95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2007 and 2008
HB5765

 

Introduced , by Rep. Rich Brauer

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
210 ILCS 50/3.20

    Amends the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems Act. Provides that in an EMS Region with both a Level I Trauma Center and a Level II Trauma Center, if a patient meets or potentially meets Trauma Declaration Criteria as established by the Department of Public Health and the Trauma Program Plan and has not been treated at a medical facility for his or her trauma, a vehicle service provider shall transport the patient from the place where the trauma occurred or where the patient is found to the Level I Trauma Center, regardless of the patient's choice of a trauma center. Effective immediately.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB5765 LRB095 15702 DRJ 43994 b

1     AN ACT concerning regulation.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 5. The Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems Act
5 is amended by changing Section 3.20 as follows:
 
6     (210 ILCS 50/3.20)
7     Sec. 3.20. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems.
8     (a) "Emergency Medical Services (EMS) System" means an
9 organization of hospitals, vehicle service providers and
10 personnel approved by the Department in a specific geographic
11 area, which coordinates and provides pre-hospital and
12 inter-hospital emergency care and non-emergency medical
13 transports at a BLS, ILS and/or ALS level pursuant to a System
14 program plan submitted to and approved by the Department, and
15 pursuant to the EMS Region Plan adopted for the EMS Region in
16 which the System is located.
17     (b) One hospital in each System program plan must be
18 designated as the Resource Hospital. All other hospitals which
19 are located within the geographic boundaries of a System and
20 which have standby, basic or comprehensive level emergency
21 departments must function in that EMS System as either an
22 Associate Hospital or Participating Hospital and follow all
23 System policies specified in the System Program Plan, including

 

 

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1 but not limited to the replacement of drugs and equipment used
2 by providers who have delivered patients to their emergency
3 departments. All hospitals and vehicle service providers
4 participating in an EMS System must specify their level of
5 participation in the System Program Plan.
6     (c) The Department shall have the authority and
7 responsibility to:
8         (1) Approve BLS, ILS and ALS level EMS Systems which
9     meet minimum standards and criteria established in rules
10     adopted by the Department pursuant to this Act, including
11     the submission of a Program Plan for Department approval.
12     Beginning September 1, 1997, the Department shall approve
13     the development of a new EMS System only when a local or
14     regional need for establishing such System has been
15     identified. This shall not be construed as a needs
16     assessment for health planning or other purposes outside of
17     this Act. Following Department approval, EMS Systems must
18     be fully operational within one year from the date of
19     approval.
20         (2) Monitor EMS Systems, based on minimum standards for
21     continuing operation as prescribed in rules adopted by the
22     Department pursuant to this Act, which shall include
23     requirements for submitting Program Plan amendments to the
24     Department for approval.
25         (3) Renew EMS System approvals every 4 years, after an
26     inspection, based on compliance with the standards for

 

 

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1     continuing operation prescribed in rules adopted by the
2     Department pursuant to this Act.
3         (4) Suspend, revoke, or refuse to renew approval of any
4     EMS System, after providing an opportunity for a hearing,
5     when findings show that it does not meet the minimum
6     standards for continuing operation as prescribed by the
7     Department, or is found to be in violation of its
8     previously approved Program Plan.
9         (5) Require each EMS System to adopt written protocols
10     for the bypassing of or diversion to any hospital, trauma
11     center or regional trauma center, which provide that a
12     person shall not be transported to a facility other than
13     the nearest hospital, regional trauma center or trauma
14     center unless the medical benefits to the patient
15     reasonably expected from the provision of appropriate
16     medical treatment at a more distant facility outweigh the
17     increased risks to the patient from transport to the more
18     distant facility, or the transport is in accordance with
19     the System's protocols for patient choice or refusal. In an
20     EMS Region with both a Level I Trauma Center and a Level II
21     Trauma Center, if a patient meets or potentially meets
22     Trauma Declaration Criteria as established by the
23     Department and the Trauma Program Plan and has not been
24     treated at a medical facility for his or her trauma, a
25     vehicle service provider as defined in Section 3.85 shall
26     transport the patient from the place where the trauma

 

 

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1     occurred or where the patient is found to the Level I
2     Trauma Center, regardless of the patient's choice of a
3     trauma center.
4         (6) Require that the EMS Medical Director of an ILS or
5     ALS level EMS System be a physician licensed to practice
6     medicine in all of its branches in Illinois, and certified
7     by the American Board of Emergency Medicine or the American
8     Board of Osteopathic Emergency Medicine, and that the EMS
9     Medical Director of a BLS level EMS System be a physician
10     licensed to practice medicine in all of its branches in
11     Illinois, with regular and frequent involvement in
12     pre-hospital emergency medical services. In addition, all
13     EMS Medical Directors shall:
14             (A) Have experience on an EMS vehicle at the
15         highest level available within the System, or make
16         provision to gain such experience within 12 months
17         prior to the date responsibility for the System is
18         assumed or within 90 days after assuming the position;
19             (B) Be thoroughly knowledgeable of all skills
20         included in the scope of practices of all levels of EMS
21         personnel within the System;
22             (C) Have or make provision to gain experience
23         instructing students at a level similar to that of the
24         levels of EMS personnel within the System; and
25             (D) For ILS and ALS EMS Medical Directors,
26         successfully complete a Department-approved EMS

 

 

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1         Medical Director's Course.
2         (7) Prescribe statewide EMS data elements to be
3     collected and documented by providers in all EMS Systems
4     for all emergency and non-emergency medical services, with
5     a one-year phase-in for commencing collection of such data
6     elements.
7         (8) Define, through rules adopted pursuant to this Act,
8     the terms "Resource Hospital", "Associate Hospital",
9     "Participating Hospital", "Basic Emergency Department",
10     "Standby Emergency Department", "Comprehensive Emergency
11     Department", "EMS Medical Director", "EMS Administrative
12     Director", and "EMS System Coordinator".
13             (A) Upon the effective date of this amendatory Act
14         of 1995, all existing Project Medical Directors shall
15         be considered EMS Medical Directors, and all persons
16         serving in such capacities on the effective date of
17         this amendatory Act of 1995 shall be exempt from the
18         requirements of paragraph (7) of this subsection;
19             (B) Upon the effective date of this amendatory Act
20         of 1995, all existing EMS System Project Directors
21         shall be considered EMS Administrative Directors.
22         (9) Investigate the circumstances that caused a
23     hospital in an EMS system to go on bypass status to
24     determine whether that hospital's decision to go on bypass
25     status was reasonable. The Department may impose
26     sanctions, as set forth in Section 3.140 of the Act, upon a

 

 

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1     Department determination that the hospital unreasonably
2     went on bypass status in violation of the Act.
3         (10) Evaluate the capacity and performance of any
4     freestanding emergency center established under Section
5     32.5 of this Act in meeting emergency medical service needs
6     of the public, including compliance with applicable
7     emergency medical standards and assurance of the
8     availability of and immediate access to the highest quality
9     of medical care possible.
10 (Source: P.A. 95-584, eff. 8-31-07.)
 
11     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
12 becoming law.