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