(a) The Emergency Medical Services Authority shall develop, and after approval by the commission, shall adopt regulations and establish minimum standards for the development of a community paramedicine or triage to alternate destination program.
(b) The regulations described in this section shall be based upon, and informed by, the Community Paramedicine Pilot Program under the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development Health Workforce Pilot Project No. 173 and the protocols and operation of the pilot projects approved under the project.
(c) The regulations that establish minimum standards for the development of a community paramedicine or triage to alternate destination program shall consist of the following:
(1) Minimum standards and curriculum for each program specialty described in Section 1815. The authority, in developing the minimum standards and curriculum, shall provide for community paramedics to be trained in one or more of the program specialties described in Section 1815 and approved by the local EMS agency pursuant to Section 1840.
(2) Minimum standards and curriculum for each program specialty described in Section 1819. The authority, in developing the minimum standards and curriculum, shall provide for triage paramedics to be trained in one or more of the program specialties described in Section 1819 and approved by the local EMS agency pursuant to Section 1840.
(3) A process for certifying on a paramedic’s license the successful completion of the training described in paragraph (1) or (2) and accreditation by the local EMS agency.
(4) Minimum standards for approval, review, withdrawal, and revocation of a community paramedicine or triage to alternate destination program in accordance with Section 1797.105. Those standards shall include, but not be limited to, both of the following:
(A) A requirement that facilities participating in the program accommodate privately or commercially insured, Medi-Cal, Medicare, and uninsured patients.
(B) Immediate termination of participation in the program by the alternate destination facility or the community paramedicine or triage to alternate destination provider if it fails to operate in accordance with subdivision (b) of Section 1317.
(5) Minimum standards for collecting and submitting data to the authority to ensure patient safety that include consideration of both quality assurance and quality improvement. These standards shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:
(A) Intervals for community paramedicine or triage to alternate destination providers, participating health facilities, and local EMS agencies to submit community paramedicine services data.
(B) Relevant program use data and the online public posting of program analyses.
(C) Exchange of electronic patient health information between community paramedicine or triage to alternate destination providers and health providers and facilities. The authority may grant a one-time temporary waiver, not to exceed five years, of this requirement for alternate destination facilities that are unable to immediately comply with the electronic patient health information requirement.
(D) Emergency medical response system feedback, including feedback from the emergency medical care committee described in subdivision (b) of Section 1797.273.
(E) If the triage to alternate destination program utilizes an alternate destination facility, consideration of ambulance patient offload times for the alternate destination facility, the number of patients that are turned away, diverted, or required to be subsequently transferred to an emergency department, and identification of the reasons for turning away, diverting, or transferring the patient.
(6) A process to assess each community paramedicine or triage to alternate destination program’s medical protocols or other processes.
(7) A process to assess the impact that implementation of a community paramedicine or triage to alternate destination program has on the delivery of emergency medical services, including the impact on response times in the local EMS agency’s jurisdiction.
(Added by Stats. 2020, Ch. 138, Sec. 4. (AB 1544) Effective January 1, 2021. Repealed as of January 1, 2024, pursuant to Section 1857.)