BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  AB 2456
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   May 19, 2010

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Felipe Fuentes, Chair

                   AB 2456 (Torrico) - As Amended:  April 22, 2010 

          Policy Committee:                               
          InsuranceVote:17-2

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          Yes    Reimbursable:              Yes

           SUMMARY  

          This bill addresses oversight of emergency medical professionals  
          under the jurisdiction of the California Emergency Medical  
          Services Authority (EMSA). Specifically, this bill: 

          1)Requires EMSA to develop regulations to address local  
            accreditation, competency examinations, demonstration of  
            skills competency, field competency, preceptor evaluation, and  
            approval and evaluation of service providers. This bill also  
            requires regulations to address optional skills including  
            medical oversight, service provider approval, and additional  
            training and maintenance.

          2)Requires counties that have opted to run the EMS program to  
            comply with regulations established pursuant to this bill.

          3)Specifies if policies and procedures deviate from regulations  
            established pursuant to this bill, those policies and  
            procedures must be approved by EMSA and the EMS Commission. 

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Annual GF costs of $800,000 for EMSA to establish regulations  
          and statewide oversight of emergency medical professionals.  

          COMMENTS  

           1)Rationale  . This bill is sponsored by the California  
            Professional Firefighters to increase oversight and uniformity  
            of emergency medical services statewide. According to the  
            author and sponsor, EMS professionals must comply with varied  








                                                                  AB 2456
                                                                  Page  2

            requirements when practicing in adjoining counties because  
            requirements often differ by county. This bill increases  
            linkages among local EMS agencies by standardizing training  
            and medical oversight as well as improving consistency of  
            educational programs. The sponsors highlight that Canada has  
            just recently adopted this uniform approach in order to enable  
            professionals to practice anywhere in the country without  
            additional training or assessment. 

           2)Background  . The California EMSA and EMS Commission provide  
            guidance to more than 30 local emergency medical services  
            agencies (LEMSA) to ensure statewide system of coordinated  
            emergency care. LEMSA implement policies and procedures  
            adopted at the state level to administer local accreditation  
            of skills to aid in the coordination and efficiency of  
            emergency medical services. 
           
          3)Related Legislation  . AB 2917 (Torrico), Chapter 274, Statutes  
            of 2008 included several EMSA requirement related to  
            increasing the uniformity and oversight of licensure and  
            discipline of EMS professionals. 


           Analysis Prepared by  :    Mary Ader / APPR. / (916) 319-2081