State of Illinois
92^nd General Assembly
Legislation

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92_HB0279ren

 
HB0279 Re-Enrolled                             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    90.   The  Emergency  Medical  Services  (EMS)
 5    Systems Act is amended by changing Section 3.70 as follows:

 6        (210 ILCS 50/3.70)
 7        Sec. 3.70.  Emergency Medical Dispatcher.
 8        (a)  "Emergency Medical Dispatcher" means  a  person  who
 9    has  successfully  completed  a  training course in emergency
10    medical dispatching course meeting or exceeding the  national
11    curriculum  of the United States Department of Transportation
12    in accordance with rules adopted by the  Department  pursuant
13    to  this Act, who accepts calls from the public for emergency
14    medical services and dispatches designated emergency  medical
15    services  personnel  and  vehicles.   The  Emergency  Medical
16    Dispatcher must use the Department-approved emergency medical
17    dispatch priority reference system (EMDPRS) protocol selected
18    for  use  by  its  agency  and  approved  by  its EMS medical
19    director.  This protocol must be used by an emergency medical
20    dispatcher  in  an  emergency  medical  dispatch  agency   to
21    dispatch   aid   to   medical   emergencies   which  includes
22    systematized  caller  interrogation  questions;  systematized
23    prearrival  support  instructions;  and  systematized  coding
24    protocols that  match  the  dispatcher's  evaluation  of  the
25    injury or illness severity with the vehicle response mode and
26    vehicle  response  configuration  and includes an appropriate
27    training curriculum and testing process consistent  with  the
28    specific  EMDPRS  protocol  used  by  the  emergency  medical
29    dispatch  agency.   Prearrival  support instructions shall be
30    provided in a non-discriminatory manner and shall be provided
31    in accordance with the EMDPRS established by the EMS  medical
 
HB0279 Re-Enrolled            -2-              LRB9203773LDpr
 1    director  of the EMS system in which the EMD operates. may or
 2    may  not  provide  prearrival  medical  instructions  to  the
 3    caller, at the  discretion  of  the  entity  or  agency  that
 4    employs   him.   Such   instructions  shall  be  provided  in
 5    accordance with protocols  established  by  the  EMS  Medical
 6    Director  of the EMS System in which the dispatcher operates.
 7    If  the  dispatcher  operates  under  the  authority  of   an
 8    Emergency   Telephone  System  Board  established  under  the
 9    Emergency  Telephone  System  Act,  the  protocols  shall  be
10    established by  such  Board  in  consultation  with  the  EMS
11    Medical  Director.   Persons  who  have  already  completed a
12    course of instruction in emergency medical dispatch based on,
13    equivalent to or exceeding the  national  curriculum  of  the
14    United  States  Department of Transportation, or as otherwise
15    approved by the Department,  shall  be  considered  Emergency
16    Medical  Dispatchers on the effective date of this amendatory
17    Act.
18        (b)  The  Department  shall  have   the   authority   and
19    responsibility to:
20             (1)  Require  certification and recertification of a
21        person who meets the training and other  requirements  as
22        an emergency medical dispatcher pursuant to this Act.
23             (2)  Require  certification and recertification of a
24        person, organization, or government agency that  operates
25        an  emergency  medical  dispatch  agency  that  meets the
26        minimum standards prescribed by  the  Department  for  an
27        emergency medical dispatch agency pursuant to this Act.
28             (3)  (1)  Prescribe minimum education and continuing
29        education  requirements   for   the   Emergency   Medical
30        Dispatcher,  which meet or exceed the national curriculum
31        of  the  United  States  Department  of   Transportation,
32        through rules adopted pursuant to this Act.;
33             (4)  Require  each EMS Medical Director to report to
34        the Department whenever an action has  taken  place  that
 
HB0279 Re-Enrolled            -3-              LRB9203773LDpr
 1        may require the revocation or suspension of a certificate
 2        issued by the Department.
 3             (5)  Require   each   EMD   to   provide  prearrival
 4        instructions in compliance with  protocols  selected  and
 5        approved   by  the  system's  EMS  medical  director  and
 6        approved by the Department.
 7             (2)  Require the  Emergency  Medical  Dispatcher  to
 8        notify  the  Department  of the EMS System(s) in which he
 9        operates;
10             (3)  Require the Emergency  Medical  Dispatcher  who
11        provides  prearrival  instructions  to  callers to comply
12        with the protocols for such instructions  established  by
13        the  EMS  Medical  Director(s)  and  Emergency  Telephone
14        System Board or Boards, or in the absence of an Emergency
15        Telephone  System Board or Boards the governmental agency
16        performing the duties of an  Emergency  Telephone  System
17        Board or Boards, of the EMS System or Systems in which he
18        operates;
19             (6) (4)  Require the Emergency Medical Dispatcher to
20        keep  the  Department currently informed as to the entity
21        or agency that employs or supervises his activities as an
22        Emergency Medical Dispatcher.;
23             (5)  Establish  a  mechanism  for  phasing  in   the
24        Emergency   Medical   Dispatcher   requirements   over  a
25        five-year period;
26             (7)  Establish an annual recertification requirement
27        that   requires   at   least   12   hours   of    medical
28        dispatch-specific continuing education each year.
29             (8)  Approve  all EMDPRS protocols used by emergency
30        medical  dispatch  agencies  to  assure  compliance  with
31        national standards.
32             (9)  Require  that   Department-approved   emergency
33        medical  dispatch  training  programs  are  conducted  in
34        accordance with national standards.
 
HB0279 Re-Enrolled            -4-              LRB9203773LDpr
 1             (10)  Require  that  the  emergency medical dispatch
 2        agency be operated in accordance with national standards,
 3        including, but not limited  to,  (i)  the  use  on  every
 4        request  for  medical  assistance of an emergency medical
 5        dispatch priority reference system (EMDPRS) in accordance
 6        with Department-approved policies and procedures and (ii)
 7        under the approval and supervision  of  the  EMS  medical
 8        director,  the  establishment  of  a  continuous  quality
 9        improvement program.
10             (11)  Require   that  a  person  may  not  represent
11        himself  or  herself,  nor  may  an  agency  or  business
12        represent  an  agent  or  employee  of  that  agency   or
13        business,  as  an  emergency  medical  dispatcher  unless
14        certified  by  the  Department  as  an  emergency medical
15        dispatcher.
16             (12)  Require  that  a  person,   organization,   or
17        government  agency  not  represent itself as an emergency
18        medical dispatch agency unless the person,  organization,
19        or government agency is certified by the Department as an
20        emergency medical dispatch agency.
21             (13)  Require   that   a  person,  organization,  or
22        government agency may not offer  or  conduct  a  training
23        course  that  is represented as a course for an emergency
24        medical dispatcher unless the  person,  organization,  or
25        agency  is approved by the Department to offer or conduct
26        that course.
27             (14)  Require  that  Department-approved   emergency
28        medical  dispatcher  training  programs  are conducted by
29        instructors licensed by the Department who:
30                  (i)  are, at a minimum, certified as  emergency
31             medical dispatchers;
32                  (ii)  have   completed   a  Department-approved
33             course on methods of instruction;
34                  (iii)  have previous experience  in  a  medical
 
HB0279 Re-Enrolled            -5-              LRB9203773LDpr
 1             dispatch agency; and
 2                  (iv)  have  demonstrated  experience  as an EMS
 3             instructor.
 4             (15) (6)  Establish  criteria   for   modifying   or
 5        waiving  Emergency  Medical Dispatcher requirements based
 6        on (i) the scope and frequency of dispatch activities and
 7        the dispatcher's access to training or (ii)  whether  the
 8        previously-attended  dispatcher  training  program merits
 9        automatic recertification for the dispatcher.
10    (Source: P.A. 89-177, eff. 7-19-95.)

11        Section 99.  Effective date.  This Act  takes  effect  on
12    January 1, 2002.

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