Public Act 103-0547
 
SB0761 EnrolledLRB103 03215 CPF 48221 b



    AN ACT concerning regulation.

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





 
    Section 5. The Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems 
Act is amended  by changing Sections 3.20, 3.55, and 3.85 and by 
adding Section 3.22 as follows:
 



    (210 ILCS 50/3.20)



    Sec. 3.20. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems. 
    (a) "Emergency Medical Services (EMS) System" means an

organization of hospitals, vehicle service providers and

personnel approved by the Department in a specific
geographic 
area, which coordinates and provides pre-hospital
and 
inter-hospital emergency care and non-emergency medical

transports at a BLS, ILS and/or ALS level pursuant to a
System 
program plan submitted to and approved by the
Department, and 
pursuant to the EMS Region Plan adopted for
the EMS Region in 
which the System is located.
    (b) One hospital in each System program plan must be

designated as the Resource Hospital.  All other hospitals
which 
are located within the geographic boundaries of a
System and 
which have standby, basic or comprehensive level
emergency 
departments must function in that EMS System as
either an 
Associate Hospital or Participating Hospital and
follow all 
System policies specified in the System Program
Plan, 
including but not limited to the replacement of drugs
and 
equipment used by providers who have delivered patients
to 
their emergency departments.  All hospitals and vehicle
service 
providers participating in an EMS System must
specify their 
level of participation in the System Program
Plan.
    (c) The Department shall have the authority and

responsibility to:
        (1) Approve BLS, ILS and ALS level EMS Systems which

    meet minimum standards and criteria established in rules

    adopted by the Department pursuant to this Act, including

    the submission of a Program Plan for Department approval.

    Beginning September 1, 1997, the Department shall approve

    the development of a new EMS System only when a local or

    regional need for establishing such System has been

    verified by the Department. This shall not be construed as 
    a needs assessment for health
planning or
other purposes 
    outside of this Act.
Following Department approval, EMS 
    Systems must
be fully operational within one year from the 
    date of
approval.
        (2) Monitor EMS Systems, based on minimum standards 
    for
continuing operation as prescribed in rules adopted by 
    the
Department pursuant to this Act, which shall include

    requirements for submitting Program Plan amendments to the

    Department for approval.
        (3) Renew EMS System approvals every 4 years, after
an 
    inspection, based on compliance with the standards for

    continuing operation prescribed in rules adopted by the

    Department pursuant to this Act.
        (4) Suspend, revoke, or refuse to renew approval of

    any EMS System, after providing an opportunity for a

    hearing, when findings show that it does not meet the

    minimum standards for continuing operation as prescribed 
    by
the Department, or is found to be in violation of its

    previously approved Program Plan.
        (5) Require each EMS System to adopt written protocols

    for the bypassing of or diversion to any hospital, trauma

    center or regional trauma center, which provide that a 
    person
shall not be transported to a facility other than 
    the nearest
hospital, regional trauma center or trauma 
    center unless the
medical benefits to the patient 
    reasonably expected from the
provision of appropriate 
    medical treatment at a more distant
facility outweigh the 
    increased risks to the patient from
transport to the more 
    distant facility, or the transport is in
accordance with 
    the System's protocols for patient
choice or refusal.
        (6) Require that the EMS Medical Director of an ILS or

    ALS level EMS System be a physician licensed to practice

    medicine in all of its branches in Illinois, and certified 
    by
the American Board of Emergency Medicine or the 
    American Osteopathic Board
of Emergency Medicine, and that 
    the EMS Medical
Director of a BLS level EMS System be a 
    physician licensed to
practice medicine in all of its 
    branches in Illinois, with
regular and frequent 
    involvement in pre-hospital emergency
medical services.  In 
    addition, all EMS Medical Directors shall:
            (A) Have experience on an EMS vehicle at the

        highest level available within the System, or make 
        provision
to gain such experience within 12 months 
        prior to the
date responsibility for the System is 
        assumed or within 90
days after assuming the position;
            (B) Be thoroughly knowledgeable of all skills

        included in the scope of practices of all levels of EMS

        personnel within the System;
            (C) Have or make provision to gain experience

        instructing students at a level similar to that of the 
        levels
of EMS personnel within the System; and
            (D) For ILS and ALS EMS Medical Directors,

        successfully complete a Department-approved EMS 
        Medical
Director's Course.
        (7) Prescribe statewide EMS data elements to be

    collected and documented by providers in all EMS Systems 
    for
all emergency and non-emergency medical services, with 
    a
one-year phase-in for commencing collection of such data

    elements.
        (8) Define, through rules adopted pursuant to this 
    Act,
the terms "Resource Hospital", "Associate Hospital",

    "Participating Hospital", "Basic Emergency Department",

    "Standby Emergency Department", "Comprehensive Emergency 
    Department", "EMS
Medical Director", "EMS Administrative

    Director", and "EMS System Coordinator".
            (A) (Blank).
            (B) (Blank).
        (9) Investigate the
circumstances that caused a 
    hospital
in an EMS system
to go on
bypass status to 
    determine whether that hospital's decision to go on bypass

    status was reasonable.  The Department may impose 
    sanctions, as
set forth in Section 3.140 of the Act, upon a 
    Department determination that the
hospital unreasonably

    went on bypass status in violation of the Act.
        (10) Evaluate the capacity and performance of any 
    freestanding emergency center established under Section 
    32.5 of this Act in meeting emergency medical service 
    needs of the public, including compliance with applicable 
    emergency medical standards and assurance of the 
    availability of and immediate access to the highest 
    quality of medical care possible.

        (11) Permit limited EMS System participation by 
    facilities operated by the United States Department of 
    Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration. Subject 
    to patient preference, Illinois EMS providers may 
    transport patients to Veterans Health Administration 
    facilities that voluntarily participate in an EMS System. 
    Any Veterans Health Administration facility seeking 
    limited participation in an EMS System shall agree to 
    comply with all Department administrative rules 
    implementing this Section. The Department may promulgate 
    rules, including, but not limited to, the types of 
    Veterans Health Administration facilities that may 
    participate in an EMS System and the limitations of 
    participation. 
        (12) Ensure that EMS systems are transporting pregnant 
    women to the appropriate facilities based on the 
    classification of the levels of maternal care described 
    under subsection (a) of Section 2310-223 of the Department 
    of Public Health Powers and Duties Law of the Civil 
    Administrative Code of Illinois. 
        (13) Provide administrative support to the EMT 
    Training, Recruitment, and Retention Task Force.
(Source: P.A. 101-447, eff. 8-23-19.)
 
    (210 ILCS 50/3.22 new)
    Sec. 3.22. EMT Training, Recruitment, and Retention Task 
Force.
    (a) The EMT Training, Recruitment, and Retention Task 
Force is created to address the following:
        (1) the impact that the EMT and Paramedic shortage is 
    having on this State's EMS System and health care system;
        (2) barriers to the training, recruitment, and 
    retention of Emergency Medical Technicians throughout this 
    State;
        (3) steps that the State of Illinois can take, 
    including coordination and identification of State and 
    federal funding sources, to assist Illinois  high schools, 
    community colleges, and ground ambulance providers to 
    train, recruit, and retain emergency medical technicians;
        (4) the examination of current testing mechanisms for 
    EMRs, EMTs, and Paramedics and the utilization of the 
    National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians, 
    including current pass rates by licensure level, national 
    utilization, and test preparation strategies;
        (5) how apprenticeship programs, local, regional, and 
    statewide, can be utilized to recruit and retain EMRs, 
    EMTs, and Paramedics;
        (6) how ground ambulance reimbursement affects the 
    recruitment and retention of EMTs and Paramedics; and
        (7)  all other areas that the Task Force deems 
    necessary to examine and assist in the recruitment and 
    retention of EMTs and Paramedics.
    (b) The Task Force shall be comprised of the following 
members:
        (1) one  member of the Illinois General Assembly, 
    appointed by the President of the Senate, who shall serve 
    as co-chair;
        (2) one member of the Illinois General Assembly, 
    appointed by  the Speaker of the House of Representatives;
        (3) one member of the Illinois General Assembly, 
    appointed by the Senate Minority Leader;
        (4) one member of the Illinois General Assembly, 
    appointed by the House Minority Leader, who shall serve as 
    co-chair;
        (5) 9 members representing private ground ambulance 
    providers throughout this State representing for-profit 
    and non-profit rural and  urban ground ambulance providers, 
    appointed by the President of the Senate;
        (6) 3 members representing hospitals, appointed by the 
    Speaker of the House of Representatives,  with one member 
    representing safety net hospitals and one member 
    representing rural hospitals;
        (7) 3 members representing a statewide association of 
    nursing homes, appointed by the President of the Senate;
        (8) one member representing the State Board of 
    Education, appointed by the House Minority Leader;
        (9) 2 EMS Medical Directors from a Regional EMS 
    Medical Directors Committee, appointed by the Governor; 
    and
        (10) one member representing the Illinois Community 
    College Systems, appointed by the Minority Leader of the 
    Senate.
    (c) Members of the Task Force shall serve without 
compensation. 
    (d) The Task Force shall convene at the call of the 
co-chairs and shall hold at least 6 meetings.
    (e) The Task Force shall submit its final report to the 
General Assembly and the Governor no later than January 1, 
2024, and upon the submission of its final report, the Task 
Force shall be dissolved. 
 


    (210 ILCS 50/3.55)


    Sec. 3.55. Scope of practice. 

    (a) Any person currently licensed as an EMR, EMT, EMT-I,

A-EMT, PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, or Paramedic may perform emergency 
and non-emergency medical
services as defined in this Act, in 
accordance with his or her level of
education, training and 
licensure, the standards of
performance and conduct prescribed 
by the Department in
rules adopted pursuant to this Act, and 
the requirements of
the EMS System in which he or she 
practices, as contained in the
approved Program Plan for that 
System. The Director may, by written order, temporarily modify 
individual scopes of practice in response to public health 
emergencies for periods not exceeding 180 days. 

    (a-5) EMS personnel who have successfully completed a 
Department approved
course in automated defibrillator 
operation and who are functioning within a
Department approved 
EMS System may utilize such automated defibrillator
according 
to the standards of performance and conduct prescribed by the

Department
in rules adopted pursuant to this Act and the 
requirements of the EMS System in
which they practice, as 
contained in the approved Program Plan for that
System.

    (a-7) An EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, or 
Paramedic
who has successfully completed a Department approved 
course in the
administration of epinephrine shall be required 
to carry epinephrine
with him or her as part of the EMS 
personnel medical supplies whenever
he or she is performing 
official duties as determined by the EMS System. The 
epinephrine may be administered  from a glass vial, 
auto-injector, ampule, or pre-filled syringe. 

    (b) An EMR, EMT,
EMT-I, A-EMT, PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, or 
Paramedic may practice as an EMR, EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, or 
Paramedic or utilize his or her EMR, EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, PHRN, 
PHAPRN, PHPA, or Paramedic license
in pre-hospital or 
inter-hospital emergency care settings or
non-emergency 
medical transport situations, under the
written or verbal 
direction of the EMS Medical Director.
For purposes of this 
Section, a "pre-hospital emergency care
setting" may include a 
location, that is not a health care
facility, which utilizes 
EMS personnel to render pre-hospital
emergency care prior to 
the arrival of a transport vehicle.
The location shall include 
communication equipment and all
of the portable equipment and 
drugs appropriate for the EMR, EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, or 
Paramedic's
 level of care, as required by this Act, rules 
adopted
by the Department pursuant to this Act, and the 
protocols of
the EMS Systems, and shall operate only with the 
approval
and under the direction of the EMS Medical Director.

    This Section shall not prohibit an EMR, EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, 
PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, or Paramedic
 from practicing within an 
emergency department or
other health care setting for the 
purpose of receiving
continuing education or training approved 
by the EMS Medical
Director.  This Section shall also not 
prohibit an EMT,
EMT-I, A-EMT, PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, or 
Paramedic from seeking credentials other than his or her EMT, 
EMT-I, A-EMT, PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, or Paramedic
license and 
utilizing such credentials to work in emergency
departments or 
other health care settings under the
jurisdiction of that 
employer.

    (c) An EMT,
EMT-I, A-EMT, PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, or Paramedic 
may honor Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) orders and powers
of 
attorney for health care only in accordance with rules
adopted 
by the Department pursuant to this Act and protocols
of the EMS 
System in which he or she practices.

    (d) A student enrolled in a Department approved EMS 
personnel
 program, while fulfilling the
clinical training and 
in-field supervised experience
requirements mandated for 
licensure or approval by the
System and the Department, may 
perform prescribed procedures
under the direct supervision of 
a physician licensed to
practice medicine in all of its 
branches, a qualified
registered professional nurse, or 
qualified EMS personnel, only when
authorized by the EMS 
Medical Director.

    (e) An EMR, EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, or 
Paramedic may transport a police dog injured in the line of 
duty to a veterinary clinic or similar  facility if  there are no 
persons requiring medical attention or transport at that time. 
For the purposes of this subsection, "police dog" means a dog 
owned or used by a law enforcement department or agency in the 
course of the department or agency's work, including a search 
and rescue dog, service dog, accelerant detection canine, or 
other dog that is in use by a county, municipal, or State law 
enforcement agency. 
    (f) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to prohibit an 
EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, Paramedic, or PHRN  from completing an 
initial Occupational Safety and Health Administration 
Respirator Medical Evaluation Questionnaire on behalf of  fire 
service personnel, as permitted by his or her EMS System 
Medical Director.
    (g) An EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, Paramedic, PHRN, PHAPRN, or PHPA 
shall be eligible to work for another EMS System for a period 
not to exceed 2 weeks if the individual is under the direct 
supervision of another licensed individual operating at the 
same or higher level as the EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, Paramedic, 
PHRN, PHAPRN, or PHPA; obtained approval in writing from the 
EMS System's Medical Director; and tests into the EMS System 
based upon appropriate standards as outlined in the EMS System 
Program Plan. The EMS System within which the EMT, EMT-I, 
A-EMT, Paramedic, PHRN, PHAPRN, or PHPA is seeking to join 
must make all required testing available to the EMT, EMT-I, 
A-EMT, Paramedic, PHRN, PHAPRN, or PHPA  within 2 weeks after 
the written request. Failure to do so by the EMS System shall 
allow the EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, Paramedic, PHRN, PHAPRN, or PHPA 
to continue working for another EMS System until all required 
testing becomes available. 
(Source: P.A. 102-79, eff. 1-1-22.)

 



    (210 ILCS 50/3.85)



    Sec. 3.85. Vehicle Service Providers. 

    (a) "Vehicle Service Provider" means an entity
licensed by 
the Department to provide emergency or
non-emergency medical 
services in compliance with this Act,
the rules promulgated by 
the Department pursuant to this
Act, and an operational plan 
approved by its EMS System(s),
utilizing at least ambulances 
or specialized emergency
medical service vehicles (SEMSV).

        (1) "Ambulance" means any publicly or
privately owned 
    on-road vehicle that is specifically designed,
constructed 
    or modified and equipped, and is intended to be
used for, 
    and is maintained or operated for the emergency

    transportation of persons who are sick, injured, wounded 
    or
otherwise incapacitated or helpless, or the 
    non-emergency
medical transportation of persons who 
    require the presence
of medical personnel to monitor the 
    individual's condition
or medical apparatus being used on 
    such individuals.

        (2) "Specialized Emergency Medical Services
Vehicle" 
    or "SEMSV" means a vehicle or conveyance, other
than those 
    owned or operated by the federal government, that
is 
    primarily intended for use in transporting the sick or

    injured by means of air, water, or ground transportation,

    that is not an ambulance as defined in this Act.  The term

    includes watercraft, aircraft and special purpose ground

    transport vehicles or conveyances not intended for use on

    public roads.

        (3) An ambulance or SEMSV may also be
designated as a 
    Limited Operation Vehicle or Special-Use Vehicle:

            (A) "Limited Operation Vehicle" means a
vehicle 
        which is licensed by the Department to provide
basic, 
        intermediate or advanced life support emergency or

        non-emergency medical services that are exclusively 
        limited
to specific events or locales.

            (B) "Special-Use Vehicle" means any
publicly or 
        privately owned vehicle that is specifically designed,

        constructed or modified and equipped, and is intended 
        to be
used for, and is maintained or operated solely 
        for the
emergency or non-emergency transportation of a 
        specific
medical class or category of persons who are 
        sick, injured,
wounded or otherwise incapacitated or 
        helpless (e.g.
high-risk obstetrical patients, 
        neonatal patients).

            (C) "Reserve Ambulance" means a vehicle that meets 
        all criteria set forth in this Section and all 
        Department rules, except for the required inventory of 
        medical supplies and durable medical equipment, which 
        may be rapidly transferred from a fully functional 
        ambulance to a reserve ambulance without the use of 
        tools or special mechanical expertise. 
    (b) The Department shall have the authority and

responsibility to:

        (1) Require all Vehicle Service Providers, both

    publicly and privately owned, to function within an EMS

    System.

        (2) Require a Vehicle Service Provider
utilizing 
    ambulances to have a primary affiliation with an EMS 
    System
within the EMS Region in which its Primary Service 
    Area is
located, which is the geographic areas in which 
    the provider
renders the majority of its emergency 
    responses.  This
requirement shall not apply to Vehicle 
    Service Providers
which exclusively utilize Limited 
    Operation Vehicles.

        (3) Establish licensing standards and
requirements for 
    Vehicle Service Providers, through rules
adopted pursuant 
    to this Act, including but not limited to:

            (A) Vehicle design, specification,
operation and 
        maintenance standards, including standards for the use 
        of reserve ambulances;

            (B) Equipment requirements;

            (C) Staffing requirements; and

            (D) License renewal at intervals determined by the 
        Department, which shall be not less than every 4 
        years.
        The Department's standards and requirements with 
    respect to vehicle staffing for private, nonpublic local 
    government employers must allow for alternative staffing 
    models that include an EMR who
drives an ambulance with a 
    licensed EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT,
Paramedic, or PHRN, as 
    appropriate, in the patient
compartment providing care to 
    the patient pursuant to the approval of the EMS System 
    Program Plan developed and approved by the EMS Medical 
    Director for an EMS System. The EMS personnel licensed at 
    the highest level shall provide the initial assessment of 
    the patient to determine the level of care required for 
    transport to the receiving health care facility, and this 
    assessment shall be documented in the patient care report 
    and documented with online medical control. The EMS 
    personnel licensed at or above the level of care required 
    by the specific patient as directed by the EMS Medical 
    Director shall be the primary care provider en route to 
    the destination facility or patient's residence. The 
    Department shall monitor the implementation and 
    performance of alternative staffing models and may issue a 
    notice of termination of an alternative staffing model 
    only upon evidence that an EMS System Program Plan is not 
    being adhered to. Adoption of an alternative staffing 
    model shall not result in a Vehicle Service Provider being 
    prohibited or limited in the utilization of its staff or 
    equipment from providing any of the services authorized by 
    this Act or as otherwise outlined in the approved EMS 
    System Program Plan, including, without limitation, the 
    deployment of resources to provide out-of-state disaster 
    response. EMS System Program Plans must address a process 
    for out-of-state disaster response deployments that must 
    meet the following:
            (A) All deployments to provide out-of-state 
        disaster response must first be approved by the EMS 
        Medical Director and submitted to the Department.
            (B) The submission must include the number of 
        units being deployed, vehicle identification numbers, 
        length of deployment, and names of personnel and their 
        licensure level.
            (C) Ensure that all necessary in-state requests 
        for services will be covered during the duration of 
        the deployment. 
        An EMS System Program Plan for a Basic Life Support, 
    advanced life support, and critical care transport

    utilizing an EMR and an EMT shall include the
following:
            (A) Alternative staffing models for a Basic Life 
        Support transport utilizing an EMR and an EMT shall 
        only be utilized for interfacility Basic Life Support 
        transports as specified by the EMS System Program Plan 
        as determined by the EMS System Medical Director and 
        medical appointments, excluding any transport to or 
        from a dialysis center.
            (B) Protocols that shall include dispatch 
        procedures to properly screen and assess patients for 
        EMR-staffed transports and EMT-staffed Basic Life 
        Support transport.
            (C)  A requirement that a provider and EMS System 
        shall implement a quality assurance plan that shall 
        include for the initial waiver period the review of at 
        least 5% of total interfacility transports utilizing 
        an EMR with mechanisms outlined to audit dispatch 
        screening, reason for transport, patient diagnosis, 
        level of care, and the outcome of transports 
        performed. Quality assurance reports must be submitted 
        and reviewed by the provider and EMS System monthly 
        and made available to the Department upon request. The 
        percentage of transports reviewed under quality 
        assurance plans for renewal periods shall be 
        determined by the EMS Medical Director, however, it 
        shall not be less than 3%. 
            (D) The EMS System Medical Director shall develop 
        a minimum set of requirements for individuals based on 
        level of licensure that includes education, training, 
        and credentialing for all team members identified to 
        participate in an alternative staffing plan. The EMT, 
        Paramedic, PHRN, PHPA, PHAPRN, and critical care 
        transport staff shall have the minimum at least one 
        year of experience in performance of pre-hospital and 
        inter-hospital emergency care, as determined by the 
        EMS Medical Director in accordance with the EMS System 
        Program Plan, but at a minimum of 6 months of 
        prehospital experience or at least 50 documented 
        patient care interventions during transport as the 
        primary care provider and approved by the Department.
            (E) The licensed  EMR must complete a defensive 
        driving course prior to participation in the 
        Department's alternative staffing model.
            (F) The length of the EMS System Program Plan for a 
        Basic Life Support transport
utilizing an EMR and an 
        EMT shall be for one year, and must be renewed annually 
        if proof of the criteria being met is submitted, 
        validated, and approved by the EMS Medical Director 
        for the EMS System and the Department.
            (G) Beginning July 1, 2023, the utilization of 
        EMRs for advanced life support transports and Tier III 
        Critical Care Transports  shall be allowed for periods 
        not to exceed 3 years under a pilot program. The pilot 
        program shall not be implemented before Department 
        approval. Agencies requesting to utilize this staffing 
        model for the time period of the pilot program must 
        complete the following:
                (i) Submit a waiver request to the Department 
            requesting to participate in the pilot program 
            with specific details of how quality assurance and 
            improvement will be gathered, measured, reported 
            to the Department, and reviewed and utilized 
            internally by the participating agency.
                (ii) Submit a signed approval letter from the 
            EMS System Medical Director approving 
            participation in the pilot program.
                (iii) Submit updated EMS System plans, 
            additional education, and training of the EMR and 
            protocols related to the pilot program.
                (iv) Submit agency policies and procedures 
            related to the pilot program.
                (v) Submit the number of individuals currently 
            participating and committed to participating in 
            education programs to achieve a higher level of 
            licensure at the time of submission.
                (vi) Submit an explanation of how the provider 
            will support individuals obtaining a higher level 
            of licensure and encourage a higher level of 
            licensure during the year of the alternative 
            staffing plan and specific examples of recruitment 
            and retention activities or initiatives.
            Upon submission of a renewal application and 
        recruitment and retention plan, the provider shall 
        include additional data regarding current employment 
        numbers, attrition rates over the year, and activities 
        and initiatives over the previous year to address 
        recruitment and retention.
            The information required under this subparagraph 
        (G) shall be provided to and retained by the EMS System 
        upon initial application and renewal and shall be 
        provided to the Department upon request. 
        The Department must allow for an alternative rural 
    staffing model for those vehicle service providers that 
    serve a rural or semi-rural population of 10,000 or fewer 
    inhabitants and exclusively uses volunteers, paid-on-call, 
    or a combination thereof.

        (4) License all Vehicle Service Providers
that have 
    met the Department's requirements for licensure, unless

    such Provider is owned or licensed by the federal

    government.  All Provider licenses issued by the Department

    shall specify the level and type of each vehicle covered 
    by
the license (BLS, ILS, ALS, ambulance, critical care 
    transport, SEMSV, limited
operation vehicle, special use 
    vehicle, reserve ambulance).

        (5) Annually inspect all licensed vehicles operated by 
    Vehicle
Service Providers.

        (6) Suspend, revoke, refuse to issue or refuse to

    renew the license of any Vehicle Service Provider, or that

    portion of a license pertaining to a specific vehicle

    operated by the Provider, after an opportunity for a

    hearing, when findings show that the Provider or one or 
    more
of its vehicles has failed to comply with the 
    standards and
requirements of this Act or rules adopted by 
    the Department
pursuant to this Act.

        (7) Issue an Emergency Suspension Order for
any 
    Provider or vehicle licensed under this Act, when the

    Director or his designee has determined that an immediate

    and serious danger to the public health, safety and 
    welfare
exists.  Suspension or revocation proceedings which 
    offer an
opportunity for hearing shall be promptly 
    initiated after
the Emergency Suspension Order has been 
    issued.

        (8) Exempt any licensed vehicle from
subsequent 
    vehicle design standards or specifications required by the

    Department, as long as said vehicle is continuously in

    compliance with the vehicle design standards and

    specifications originally applicable to that vehicle, or

    until said vehicle's title of ownership is transferred.

        (9) Exempt any vehicle (except an SEMSV)
which was 
    being used as an ambulance on or before December 15,
1980, 
    from vehicle design standards and specifications
required 
    by the Department, until said vehicle's title of
ownership 
    is transferred.  Such vehicles shall not be exempt
from all 
    other licensing standards and requirements
prescribed by 
    the Department.

        (10) Prohibit any Vehicle Service Provider
from 
    advertising, identifying its vehicles, or disseminating

    information in a false or misleading manner concerning the

    Provider's type and level of vehicles, location, primary

    service area, response times, level of personnel, 
    licensure
status or System participation.

        (10.5) Prohibit any Vehicle Service Provider, whether 
    municipal, private, or hospital-owned, from advertising 
    itself as a critical care transport provider unless it 
    participates in a Department-approved EMS System critical 
    care transport plan. 
        (11) Charge each Vehicle Service Provider a
fee per 
    transport vehicle, due annually at time of inspection. The 
    fee per transport vehicle shall be set by administrative 
    rule by the Department and shall not exceed 100 vehicles 
    per provider.
        (12) Beginning July 1, 2023, as part of a pilot 
    program that shall not exceed a term of 3 years, an 
    ambulance may be upgraded to a higher level of care for 
    interfacility transports by an ambulance assistance 
    vehicle with appropriate equipment and licensed personnel 
    to intercept with the licensed ambulance at the sending 
    facility before departure. The pilot program shall not be 
    implemented before Department approval. To participate in 
    the pilot program, an agency must:
            (A) Submit a waiver request to the Department with 
        intercept vehicle vehicle identification numbers, 
        calls signs, equipment detail, and a robust quality 
        assurance plan that shall list, at minimum, detailed 
        reasons each intercept had to be completed, barriers 
        to initial dispatch of advanced life support services, 
        and how this benefited the patient.
            (B) Report to the Department quarterly additional 
        data deemed meaningful by the providing agency along 
        with the data required under subparagraph (A) of this 
        paragraph (12).
            (C) Obtain a signed letter of approval from the 
        EMS Medical Director allowing for participation in the 
        pilot program.
            (D) Update EMS System plans and protocols from the 
        pilot program.
            (E) Update policies and procedures from the 
        agencies participating in the pilot program. 

(Source: P.A. 102-623, eff. 8-27-21.)



 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 
becoming law.

Effective Date:  8/11/2023