HF 161

1st Committee Engrossment - 86th Legislature (2009 - 2010) Posted on 03/19/2013 07:28pm

A bill for an act
relating to health; establishing a medical response unit reimbursement pilot
program; funding emergency medical services programs; appropriating money.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1. new text begin MEDICAL RESPONSE UNIT REIMBURSEMENT PILOT
PROGRAM.
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new text begin (a) The Department of Public Safety or its contract designee shall collaborate
with the Minnesota Ambulance Association to create the parameters of the medical
response unit reimbursement pilot program, including determining criteria for baseline
data reporting.
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new text begin (b) In conducting the pilot program, the Department of Public Safety must consult
with the Minnesota Ambulance Association, Minnesota Fire Chiefs Association,
Emergency Services Regulatory Board, and the Minnesota Council of Health Plans to:
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new text begin (1) identify no more than five medical response units registered as medical response
units with the Minnesota Emergency Medical Services Regulatory Board according to
Minnesota Statutes, chapter 144E, to participate in the program;
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new text begin (2) outline and develop criteria for reimbursement;
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new text begin (3) determine the amount of reimbursement for each unit response; and
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new text begin (4) collect program data to be analyzed for a final report.
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new text begin (c) Further criteria for the medical response unit reimbursement pilot program
shall include:
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new text begin (1) the pilot program will expire on December 31, 2010, or when the appropriation
is extended, whichever occurs first;
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new text begin (2) a report shall be made to the legislature by March 1, 2011, by the Department
of Public Safety or its contractor as to the effectiveness and value of this reimbursement
pilot program to the emergency medical services delivery system, any actual or potential
savings to the health care system, and impact on patient outcomes;
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new text begin (3) participating medical response units must adhere to the requirements of this
pilot program outlined in an agreement between the Department of Public Safety and
the medical response unit, including but not limited to, requirements relating to data
collection, response criteria, and patient outcomes and disposition;
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new text begin (4) individual entities licensed to provide ambulance care under Minnesota Statutes,
chapter 144E, are not eligible for participation in this pilot program;
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new text begin (5) if a participating medical response unit withdraws from the pilot program, the
Department of Public Safety in consultation with the Minnesota Ambulance Association
may choose another pilot site if funding is available;
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new text begin (6) medical response units must coordinate their operations under this pilot project
with the ambulance service or services licensed to provide care in their first response
geographic areas;
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new text begin (7) licensed ambulance services that participate with the medical response unit in
the pilot program assume no financial or legal liability for the actions of the participating
medical response unit; and
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new text begin (8) the Department of Public Safety and its pilot program partners have no ongoing
responsibility to reimburse medical response units beyond the parameters of the pilot
program.
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Sec. 2. new text begin APPROPRIATIONS TO EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES
REGULATORY BOARD; COMMISSIONER OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
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new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Regional medical services program. new text end

new text begin For fiscal year 2010,
$400,000 must be transferred from the Cooper/Sams volunteer ambulance trust, formerly
known as the ambulance service personnel longevity award and incentive trust, to the
emergency medical services system fund and appropriated to the Emergency Medical
Services Regulatory Board for the regional emergency medical services programs. This
amount shall be distributed equally to the eight emergency medical service regions.
Notwithstanding Minnesota Statutes, section 144E.50, 100 percent of the appropriation
shall be passed on to the emergency medical service regions.
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new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Comprehensive advanced life-support educational (CALS) program.
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new text begin For fiscal year 2010, $100,000 is appropriated from the Cooper/Sams volunteer ambulance
trust, formerly known as ambulance service personnel longevity award and incentive trust,
to the Emergency Medical Services Regulatory Board for the comprehensive advanced
life-support educational (CALS) program established under Minnesota Statutes, section
144E.37. This appropriation is to extend availability and affordability of the CALS
program for rural emergency medical personnel and to assist hospital staff in attaining the
credentialing levels necessary for implementation of the statewide trauma system.
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new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Emergency medical services for children (EMS-C) program. new text end

new text begin For fiscal
year 2010, $25,000 is appropriated from the Cooper/Sams volunteer ambulance trust,
formerly known as ambulance service personnel longevity award and incentive trust, to
the Emergency Medical Services Regulatory Board for the emergency medical services
for children (EMS-C) program. This appropriation is to meet increased need for medical
training specific to pediatric emergencies.
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new text begin Subd. 4. new text end

new text begin Veterans paramedic apprenticeship program. new text end

new text begin For fiscal year 2010,
$200,000 is appropriated from the Cooper/Sams volunteer ambulance trust, formerly
known as ambulance service personnel longevity award and incentive trust, to the
commissioner of veterans affairs to make a grant to the Minnesota Ambulance Association
to implement a veterans paramedic apprenticeship program to reintegrate returning
military medics into Minnesota's workforce in the field of paramedic and emergency
services, thereby guaranteeing returning military medics gainful employment with livable
wages and benefits.
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new text begin Subd. 5. new text end

new text begin Medical response unit reimbursement pilot program. new text end

new text begin (a) For fiscal
year 2010, $250,000 is appropriated from the Cooper/Sams volunteer ambulance trust,
formerly known as ambulance service personnel longevity award incentive trust, to the
Department of Public Safety for a medical response unit reimbursement pilot program. Of
this appropriation, $75,000 is for administrative costs to the Department of Public Safety,
including providing contract staff support and technical assistance to the pilot program
partners if necessary.
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new text begin (b) Of the appropriation in paragraph (a), $175,000 is to the Department of Public
Safety to be used to provide a predetermined reimbursement amount to the participating
medical response units. The Department of Public Safety or its contract designee will
develop an agreement with the medical response units outlining reimbursement and
program requirements to include HIPPA compliance while participating in the pilot
program.
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