AB 430, as amended, Roger Hernández. Trauma care systems.
Existing law, the Emergency Medical Services System and the Prehospital Emergency Medical Care Personnel Act, establishes the Emergency Medical Services Authority, which is responsible for the coordination and integration of all state agencies concerning emergency medical services. Existing law requires the authority to develop planning and implementation guidelines for emergency medical services systems that addresses specified components, including data collection and evaluation. The act authorizes each county to establish an emergency medical services program under which the county is required to designate a local emergency medical services (EMS) agency. Existing law authorizes a local EMS agency to implement a trauma care system only if the system meets the minimum standards adopted by the authority, as prescribed. Existing law requires a local EMS agency that elects to implement a trauma care system to develop and submit a plan for that trauma care system to the authority in accordance with regulations adopted by the authority.
This bill would require a local EMS agency implementing a trauma care system, as part of the minimum standards, to, among other things, commission an independent nonprofit organization or governmental entity qualified to assess trauma systems to conduct a comprehensive regional assessment of equitability and access to its trauma system, and would require the assessment to be performed in conjunction with other local EMS agencies in that agency’s region and the regional trauma coordinating committee (RTCC) established by the authority for that region. The bill would require the local EMS agencies to submit the results of each assessment to the authority. The bill would require that the assessments occur at least once every 5 years, but would authorize the RTCCs and the authority to determine, after the initial assessment, whether it would be proper for subsequent assessments to occur on a more frequent basis, as specified. The bill would authorize the 5 RTCCs to assess and provide recommendations to the local EMS agencies and the authority, and would require the local EMS agencies implementing a trauma care system to incorporate these recommendations into their respective trauma care plans.
This bill would require the authority to develop a statewide trauma plan that addresses all aspects of a trauma care system and would require the authority to report to the Legislature, by March 1, 2016, the status of the development or implementation of the statewide trauma plan.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 1797.120 is added to the Health and
2Safety Code, to read:
(a) The authority shall develop a statewide trauma
4plan that addresses all aspects of a trauma care system, including,
5but not limited to, a statewide plan for trauma in the case of
6bioterrorism, natural disasters, mass casualties, and access to
7trauma care for rural and urban communities.
8(b) (1) By March 31, 2016, the authority shall report to the
9Legislature, in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government
10Code, the status of the development or implementation of the
11statewide trauma plan.
12(2) The requirement for submitting a report imposed under
13paragraph (1) is inoperative on March
31, 2020, pursuant to Section
1410231.5 of the Government Code.
Section 1798.162 of the Health and Safety Code is
2amended to read:
(a) A local emergency medical services agency
4may implement a trauma care system only if the system meets the
5minimum standards set forth in the regulations for implementation
6established by the authority and the plan required by Section
71797.257 has been submitted to, and approved by, the authority.
8begin delete Prior toend deletebegin insert Beforeend insert submitting the plan for the trauma care system to
9the authority, a local emergency medical services agency shall
10hold a public hearing and shall give adequate notice of the public
11hearing to all hospitals and other
interested parties in the area
12proposed to be included in the system. This subdivision does not
13preclude a local EMS agency from adopting trauma care system
14standards which are more stringent than those established by the
15regulations.
16(b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a) or any other provision of
17this article, the Santa Clara County Emergency Medical Services
18Agency may implement a trauma care system prior to the adoption
19of regulations by the authority pursuant to Section 1798.161. If
20the Santa Clara County Emergency Medical Services Agency
21implements a trauma care system pursuant to this subdivision prior
22to the adoption of those regulations by the authority, the agency
23shall prepare and submit to the authority a trauma care system plan
24that conforms to any regulations subsequently adopted by the
25authority.
26(c) A local emergency medical services agency implementing
27a trauma care system shall, as part of the minimum standards
28adopted pursuant to Section 1798.161, do both of the following:
29(1) Commission an independent nonprofit organization or
30governmental entity qualified to assess trauma systems to conduct
31a comprehensive regional assessment of equitability and access to
32its trauma system. This assessment shall be performed on a regional
33basis, in conjunction with other local emergency medical services
34agencies in that agency’s region and the regional trauma
35coordinating committee (RTCC) established by the authority for
36that region. The local emergency medical services agencies shall
37submit the results of each assessment to the authority. These
38assessments shall occur at least once
every five years. After the
39first assessment, the RTCCs, along with the authority, may
40
determine whether it would be proper for subsequent assessments
P4 1to occur on a more frequent basis depending on the outcomes of
2the initial assessment, including outcomes with respect to access
3to trauma care for rural and urban communities and trauma care
4in case of bioterrorism, natural disasters, and mass casualties.
5(2) (A) Establish an oversight committee composed of
6representatives from county departments who have expertise in
7trauma care systems, as well as in bioterrorism preparedness
8programs, for the purpose of assisting, and investigating the
9feasibility of, health facilities in underserved areas serving as a
10trauma facility within the trauma care system.
11(B) The oversight committee shall makebegin delete recommendations,end delete
12begin insert
recommendationsend insert
and shall report on its activities to the local
13emergency medical services agency.
14(d) Each of the five RTCCs may assess and provide
15recommendations to the local emergency medical services agencies
16and to the authority. The local emergency medical services agencies
17implementing a trauma care system shall incorporate these
18recommendations into their respective trauma care plans and submit
19these revised plans to the authority for approval.
O
98