AB 767: Community Paramedicine or Triage to Alternate Destination Act.

Existing law, the Emergency Medical Services System and the Prehospital Emergency Medical Care Personnel Act, governs local emergency medical services (EMS) systems. The Emergency Medical Services System and the Prehospital Emergency Medical Care Personnel Act establish the Emergency Medical Services Authority, which is responsible for the coordination and integration of EMS systems. Existing law makes a violation of the Emergency Medical Services System and the Prehospital Emergency Medical Care Personnel Act or regulations adopted pursuant to the act punishable as a misdemeanor.

Existing law, the Community Paramedicine or Triage to Alternate Destination Act of 2020 (the act), authorizes a local EMS agency to develop a community paramedicine or triage to alternate destination program, as defined, to provide specified community paramedicine services. The act requires the authority to develop, and after approval by the Commission on Emergency Medical Services, adopt regulations and establish minimum standards for the development of those programs. This act prohibits a person or organization from providing community paramedicine or triage to alternate destination services or representing, advertising, or otherwise implying that it is authorized to provide those services unless it is expressly authorized by a local EMS agency to provide those services as part of a program approved by the authority. The act also prohibits a community paramedic or a triage paramedic from providing their respective services unless the community paramedic or triage paramedic has been certified and accredited to perform those services and is working as an employee of an authorized provider. The act is repealed on January 1, 2024.

This bill would extend the act until January 1, 2031. The bill would expand the allowable community paramedicine services program specialties to include providing short-term, postdischarge followup for persons recently discharged from a hospital due to a serious health condition, including collaboration with, and by providing referral to, home health services when eligible. The bill would require, on or before January 1, 2025, the authority to amend regulations to include sufficient state-level program oversight that would allow for local EMS agencies to develop community paramedicine programs, as specified.

Because a violation of the act is punishable as a misdemeanor, and this bill would create new requirements within the act and extend the operation of the act, this bill would expand an existing crime, thereby imposing a state-mandated local program.

This bill would extend the authorization for specified community paramedicine short-term, postdischarge followup pilot programs to continue operations from January 1, 2024, until the regulations described above become effective. The bill would repeal certain provisions within the act requiring the authority to seek federal or private funding for those pilot programs. The bill would repeal a provision within the act requiring a local EMS agency to facilitate funding discussions between specified entities to support the implementation of the local EMS agencys community paramedicine or triage to alternate destination program. The bill would extend a requirement for a county board of supervisors or mayor to establish an emergency medical care committee to advise a local EMS agency that elects to develop a program pursuant to the act from January 1, 2024, to January 1, 2031.

Existing law requires the authority to contract with an independent third party to prepare a final report on the results of the community paramedicine or triage to alternate destination programs. Existing law requires the authority to submit the report to the relevant policy committees of the Legislature on or before April 1, 2023.

This bill would instead require the authority to prepare the final report and submit the report on or before April 1, 2028.

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.