	69	41statutory, regulatory, budgetary, or other barriers to implementing said recommendations, with
70	70	42the clerks of the house of representatives and senate, the joint committee on health care
71	71	43financing, the joint committee on labor and workforce development, joint committee on public
72	72	44safety and homeland security, and the house and senate committees on ways and means within
73	73	45six months of the effective date of this act.