State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

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92_HB0279

 
                                               LRB9203773LDpr

 1        AN ACT concerning emergency medical dispatches.

 2        Be it enacted by the People of  the  State  of  Illinois,
 3    represented in the General Assembly:

 4        Section  1.  Short  title.  This  Act may be cited as the
 5    Emergency Medical Dispatch Act.

 6        Section 5.  Findings of the Legislature.
 7        The American Heart Association, the  National  Institutes
 8    of  Health,  the  EMS  for  Children  Program  of  the Health
 9    Resources  and  Services  Administration  of  United   States
10    Department   of  Health  and  Human  Services,  the  National
11    Association of EMS Physicians, the  National  Association  of
12    State  EMS  Directors,  and the American College of Emergency
13    Physicians  have  each  identified  that  emergency   medical
14    dispatch  is  a  critical  component  of an emergency medical
15    services system.
16        The ASTM F-30 Committee on Emergency Medical Services has
17    published  the  Standard  Practice  for   Emergency   Medical
18    Dispatch   (F  1258),  the  Standard  Practice  for  Training
19    Instructor Qualification  and  Certification  Eligibility  of
20    Emergency  Medical  Dispatchers  (F  1552),  and Standard for
21    Practice Emergency Medical Dispatch Management (F 1560).
22        The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the
23    United States Department of Transportation has published  the
24    National Standard Curriculum for Emergency Medical Dispatch.
25        The  Legislature  finds  that  modern  emergency  medical
26    dispatch  is a key component of an emergency medical services
27    system and declares that it is the intent of this legislation
28    to provide the  State  with  systems  for  emergency  medical
29    dispatch  by  establishing  within  the  Department of Public
30    Health the authority for the coordination and integration  of
31    all  activities  within  the State concerning the dispatch of
 
                            -2-                LRB9203773LDpr
 1    emergency medical services and the  regulation  of  emergency
 2    medical services dispatch systems.

 3        Section 10.  Definitions.  As used in this Act:
 4        "Advanced  life support provider" means a person that has
 5    been  licensed   or   certified   as   an   EMT-Intermediate,
 6    EMT-Paramedic, registered nurse, or licensed physician in any
 7    state.
 8        "Emergency  medical  dispatcher  (EMD)"  means  a trained
 9    public safety telecommunicator  with  additional  specialized
10    training  and  specific  emergency  medical dispatch protocol
11    knowledge essential for the efficient management of emergency
12    medical call-taking and dispatch communications and certified
13    in accordance with this Act.
14        "Emergency  medical  dispatching"  means  the  reception,
15    evaluation,  processing,  and  provision  of  dispatch   life
16    support,   management   of  requests  for  emergency  medical
17    assistance,  and  participation  in  ongoing  evaluation  and
18    improvement of the emergency medical dispatch process.
19        "Emergency medical dispatch agency"  means  any  dispatch
20    center  that  (i)  receives  and  processes  calls requesting
21    emergency medical assistance, provides dispatch life support,
22    or dispatches emergency medical services resources  and  (ii)
23    is certified in accordance with this Act.
24        "Department" means the Department of Public Health.
25        "Dispatch   life  support  (DLS)"  means  the  knowledge,
26    procedures, and skills used by trained EMDs in providing care
27    and advice through pre-arrival instructions and post-dispatch
28    instructions  to   callers   requesting   emergency   medical
29    assistance.
30        "Pre-arrival   instructions"   means  telephone-rendered,
31    medically approved, scripted instructions given by  certified
32    EMDs to callers that provide necessary assistance and control
33    of a situation prior to arrival of emergency medical services
 
                            -3-                LRB9203773LDpr
 1    personnel. Pre-arrival instructions are read word for word by
 2    the EMD to the fullest extent possible.
 3        "Post-dispatch  instructions" means case-specific advice,
 4    warnings, and treatments  relayed  by  trained  EMDs  through
 5    callers after dispatching field responders.
 6        "Emergency  medical  dispatch  priority  reference system
 7    (EMDPRS)" means a medically approved system that includes the
 8    protocol used  by  an  emergency  medical  dispatcher  in  an
 9    emergency  medical dispatch agency to dispatch aid to medical
10    emergencies that includes systematized  caller  interrogation
11    questions,  systematized  dispatch life support instructions,
12    and systematized coding protocols that match the dispatcher's
13    evaluation of the injury or illness severity with the vehicle
14    response  mode  and  vehicle  response   configuration,   and
15    includes  an  appropriate  training  curriculum  and  testing
16    process  consistent with the specific EMDPRS protocol used by
17    the emergency medical dispatch agency.
18        "Vehicle  response  mode"  means  the  use  of  emergency
19    driving  techniques  such  as  warning  lights-and-siren   or
20    routine driving response.
21        "Vehicle   response  configuration"  means  the  specific
22    vehicles  of  varied   types,   capabilities,   and   numbers
23    responding to render assistance.
24        "Medical    direction"    means    the   management   and
25    accountability for the medical care aspects of  an  emergency
26    medical  dispatch  agency,  including  the medical monitoring
27    oversight of the training  of  EMD  personnel;  approval  and
28    medical control of the operational emergency medical dispatch
29    priority  reference  system  (EMDPRS);  evaluation of medical
30    care and prearrival instructions rendered by  EMD  personnel;
31    direct   participation  in  EMD  system  evaluation,  quality
32    assurance, and quality improvement  process  and  mechanisms;
33    and   responsibility  for  the  medical  decisions  and  care
34    rendered by an emergency  medical  dispatcher  and  emergency
 
                            -4-                LRB9203773LDpr
 1    medical dispatch agency.
 2        "Medical director" means a licensed physician approved by
 3    the Department who provides medical direction to an emergency
 4    medical dispatch agency.
 5        "Continuing   dispatcher   education"  means  educational
 6    experiences in accordance with standards set forth in ASTM  F
 7    1560   Standard  Practice  for  Emergency  Medical  Dispatch,
 8    Section 13 Continuing Dispatcher Education.
 9        "Compliance to  protocol"  means  the  adherence  to  the
10    written  text  or  scripts  and  other  processes  within the
11    approved EMDPRS, except a deviation from the text  or  script
12    that  occurs  only  for the express purpose of clarifying the
13    meaning or intent of a question  or  facilitating  the  clear
14    understanding  of a required action, instruction, or response
15    from a caller.

16        Section 15.  Certificate required.
17        (a)  A person may not represent himself  or  herself  nor
18    may  an  agency or business represent an agent or employee of
19    that agency or business as an  emergency  medical  dispatcher
20    unless   the  person  so  represented  is  certified  by  the
21    Department as an emergency medical dispatcher.
22        (b)  A person, organization, or government agency may not
23    represent itself as  an  emergency  medical  dispatch  agency
24    unless  the  person,  organization,  or  government agency is
25    certified by the Department as an emergency medical  dispatch
26    agency.
27        (c)  A person, organization, or government agency may not
28    offer  or  conduct a training course that is represented as a
29    course for an emergency medical dispatcher unless the person,
30    organization, or agency is  approved  by  the  Department  to
31    offer or conduct that course.

32        Section 20.  Issuance of certificates.
 
                            -5-                LRB9203773LDpr
 1        (a)  The   Department   shall   prescribe   by  rule  the
 2    requirements  that  are  prerequisite  to  the  issuance   of
 3    certificates that provide for the following:
 4             (1)  certification  and  recertification of a person
 5        who meets the  training  and  other  requirements  as  an
 6        emergency medical dispatcher;
 7             (2)  certification   and   recertification   that  a
 8        person, organization, or government agency that  operates
 9        an  emergency  medical  dispatch agency meets the minimum
10        standards prescribed by the Department for  an  emergency
11        medical dispatch agency.
12        (b)  Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, the
13    Department   shall  grant  certification  or  recertification
14    without further examination to  any  person  with  a  current
15    certification  from the National Academy of Emergency Medical
16    Dispatch.
17        (c)  Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, the
18    Department shall grant certification  or  recertification  to
19    any  emergency  medical dispatch agency that is accredited by
20    the National Academy of Emergency Medical Dispatch.

21        Section 25.  Minimum standards.
22        (a)  The Department shall prescribe by rule the  training
23    and other requirements for certification of emergency medical
24    dispatchers   in   accordance   with  the  following  minimum
25    standards:
26             (1)  An  emergency  medical  dispatcher   shall   be
27        trained   in   a  Department-approved  emergency  medical
28        dispatch training program.
29             (2)  Department-approved emergency medical  dispatch
30        training  programs  shall be conducted in accordance with
31        ASTM  F1258  Standard  Practice  for  Emergency   Medical
32        Dispatch,  ASTM  F  1552  Standard  Practice for Training
33        Instructor Qualifications and  Certification  Eligibility
 
                            -6-                LRB9203773LDpr
 1        of  Emergency  Medical  Dispatchers, ASTM F 1560 Standard
 2        Practice for Emergency Medical Dispatch  Management;  and
 3        the  National  Institutes  of  Health recommendations for
 4        emergency medical dispatcher training and shall include a
 5        written examination approved by the Department that tests
 6        for competency the specific EMDPRS taught in the training
 7        program.
 8             (3)  Department-approved      emergency      medical
 9        dispatcher  training  programs  shall  be  conducted   by
10        instructors  that  either  (A)  (i)  are  certified as an
11        emergency medical dispatchers, (ii) are currently or were
12        formerly licensed or certified as advanced  life  support
13        providers,  (iii) have completed a methods of instruction
14        course,  (iv)  have  previous  experience  in  a  medical
15        dispatch agency, and (v) have demonstrated experience  as
16        EMS  instructors; or (B) by instructors who are certified
17        as EMD Instructors by the National Academy  of  Emergency
18        Medical Dispatch.
19             (4)  Certification  of emergency medical dispatchers
20        shall  be   based   on   successful   completion   of   a
21        Department-approved emergency medical dispatcher course.
22             (5)  Recertification     of     emergency    medical
23        dispatchers shall be based  on  the  accumulation  of  at
24        least  12  hours  of  continuing dispatcher education for
25        each year of the certification period.
26        The Department may  establish  additional  qualifications
27    for  certification and recertification as it deems necessary,
28    except that no statewide written examination may be  required
29    if  the  Department  approves  the use of different EMDPRS by
30    emergency medical dispatch agencies.
31        (b)  The  Department  shall   prescribe   by   rule   the
32    requirements   for  certification  of  an  emergency  medical
33    dispatch agency.  At a minimum, an emergency medical dispatch
34    agency must be  operated  in  accordance  with  ASTM  F  1560
 
                            -7-                LRB9203773LDpr
 1    Standard  Practice for Emergency Medical Dispatch Management,
 2    including but not limited to:
 3             (1)  the use on every request for medical assistance
 4        of  an  emergency  medical  dispatch  priority  reference
 5        system (EMDPRS);
 6             (2)  under  the  approval  and  supervision  of  the
 7        medical  director,  the  establishment  of  a  continuous
 8        quality improvement program that measures  compliance  to
 9        protocol  through ongoing random case review for each EMD
10        and provides feedback to the individuals  and  management
11        of the EMS agency regarding the level of compliance; and
12             (3)  the  appointment of a dispatch medical director
13        to review  and  approve  the  EMDPRS,  the  EMD  training
14        program,  and the medical aspects of the operation of the
15        emergency medical dispatch agency.
16        The agency shall have and use the most current version of
17    the  Department-approved  EMDPRS  selected  for  use  by  the
18    agency.

19        Section 30.  Authority  of  Department.   The  Department
20    shall have the authority and responsibility to:
21        (1)  require emergency medical dispatchers to comply with
22    the   protocols   for  pre-arrival  instructions  to  callers
23    established by the EMS Medical  Director  and  the  emergency
24    medical dispatch agency;
25        (2)  require  each  emergency  medical dispatcher to keep
26    the Department informed as  to  the  entity  or  agency  that
27    employs  or  supervises his or her activities as an emergency
28    medical dispatcher;
29        (3)  approve  all  EMDPRS  protocols  used  by  emergency
30    medical dispatch agencies to assure compliance  with  ASTM  F
31    1258 Standard Practice for Emergency Medical Dispatch; and
32        (4)  require  emergency  medical  dispatchers,  emergency
33    medical  dispatch  agencies,  and  the  National  Academy  of
 
                            -8-                LRB9203773LDpr
 1    Emergency  Medical  Dispatch  to  report  to  the  Department
 2    whenever  an  action  has  taken  place  that may require the
 3    revocation or suspension  of  a  certificate  issued  by  the
 4    Department.

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