Amended in Senate July 7, 2015

Amended in Assembly March 23, 2015

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 503

Introduced by Assembly Member Rodriguez

February 23, 2015

An act to add Section 1797.122 to the Health and Safety Code, relating to emergency medical services.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 503, as amended, Rodriguez. Emergency medical services.

Existing law requires the Emergency Medical Services Authority to develop planning and implementation guidelines for emergency medical services (EMS) systems that address several components, including, but not limited to, manpower and training, communications, transportation, and assessment of hospitals and critical care centers.

This bill would authorize a health facility, as defined, to release patient-identifiable medical information to a defined EMS provider, a local EMS agency, and the authority, to the extent specific data elements are requested for quality assessment and improvement purposes. The bill would also begin delete require end delete begin insert authorize end insert the authority to develop minimum standards for the implementation of this data collection.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

It is the intent of the Legislature to encourage
data sharing between emergency medical services providers and
hospitals in order to improve system effectiveness, quality of care,
and the impact of emergency medical services on death and
disability.

SEC. 2.  

Section 1797.122 is added to the Health and Safety
Code, to read:

1797.122.  

(a) Notwithstanding any other law, a health facility
as defined in subdivision (a) or (b) of Section 1250 may release
patient-identifiable medical information under the following
circumstances:

(1) To an EMS provider, information regarding a patient who
was treated, or transported to the hospital by, that EMS provider,
to the extent that specific data elements are requested for quality
assessment and improvement purposes.

(2) To the authority or the local EMS agency, to the extent that
specific data elements are requested for quality assessment and
improvement purposes.

(b) An EMS provider, local EMS agency, and the authority shall
request only those data elements that are minimally necessary in
compliance with Section 164.502 (b) and Section 164.514 (d) of
Title 45 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

(c) The authority begin delete shall end delete begin insert may end insert develop minimum standards for the
implementation of data collection for system operation, patient
outcome, and performance quality improvement.

(d) For purposes of this section, “EMS provider” means an
organization employing an Emergency Medical Technician-I,
Advanced Emergency Medical Technician, begin delete or end delete Emergency Medical
begin delete Technician-Paramedic end delete begin insert end insert begin insert Technician-Paramedic, registered nurse,
or physician end insert for the delivery of emergency medical care to the sick
and injured at the scene of an emergency, during transport, or
during an interfacility transfer.