HB0628eng 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB0628 Engrossed LRB102 12721 CPF 18060 b

AN ACT concerning regulation.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems Act is amended by changing Section 3.85 as follows:

(210 ILCS 50/3.85)

Sec. 3.85. Vehicle Service Providers.

(a) "Vehicle Service Provider" means an entity licensed by the Department to provide emergency or non-emergency medical services in compliance with this Act, the rules promulgated by the Department pursuant to this Act, and an operational plan approved by its EMS System(s), utilizing at least ambulances or specialized emergency medical service vehicles (SEMSV).

(1) "Ambulance" means any publicly or privately owned on-road vehicle that is specifically designed, constructed or modified and equipped, and is intended to be used for, and is maintained or operated for the emergency transportation of persons who are sick, injured, wounded or otherwise incapacitated or helpless, or the non-emergency medical transportation of persons who require the presence of medical personnel to monitor the individual's condition or medical apparatus being used on such individuals.

(2) "Specialized Emergency Medical Services Vehicle" or "SEMSV" means a vehicle or conveyance, other than those owned or operated by the federal government, that is primarily intended for use in transporting the sick or injured by means of air, water, or ground transportation, that is not an ambulance as defined in this Act. The term includes watercraft, aircraft and special purpose ground transport vehicles or conveyances not intended for use on public roads.

(3) An ambulance or SEMSV may also be designated as a Limited Operation Vehicle or Special-Use Vehicle:

(A) "Limited Operation Vehicle" means a vehicle which is licensed by the Department to provide basic, intermediate or advanced life support emergency or non-emergency medical services that are exclusively limited to specific events or locales.

(B) "Special-Use Vehicle" means any publicly or privately owned vehicle that is specifically designed, constructed or modified and equipped, and is intended to be used for, and is maintained or operated solely for the emergency or non-emergency transportation of a specific medical class or category of persons who are sick, injured, wounded or otherwise incapacitated or helpless (e.g. high-risk obstetrical patients, neonatal patients).

(C) "Reserve Ambulance" means a vehicle that meets all criteria set forth in this Section and all Department rules, except for the required inventory of medical supplies and durable medical equipment, which may be rapidly transferred from a fully functional ambulance to a reserve ambulance without the use of tools or special mechanical expertise.

(b) The Department shall have the authority and responsibility to:

(1) Require all Vehicle Service Providers, both publicly and privately owned, to function within an EMS System.

(2) Require a Vehicle Service Provider utilizing ambulances to have a primary affiliation with an EMS System within the EMS Region in which its Primary Service Area is located, which is the geographic areas in which the provider renders the majority of its emergency responses. This requirement shall not apply to Vehicle Service Providers which exclusively utilize Limited Operation Vehicles.

(3) Establish licensing standards and requirements for Vehicle Service Providers, through rules adopted pursuant to this Act, including but not limited to:

(A) Vehicle design, specification, operation and maintenance standards, including standards for the use of reserve ambulances;

(B) Equipment requirements;

(C) Staffing requirements; and

(D) License renewal at intervals determined by the Department, which shall be not less than every 4 years.

The Department's standards and requirements with respect to vehicle staffing must allow for an alternative rural staffing model for those vehicle service providers that serve a rural or semi-rural population of 10,000 or fewer inhabitants and exclusively uses volunteers, paid-on-call, or a combination thereof.

A Vehicle Service Provider that serves a rural or semi-rural population of 10,000 or fewer inhabitants and exclusively uses volunteers, paid-on-call, or a combination thereof to provide patient care may apply for alternate rural staffing authorization from the Department to authorize the ambulance, Non-Transport Vehicle, Special-Use Vehicle, or Limited Operation Vehicle to be staffed by one EMT licensed at or above the level at which the vehicle is licensed, plus one Emergency Medical Responder when 2 licensed Emergency Services personnel are not available to respond; once granted, an alternate rural staffing authorization shall not expire.

(4) License all Vehicle Service Providers that have met the Department's requirements for licensure, unless such Provider is owned or licensed by the federal government. All Provider licenses issued by the Department shall specify the level and type of each vehicle covered by the license (BLS, ILS, ALS, ambulance, SEMSV, limited operation vehicle, special use vehicle, reserve ambulance).

(5) Annually inspect all licensed vehicles operated by Vehicle Service Providers.

(6) Suspend, revoke, refuse to issue or refuse to renew the license of any Vehicle Service Provider, or that portion of a license pertaining to a specific vehicle operated by the Provider, after an opportunity for a hearing, when findings show that the Provider or one or more of its vehicles has failed to comply with the standards and requirements of this Act or rules adopted by the Department pursuant to this Act.

(7) Issue an Emergency Suspension Order for any Provider or vehicle licensed under this Act, when the Director or his designee has determined that an immediate and serious danger to the public health, safety and welfare exists. Suspension or revocation proceedings which offer an opportunity for hearing shall be promptly initiated after the Emergency Suspension Order has been issued.

(8) Exempt any licensed vehicle from subsequent vehicle design standards or specifications required by the Department, as long as said vehicle is continuously in compliance with the vehicle design standards and specifications originally applicable to that vehicle, or until said vehicle's title of ownership is transferred.

(9) Exempt any vehicle (except an SEMSV) which was being used as an ambulance on or before December 15, 1980, from vehicle design standards and specifications required by the Department, until said vehicle's title of ownership is transferred. Such vehicles shall not be exempt from all other licensing standards and requirements prescribed by the Department.

(10) Prohibit any Vehicle Service Provider from advertising, identifying its vehicles, or disseminating information in a false or misleading manner concerning the Provider's type and level of vehicles, location, primary service area, response times, level of personnel, licensure status or System participation.

(10.5) Prohibit any Vehicle Service Provider, whether municipal, private, or hospital-owned, from advertising itself as a critical care transport provider unless it participates in a Department-approved EMS System critical care transport plan.

(11) Charge each Vehicle Service Provider a fee per transport vehicle, due annually at time of inspection. The fee per transport vehicle shall be set by administrative rule by the Department and shall not exceed 100 vehicles per provider.

(Source: P.A. 97-333, eff. 8-12-11; 97-1014, eff. 1-1-13; 98-452, eff. 1-1-14.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.