AMBULANCE OPERATIONS H.B. 5232 (H-1): COMMITTEE SUMMARY
House Bill 5232 (Substitute H-1 as passed by the House)
Sponsor: Representative John Stakoe
House Committee: Health Policy
Senate Committee: Health Policy
Date Completed: 6-1-04
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Public Health Code to allow an ambulance operation to operate an ambulance at a higher level of life support than the ambulance was licensed to provide, if certain criteria were met.
The Code requires an ambulance operation license to state the level of life support the ambulance operation is licensed to provide, and prohibits an ambulance operation from providing life support at a level that exceeds its license. The bill specifies that the license would have to state the highest level of life support the operation was licensed to provide; and would prohibit an ambulance operation from providing life support at a level that exceeded its license or available licensed personnel.
The Code prohibits an ambulance operation from operating, attending, or permitting an ambulance to be operated while transporting a patient unless the ambulance is, at a minimum, staffed as follows:
-- If designated as providing basic life support, with at least one emergency medical technician (EMT) and one medical first responder.
-- If designated as providing limited advanced life support, with at least one EMT specialist and one EMT.
-- If designated as providing advanced life support, with at least one paramedic and one EMT.
The bill would make an exception to this provision. Under the bill, if an ambulance operation that was licensed to provide advanced life support had more than one ambulance licensed under its operation, the ambulance operation could operate an ambulance licensed to provide basic life support or limited advanced life support at a higher level of life support if all of the following conditions were met:
-- The ambulance operation had at least one ambulance under its operation that was properly staffed and available to provide advanced life support on a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week basis.
-- The licensed personnel required to operate at the higher level of life support were available at the scene and in the ambulance during the patient transport to provide life support at the higher level.
-- The ambulance was properly equipped to operate at the higher level of life support.
-- An ambulance operation that was unable to provide advanced life support to an emergency patient as required under the Code immediately requested mutual aid
-- assistance from the closest neighboring ambulance operation licensed to provide advanced life support.
An ambulance operation that maintained patient care equipment and medications necessary to upgrade from providing basic or limited advanced life support to providing advanced life support in accordance with the bill would have to secure the equipment and medications in a way such that they could be used only when the appropriate licensed personnel were available.
MCL 333.20920 et al. Legislative Analyst: Julie Koval
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have no fiscal impact on State or local government.
Fiscal Analyst: Dana Patterson
Analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent. hb5232/0304