SB 944: Community Paramedicine Act of 2018.

(1)Existing law, the Emergency Medical Services System and the Prehospital Emergency Medical Care Personnel Act, governs local emergency medical services (EMS) systems. The act establishes the Emergency Medical Services Authority, which is responsible for the coordination and integration of emergency medical services. Among other duties, the authority is required to develop planning and implementation guidelines for emergency medical services systems, provide technical assistance to existing agencies, counties, and cities for the purpose of developing the components of emergency medical services systems, and receive plans for the implementation of emergency medical services and trauma care systems from local EMS agencies. A violation of the act or regulations adopted pursuant to the act is punishable as a misdemeanor.

This bill would create the Community Paramedicine Act of 2018. The bill would, until January 1, 2025, authorize a local EMS agency to develop a community paramedicine program, as defined, to provide specified community paramedic services. The bill would require the authority to review a local EMS agencys proposed community paramedicine program and approve, approve with conditions, or deny the proposed program within 6 months after it is submitted by the local EMS agency. The bill would require a local EMS agency that opts to develop a community paramedicine program to, among other things, integrate the proposed program into the local EMS agencys emergency medical services plan, enter into an agreement with a community paramedicine provider for the delivery of community paramedic services within the local EMS agencys jurisdiction that is consistent with the proposed program, establish a process for training and certifying community paramedics, and facilitate and participate in any discussion between a community paramedicine provider and public or private health system participants to provide funding to support implementation of the proposed program.

The bill would create the Community Paramedicine Medical Oversight Committee to advise the authority on, and approve minimum medical protocols for, community paramedicine program specialties. The bill would require the authority to develop, in consultation with the committee, regulations that establish minimum standards for the development of a community paramedicine program. The bill would require the authority to submit an annual report on the community paramedicine programs operating in California to the relevant policy committees of the Legislature, and to post that report on its Internet Web site, beginning 6 months after the authority adopts the regulations and every January 1 thereafter for the next 5 years.

The bill would prohibit a person or organization from providing community paramedic services or representing, advertising, or otherwise implying that it is authorized to provide community paramedic services unless it is expressly authorized by a local EMS agency to provide those services as part of a community paramedicine program approved by the authority. The bill would also prohibit a community paramedic from providing community paramedic services if he or she has not been certified to perform those services and is working as an employee of an authorized community paramedicine provider. Because a violation of the act described above is punishable as a misdemeanor, and this bill would create new requirements within the act, the violation of which would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

(2)Existing law authorizes a county to establish an emergency medical care committee and requires the committee, at least annually, to review the operations of ambulance services operating within the county, emergency medical care offered within the county, and first aid practices in the county. Existing law requires the county board of supervisors to prescribe the membership, and appoint the members, of the committee.

This bill would require the committee to include additional members, as specified, and to advise a local EMS agency within the county on the development of its community paramedicine program if the local EMS agency develops a community paramedicine program.

The bill would repeal its provisions on January 1, 2025.

(3)The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.