Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

2021 - 2022 LEGISLATURE
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                  2021 ASSEMBLY BILL 95
    February 18, 2021 - Introduced by Representatives TRANEL, NOVAK, KURTZ,
        OLDENBURG, VANDERMEER, DITTRICH, KNODL, MOSES, MURPHY, MURSAU,
        SKOWRONSKI and TUSLER, cosponsored by Senators MARKLEIN, NASS, COWLES,
        FEYEN, STROEBEL, FELZKOWSKI and BALLWEG. Referred to Committee on
        Health.
1   AN ACT     to amend 256.15 (4m) (d); and to create 256.12 (5) (c), 256.15 (1) (ij),
2        256.15 (4) (a) 4. and 256.15 (10m) of the statutes; relating to: ambulance
3        staffing and emergency medical personnel.
                      Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
          Generally, this bill changes ambulance staffing requirements and makes other
    changes related to emergency medical personnel.
          The bill allows an ambulance that is engaged in an nonemergent interfacility
    transport to be staffed with one emergency medical technician and one individual
    who has a certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Currently, an ambulance
    may be staffed with any of the following: any two emergency medical services
    practitioners, licensed registered nurses, licensed physician assistants or
    physicians, or any combination of those individuals; one emergency medical services
    practitioner plus one individual with an emergency medical services practitioner
    training permit; or, for certain rural ambulance service providers, one emergency
    medical technician and one emergency medical responder.
          Current law allows a rural ambulance service provider to upgrade the service
    level of an ambulance to the highest level of license of any emergency services
    practitioner staffing that ambulance if approved by the medical director. The bill
    prohibits the Department of Health Services from requiring the rural ambulance
    service provider to stock an ambulance with equipment to perform all functions that
    the emergency medical services practitioner with the highest level of license may
    perform in order to upgrade its ambulance service level.
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     ASSEMBLY BILL 95
          Under the bill, an ambulance service provider or emergency medical services
     program may not prohibit an emergency medical responder or emergency medical
     services practitioner who is employed by or volunteering with it from being employed
     by or volunteering with another ambulance service provider or emergency medical
     services program.
     The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
         enact as follows:
 1        SECTION 1. 256.12 (5) (c) of the statutes is created to read:
 2        256.12 (5) (c) 1. If the department requires the signature of a clerk of a
 3   municipality before allowing an ambulance service provider to receive funds under
 4   this subsection, the department shall allow the clerk to submit an electronic
 5   signature.
 6        2. If the department requires an ambulance service provider to submit the
 7   population of its service area, the population shall be derived using census data. The
 8   department may only require an updated and signed population form after a census
 9   every 10 years, except that the department may require an updated and signed
10   population form if the service area of the ambulance service provider changes.
11        SECTION 2. 256.15 (1) (ij) of the statutes is created to read:
12        256.15 (1) (ij) “Interfacility transport” means any transfer of a patient between
13   health care facilities or any nonemergent transfer of a patient.
14        SECTION 3. 256.15 (4) (a) 4. of the statutes is created to read:
15        256.15 (4) (a) 4. If the ambulance is engaged in a nonemergent interfacility
16   transport, one emergency medical technician who is in the patient compartment
17   during transport of the patient and one individual who has a certification in
18   cardiopulmonary resuscitation, through a course approved by the department.
19        SECTION 4. 256.15 (4m) (d) of the statutes is amended to read:
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     ASSEMBLY BILL 95                                                        SECTION 4
 1        256.15 (4m) (d) A rural ambulance service provider that is intending to
 2   upgrade its service under par. (b) shall submit to the department an update to its
 3   operational plan including a description of its intention to upgrade. The department
 4   may not require a rural ambulance service provider to stock an ambulance with
 5   equipment to perform all functions that the emergency medical services practitioner
 6   with the highest level of license may perform in order to upgrade the ambulance
 7   service level under par. (b).
 8        SECTION 5. 256.15 (10m) of the statutes is created to read:
 9        256.15 (10m) EXCLUSIVE     ARRANGEMENTS PROHIBITED.     An ambulance service
10   provider or emergency medical services program may not prohibit an emergency
11   medical responder or emergency medical services practitioner who is employed by
12   or volunteering with the ambulance service provider or emergency medical services
13   program from being employed by or volunteering with another ambulance service
14   provider or emergency medical services program.
15        SECTION 6.0Effective date.
16        (1) This act takes effect on the first day of the 7th month beginning after
17   publication.
18                                       (END)
Statutes affected: 
Bill Text: 256.15(4m)(d), 256.15