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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Fifth Legislature, Second Regular Session
emergency medical services; patient transport
Purpose
Prohibits an emergency medical care technician (EMCT) from counseling a patient to decline emergency medical services (EMS) transportation and from providing a presumptive medical diagnosis. Requires an EMCT to comply with established standards and protocols relating to the consideration of emergency transportation.
Background
The Medical Director of the Statewide EMS and
Trauma System, the EMS Council and the Medical Direction Commission recommend
to the Director of the Department of Health Services (DHS) the following
standards and criteria that pertain to the quality of emergency patient care:
1) statewide standardized training, certification and recertification standards
for all EMCT classifications; 2) a standardized and validated testing procedure
for all EMCT classifications;
3) standards for a quality assurance process for components of the Statewide EMS
and Trauma System; and 4) standards for ambulance service and medical
transportation that give consideration to the differences between urban, rural
and wilderness areas (A.R.S.
§ 36-2204).
An EMCT is an individual who has been certified by DHS as an EMCT, an advanced EMCT, an EMCT I-99 or a paramedic. EMS means services required following an accident or an emergency medical situation: 1) for on-site emergency medical care; 2) for the transportation of the sick or injured by a licensed ground or air ambulance; 3) in the use of emergency communications media; 4) in the use of emergency receiving facilities; and 5) in administering initial care and preliminary treatment procedures by EMCTs (A.R.S. § 36-2201).
The Treat-and-Refer Program is a
healthcare event with an individual that has accessed
9-1-1 or a similar public emergency dispatch number, but whose illness or
injury does not require ambulance transport to an emergency department based on
the clinical information available at that time (AHCCCS).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.
Provisions
1. Prohibits an EMCT from:
a) counseling a patient to decline EMS transportation, except as part of a specific alternate destination or Treat-and-Refer Program that includes quality management and comprehensive medical direction oversight; and
b) providing a patient with a presumptive medical diagnosis and using that diagnosis as the basis for counseling the patient to decline EMS transportation.
2. Requires an EMCT to explain to a patient the health risks and consequences of not being transported.
3. Requires an EMCT to comply with either emergency medical standards and protocols established by the regional council or the medical direction for the local jurisdiction when considering emergency transportation, including the appropriate use of telecommunications.
4. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
House Action
HHS 2/14/22 DP 7-2-0-0
3rd Read 2/28/22 31-25-3-1
Prepared by Senate Research
March 21, 2022
MM/CC/sr