Public Act 103-0547
 
SB0761 EnrolledLRB103 03215 CPF 48221 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 Sections 3.20, 3.55, and 3.85 and by
adding Section 3.22 as follows:
 
    (210 ILCS 50/3.20)
    Sec. 3.20. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems.
    (a) "Emergency Medical Services (EMS) System" means an
organization of hospitals, vehicle service providers and
personnel approved by the Department in a specific geographic
area, which coordinates and provides pre-hospital and
inter-hospital emergency care and non-emergency medical
transports at a BLS, ILS and/or ALS level pursuant to a System
program plan submitted to and approved by the Department, and
pursuant to the EMS Region Plan adopted for the EMS Region in
which the System is located.
    (b) One hospital in each System program plan must be
designated as the Resource Hospital. All other hospitals which
are located within the geographic boundaries of a System and
which have standby, basic or comprehensive level emergency
departments must function in that EMS System as either an
Associate Hospital or Participating Hospital and follow all
System policies specified in the System Program Plan,
including but not limited to the replacement of drugs and
equipment used by providers who have delivered patients to
their emergency departments. All hospitals and vehicle service
providers participating in an EMS System must specify their
level of participation in the System Program Plan.
    (c) The Department shall have the authority and
responsibility to:
        (1) Approve BLS, ILS and ALS level EMS Systems which
    meet minimum standards and criteria established in rules
    adopted by the Department pursuant to this Act, including
    the submission of a Program Plan for Department approval.
    Beginning September 1, 1997, the Department shall approve
    the development of a new EMS System only when a local or
    regional need for establishing such System has been
    verified by the Department. This shall not be construed as
    a needs assessment for health planning or other purposes
    outside of this Act. Following Department approval, EMS
    Systems must be fully operational within one year from the
    date of approval.
        (2) Monitor EMS Systems, based on minimum standards
    for continuing operation as prescribed in rules adopted by
    the Department pursuant to this Act, which shall include
    requirements for submitting Program Plan amendments to the
    Department for approval.
        (3) Renew EMS System approvals every 4 years, after an
    inspection, based on compliance with the standards for
    continuing operation prescribed in rules adopted by the
    Department pursuant to this Act.
        (4) Suspend, revoke, or refuse to renew approval of
    any EMS System, after providing an opportunity for a
    hearing, when findings show that it does not meet the
    minimum standards for continuing operation as prescribed
    by the Department, or is found to be in violation of its
    previously approved Program Plan.
        (5) Require each EMS System to adopt written protocols
    for the bypassing of or diversion to any hospital, trauma
    center or regional trauma center, which provide that a
    person shall not be transported to a facility other than
    the nearest hospital, regional trauma center or trauma
    center unless the medical benefits to the patient
    reasonably expected from the provision of appropriate
    medical treatment at a more distant facility outweigh the
    increased risks to the patient from transport to the more
    distant facility, or the transport is in accordance with
    the System's protocols for patient choice or refusal.
        (6) Require that the EMS Medical Director of an ILS or
    ALS level EMS System be a physician licensed to practice
    medicine in all of its branches in Illinois, and certified
    by the American Board of Emergency Medicine or the
    American Osteopathic Board of Emergency Medicine, and that
    the EMS Medical Director of a BLS level EMS System be a
    physician licensed to practice medicine in all of its
    branches in Illinois, with regular and frequent
    involvement in pre-hospital emergency medical services. In
    addition, all EMS Medical Directors shall:
            (A) Have experience on an EMS vehicle at the
        highest level available within the System, or make
        provision to gain such experience within 12 months
        prior to the date responsibility for the System is
        assumed or within 90 days after assuming the position;
            (B) Be thoroughly knowledgeable of all skills
        included in the scope of practices of all levels of EMS
        personnel within the System;
            (C) Have or make provision to gain experience
        instructing students at a level similar to that of the
        levels of EMS personnel within the System; and
            (D) For ILS and ALS EMS Medical Directors,
        successfully complete a Department-approved EMS
        Medical Director's Course.
        (7) Prescribe statewide EMS data elements to be
    collected and documented by providers in all EMS Systems
    for all emergency and non-emergency medical services, with
    a one-year phase-in for commencing collection of such data
    elements.
        (8) Define, through rules adopted pursuant to this
    Act, the terms "Resource Hospital", "Associate Hospital",
    "Participating Hospital", "Basic Emergency Department",
    "Standby Emergency Department", "Comprehensive Emergency
    Department", "EMS Medical Director", "EMS Administrative
    Director", and "EMS System Coordinator".
            (A) (Blank).
            (B) (Blank).
        (9) Investigate the circumstances that caused a
    hospital in an EMS system to go on bypass status to
    determine whether that hospital's decision to go on bypass
    status was reasonable. The Department may impose
    sanctions, as set forth in Section 3.140 of the Act, upon a
    Department determination that the hospital unreasonably
    went on bypass status in violation of the Act.
        (10) Evaluate the capacity and performance of any
    freestanding emergency center established under Section
    32.5 of this Act in meeting emergency medical service
    needs of the public, including compliance with applicable
    emergency medical standards and assurance of the
    availability of and immediate access to the highest
    quality of medical care possible.
        (11) Permit limited EMS System participation by
    facilities operated by the United States Department of
    Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration. Subject
    to patient preference, Illinois EMS providers may
    transport patients to Veterans Health Administration
    facilities that voluntarily participate in an EMS System.
    Any Veterans Health Administration facility seeking
    limited participation in an EMS System shall agree to
    comply with all Department administrative rules
    implementing this Section. The Department may promulgate
    rules, including, but not limited to, the types of
    Veterans Health Administration facilities that may
    participate in an EMS System and the limitations of
    participation.
        (12) Ensure that EMS systems are transporting pregnant
    women to the appropriate facilities based on the
    classification of the levels of maternal care described
    under subsection (a) of Section 2310-223 of the Department
    of Public Health Powers and Duties Law of the Civil
    Administrative Code of Illinois.
        (13) Provide administrative support to the EMT
    Training, Recruitment, and Retention Task Force.
(Source: P.A. 101-447, eff. 8-23-19.)
 
    (210 ILCS 50/3.22 new)
    Sec. 3.22. EMT Training, Recruitment, and Retention Task
Force.
    (a) The EMT Training, Recruitment, and Retention Task
Force is created to address the following:
        (1) the impact that the EMT and Paramedic shortage is
    having on this State's EMS System and health care system;
        (2) barriers to the training, recruitment, and
    retention of Emergency Medical Technicians throughout this
    State;
        (3) steps that the State of Illinois can take,
    including coordination and identification of State and
    federal funding sources, to assist Illinois high schools,
    community colleges, and ground ambulance providers to
    train, recruit, and retain emergency medical technicians;
        (4) the examination of current testing mechanisms for
    EMRs, EMTs, and Paramedics and the utilization of the
    National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians,
    including current pass rates by licensure level, national
    utilization, and test preparation strategies;
        (5) how apprenticeship programs, local, regional, and
    statewide, can be utilized to recruit and retain EMRs,
    EMTs, and Paramedics;
        (6) how ground ambulance reimbursement affects the
    recruitment and retention of EMTs and Paramedics; and
        (7) all other areas that the Task Force deems
    necessary to examine and assist in the recruitment and
    retention of EMTs and Paramedics.
    (b) The Task Force shall be comprised of the following
members:
        (1) one member of the Illinois General Assembly,
    appointed by the President of the Senate, who shall serve
    as co-chair;
        (2) one member of the Illinois General Assembly,
    appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;
        (3) one member of the Illinois General Assembly,
    appointed by the Senate Minority Leader;
        (4) one member of the Illinois General Assembly,
    appointed by the House Minority Leader, who shall serve as
    co-chair;
        (5) 9 members representing private ground ambulance
    providers throughout this State representing for-profit
    and non-profit rural and urban ground ambulance providers,
    appointed by the President of the Senate;
        (6) 3 members representing hospitals, appointed by the
    Speaker of the House of Representatives, with one member
    representing safety net hospitals and one member
    representing rural hospitals;
        (7) 3 members representing a statewide association of
    nursing homes, appointed by the President of the Senate;
        (8) one member representing the State Board of
    Education, appointed by the House Minority Leader;
        (9) 2 EMS Medical Directors from a Regional EMS
    Medical Directors Committee, appointed by the Governor;
    and
        (10) one member representing the Illinois Community
    College Systems, appointed by the Minority Leader of the
    Senate.
    (c) Members of the Task Force shall serve without
compensation.
    (d) The Task Force shall convene at the call of the
co-chairs and shall hold at least 6 meetings.
    (e) The Task Force shall submit its final report to the
General Assembly and the Governor no later than January 1,
2024, and upon the submission of its final report, the Task
Force shall be dissolved.
 
    (210 ILCS 50/3.55)
    Sec. 3.55. Scope of practice.
    (a) Any person currently licensed as an EMR, EMT, EMT-I,
A-EMT, PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, or Paramedic may perform emergency
and non-emergency medical services as defined in this Act, in
accordance with his or her level of education, training and
licensure, the standards of performance and conduct prescribed
by the Department in rules adopted pursuant to this Act, and
the requirements of the EMS System in which he or she
practices, as contained in the approved Program Plan for that
System. The Director may, by written order, temporarily modify
individual scopes of practice in response to public health
emergencies for periods not exceeding 180 days.
    (a-5) EMS personnel who have successfully completed a
Department approved course in automated defibrillator
operation and who are functioning within a Department approved
EMS System may utilize such automated defibrillator according
to the standards of performance and conduct prescribed by the
Department in rules adopted pursuant to this Act and the
requirements of the EMS System in which they practice, as
contained in the approved Program Plan for that System.
    (a-7) An EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, or
Paramedic who has successfully completed a Department approved
course in the administration of epinephrine shall be required
to carry epinephrine with him or her as part of the EMS
personnel medical supplies whenever he or she is performing
official duties as determined by the EMS System. The
epinephrine may be administered from a glass vial,
auto-injector, ampule, or pre-filled syringe.
    (b) An EMR, EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, or
Paramedic may practice as an EMR, EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, or
Paramedic or utilize his or her EMR, EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, PHRN,
PHAPRN, PHPA, or Paramedic license in pre-hospital or
inter-hospital emergency care settings or non-emergency
medical transport situations, under the written or verbal
direction of the EMS Medical Director. For purposes of this
Section, a "pre-hospital emergency care setting" may include a
location, that is not a health care facility, which utilizes
EMS personnel to render pre-hospital emergency care prior to
the arrival of a transport vehicle. The location shall include
communication equipment and all of the portable equipment and
drugs appropriate for the EMR, EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, or
Paramedic's level of care, as required by this Act, rules
adopted by the Department pursuant to this Act, and the
protocols of the EMS Systems, and shall operate only with the
approval and under the direction of the EMS Medical Director.
    This Section shall not prohibit an EMR, EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT,
PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, or Paramedic from practicing within an
emergency department or other health care setting for the
purpose of receiving continuing education or training approved
by the EMS Medical Director. This Section shall also not
prohibit an EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, or
Paramedic from seeking credentials other than his or her EMT,
EMT-I, A-EMT, PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, or Paramedic license and
utilizing such credentials to work in emergency departments or
other health care settings under the jurisdiction of that
employer.
    (c) An EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, or Paramedic
may honor Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) orders and powers of
attorney for health care only in accordance with rules adopted
by the Department pursuant to this Act and protocols of the EMS
System in which he or she practices.
    (d) A student enrolled in a Department approved EMS
personnel program, while fulfilling the clinical training and
in-field supervised experience requirements mandated for
licensure or approval by the System and the Department, may
perform prescribed procedures under the direct supervision of
a physician licensed to practice medicine in all of its
branches, a qualified registered professional nurse, or
qualified EMS personnel, only when authorized by the EMS
Medical Director.
    (e) An EMR, EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, or
Paramedic may transport a police dog injured in the line of
duty to a veterinary clinic or similar facility if there are no
persons requiring medical attention or transport at that time.
For the purposes of this subsection, "police dog" means a dog
owned or used by a law enforcement department or agency in the
course of the department or agency's work, including a search
and rescue dog, service dog, accelerant detection canine, or
other dog that is in use by a county, municipal, or State law
enforcement agency.
    (f) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to prohibit an
EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, Paramedic, or PHRN from completing an
initial Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Respirator Medical Evaluation Questionnaire on behalf of fire
service personnel, as permitted by his or her EMS System
Medical Director.
    (g) An EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, Paramedic, PHRN, PHAPRN, or PHPA
shall be eligible to work for another EMS System for a period
not to exceed 2 weeks if the individual is under the direct
supervision of another licensed individual operating at the
same or higher level as the EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, Paramedic,
PHRN, PHAPRN, or PHPA; obtained approval in writing from the
EMS System's Medical Director; and tests into the EMS System
based upon appropriate standards as outlined in the EMS System
Program Plan. The EMS System within which the EMT, EMT-I,
A-EMT, Paramedic, PHRN, PHAPRN, or PHPA is seeking to join
must make all required testing available to the EMT, EMT-I,
A-EMT, Paramedic, PHRN, PHAPRN, or PHPA within 2 weeks after
the written request. Failure to do so by the EMS System shall
allow the EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, Paramedic, PHRN, PHAPRN, or PHPA
to continue working for another EMS System until all required
testing becomes available.
(Source: P.A. 102-79, eff. 1-1-22.)
 
    (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 for private, nonpublic local
    government employers must allow for alternative staffing
    models that include an EMR who drives an ambulance with a
    licensed EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, Paramedic, or PHRN, as
    appropriate, in the patient compartment providing care to
    the patient pursuant to the approval of the EMS System
    Program Plan developed and approved by the EMS Medical
    Director for an EMS System. The EMS personnel licensed at
    the highest level shall provide the initial assessment of
    the patient to determine the level of care required for
    transport to the receiving health care facility, and this
    assessment shall be documented in the patient care report
    and documented with online medical control. The EMS
    personnel licensed at or above the level of care required
    by the specific patient as directed by the EMS Medical
    Director shall be the primary care provider en route to
    the destination facility or patient's residence. The
    Department shall monitor the implementation and
    performance of alternative staffing models and may issue a
    notice of termination of an alternative staffing model
    only upon evidence that an EMS System Program Plan is not
    being adhered to. Adoption of an alternative staffing
    model shall not result in a Vehicle Service Provider being
    prohibited or limited in the utilization of its staff or
    equipment from providing any of the services authorized by
    this Act or as otherwise outlined in the approved EMS
    System Program Plan, including, without limitation, the
    deployment of resources to provide out-of-state disaster
    response. EMS System Program Plans must address a process
    for out-of-state disaster response deployments that must
    meet the following:
            (A) All deployments to provide out-of-state
        disaster response must first be approved by the EMS
        Medical Director and submitted to the Department.
            (B) The submission must include the number of
        units being deployed, vehicle identification numbers,
        length of deployment, and names of personnel and their
        licensure level.
            (C) Ensure that all necessary in-state requests
        for services will be covered during the duration of
        the deployment.
        An EMS System Program Plan for a Basic Life Support,
    advanced life support, and critical care transport
    utilizing an EMR and an EMT shall include the following:
            (A) Alternative staffing models for a Basic Life
        Support transport utilizing an EMR and an EMT shall
        only be utilized for interfacility Basic Life Support
        transports as specified by the EMS System Program Plan
        as determined by the EMS System Medical Director and
        medical appointments, excluding any transport to or
        from a dialysis center.
            (B) Protocols that shall include dispatch
        procedures to properly screen and assess patients for
        EMR-staffed transports and EMT-staffed Basic Life
        Support transport.
            (C) A requirement that a provider and EMS System
        shall implement a quality assurance plan that shall
        include for the initial waiver period the review of at
        least 5% of total interfacility transports utilizing
        an EMR with mechanisms outlined to audit dispatch
        screening, reason for transport, patient diagnosis,
        level of care, and the outcome of transports
        performed. Quality assurance reports must be submitted
        and reviewed by the provider and EMS System monthly
        and made available to the Department upon request. The
        percentage of transports reviewed under quality
        assurance plans for renewal periods shall be
        determined by the EMS Medical Director, however, it
        shall not be less than 3%.
            (D) The EMS System Medical Director shall develop
        a minimum set of requirements for individuals based on
        level of licensure that includes education, training,
        and credentialing for all team members identified to
        participate in an alternative staffing plan. The EMT,
        Paramedic, PHRN, PHPA, PHAPRN, and critical care
        transport staff shall have the minimum at least one
        year of experience in performance of pre-hospital and
        inter-hospital emergency care, as determined by the
        EMS Medical Director in accordance with the EMS System
        Program Plan, but at a minimum of 6 months of
        prehospital experience or at least 50 documented
        patient care interventions during transport as the
        primary care provider and approved by the Department.
            (E) The licensed EMR must complete a defensive
        driving course prior to participation in the
        Department's alternative staffing model.
            (F) The length of the EMS System Program Plan for a
        Basic Life Support transport utilizing an EMR and an
        EMT shall be for one year, and must be renewed annually
        if proof of the criteria being met is submitted,
        validated, and approved by the EMS Medical Director
        for the EMS System and the Department.
            (G) Beginning July 1, 2023, the utilization of
        EMRs for advanced life support transports and Tier III
        Critical Care Transports shall be allowed for periods
        not to exceed 3 years under a pilot program. The pilot
        program shall not be implemented before Department
        approval. Agencies requesting to utilize this staffing
        model for the time period of the pilot program must
        complete the following:
                (i) Submit a waiver request to the Department
            requesting to participate in the pilot program
            with specific details of how quality assurance and
            improvement will be gathered, measured, reported
            to the Department, and reviewed and utilized
            internally by the participating agency.
                (ii) Submit a signed approval letter from the
            EMS System Medical Director approving
            participation in the pilot program.
                (iii) Submit updated EMS System plans,
            additional education, and training of the EMR and
            protocols related to the pilot program.
                (iv) Submit agency policies and procedures
            related to the pilot program.
                (v) Submit the number of individuals currently
            participating and committed to participating in
            education programs to achieve a higher level of
            licensure at the time of submission.
                (vi) Submit an explanation of how the provider
            will support individuals obtaining a higher level
            of licensure and encourage a higher level of
            licensure during the year of the alternative
            staffing plan and specific examples of recruitment
            and retention activities or initiatives.
            Upon submission of a renewal application and
        recruitment and retention plan, the provider shall
        include additional data regarding current employment
        numbers, attrition rates over the year, and activities
        and initiatives over the previous year to address
        recruitment and retention.
            The information required under this subparagraph
        (G) shall be provided to and retained by the EMS System
        upon initial application and renewal and shall be
        provided to the Department upon request.
        The Department 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.
        (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, critical care
    transport, 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.
        (12) Beginning July 1, 2023, as part of a pilot
    program that shall not exceed a term of 3 years, an
    ambulance may be upgraded to a higher level of care for
    interfacility transports by an ambulance assistance
    vehicle with appropriate equipment and licensed personnel
    to intercept with the licensed ambulance at the sending
    facility before departure. The pilot program shall not be
    implemented before Department approval. To participate in
    the pilot program, an agency must:
            (A) Submit a waiver request to the Department with
        intercept vehicle vehicle identification numbers,
        calls signs, equipment detail, and a robust quality
        assurance plan that shall list, at minimum, detailed
        reasons each intercept had to be completed, barriers
        to initial dispatch of advanced life support services,
        and how this benefited the patient.
            (B) Report to the Department quarterly additional
        data deemed meaningful by the providing agency along
        with the data required under subparagraph (A) of this
        paragraph (12).
            (C) Obtain a signed letter of approval from the
        EMS Medical Director allowing for participation in the
        pilot program.
            (D) Update EMS System plans and protocols from the
        pilot program.
            (E) Update policies and procedures from the
        agencies participating in the pilot program.
(Source: P.A. 102-623, eff. 8-27-21.)
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.

Effective Date: 8/11/2023