HB1285
To Establish An Exemption Program For Ambulance Service's Operators For Certain Healthcare Services.
AI-Generated Summary
This bill, House Bill 1285, seeks to establish an exemption program for ambulance service operators concerning certain healthcare services. It amends existing Arkansas Code § 20-13-108 to allow ambulance service operators to triage and transport patients to alternative destinations or treat them in place under specific circumstances. These circumstances involve coordination of care through telemedicine with a physician for medical complaints or a behavioral health specialist for behavioral complaints. A new subsection (c) is added to the code to address exceptions to this telemedicine requirement. The Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council will be responsible for developing a set of protocols for 9-1-1 emergency medical situations that are exempt from the telemedicine requirement. Ambulance services can adopt these developed protocols with the approval of their medical director. They can also request the council to approve additional exempt protocols. The council is mandated to review these exempted protocols annually.
Potential Impact Analysis
Who Might Benefit?
The primary beneficiaries of this bill are ambulance service operators and, by extension, patients experiencing certain medical or behavioral health complaints. Ambulance service operators would gain increased flexibility in how they manage patient care, potentially allowing for more efficient resource allocation and reduced unnecessary hospital transports in specific situations. Patients may benefit from receiving care at alternative destinations or treatment in place, which could be more appropriate or accessible depending on their condition and the availability of telemedicine consultations. Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council members and medical directors of ambulance services would also be involved in the decision-making process regarding protocol development and approval.
Who Might Suffer?
It is difficult to identify groups that would be directly and negatively impacted by this bill as written, given its focus on creating an exemption program and modifying existing protocols. However, one could speculate that if the protocols developed under this bill lead to a decline in the utilization of traditional emergency department services for certain conditions, hospitals might experience a reduction in patient volume. Additionally, if the telemedicine infrastructure or specialist availability is insufficient to support the proposed care coordination, it could create challenges for the ambulance services attempting to implement these new protocols. Patients who require immediate, in-person physician evaluation and treatment for conditions that are subsequently managed through telemedicine might also be negatively impacted if the care coordination is not robust or if their specific condition is not well-suited for this model.