HF 5449

as introduced - 93rd Legislature (2023 - 2024) Posted on 05/02/2024 10:59am

A bill for an act
relating to health; establishing a rural EMS uncompensated care pool payment
program; appropriating money.

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

Section 1. new text begin RURAL EMS UNCOMPENSATED CARE POOL PAYMENT PROGRAM.
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new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Definitions. new text end

new text begin (a) For purposes of this section, the following terms have
the meanings given.
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new text begin (b) "Board" means the Emergency Medical Services Regulatory Board.
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new text begin (c) "Eligible licensee" means a licensee that primarily provides ambulance services
outside the metropolitan counties listed in Minnesota Statutes, section 473.121, subdivision
4.
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new text begin (d) "Licensee" has the meaning given in Minnesota Statutes, section 144E.001,
subdivision 8.
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new text begin (e) "Public safety answering point" has the meaning given in Minnesota Statutes, section
403.02, subdivision 19.
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new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Payment program established. new text end

new text begin The board must establish and administer a
rural EMS uncompensated care pool payment program. Under the program, the board must
make payments to eligible licensees according to this section.
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new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Excluded responses. new text end

new text begin The board must exclude EMS responses by specialized
life support, as described in Minnesota Statutes, section 144E.101, subdivision 9, in
calculating payments under this section.
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new text begin Subd. 4. new text end

new text begin Application process. new text end

new text begin (a) An eligible licensee seeking a payment under this
section must apply to the board by March 31, 2025, in the form and manner determined by
the board. In the application, the eligible licensee must specify the number of the eligible
licensee's EMS responses that meet the criteria in subdivision 5.
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new text begin (b) When an eligible licensee, an eligible licensee's parent company, a subsidiary of an
eligible licensee, or a subsidiary of an eligible licensee's parent company collectively hold
multiple licenses, the board must treat all such related licensees as a single eligible licensee.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 5. new text end

new text begin Eligible EMS responses. new text end

new text begin In order for an EMS response to be an eligible EMS
response for purposes of subdivision 6, the EMS response must meet the following criteria:
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new text begin (1) the EMS response was initiated by a request for emergency medical services initially
received by a public safety answering point;
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new text begin (2) an ambulance responded to the scene;
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new text begin (3) the ambulance was not canceled while en route to the scene;
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new text begin (4) the ambulance did not transport a person from the scene to a hospital emergency
department;
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new text begin (5) the eligible licensee did not receive any payment for the EMS response from any
source; and
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new text begin (6) the EMS response was initiated between January 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024.
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new text begin Subd. 6. new text end

new text begin Board calculations. new text end

new text begin (a) The board must calculate payments as provided in
paragraphs (b) and (c) for eligible licensees that complete an application under subdivision
4.
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new text begin (b) The board must award points for eligible EMS responses as follows:
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new text begin (1) for eligible EMS responses one to 25, an eligible licensee is awarded ten points per
response;
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new text begin (2) for eligible EMS responses 26 to 50, an eligible licensee is awarded five points per
response;
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new text begin (3) for eligible EMS responses 51 to 100, an eligible licensee is awarded three points
per response;
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new text begin (4) for eligible EMS responses 101 to 200, an eligible licensee is awarded one point per
response; and
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new text begin (5) for eligible EMS responses exceeding 200, an eligible licensee is awarded zero points.
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new text begin (c) The board must total the number of all points awarded under paragraph (b) and divide
that number by the amount appropriated for purposes of this section, to determine a per-point
amount. The payment for each eligible licensee shall be calculated by multiplying the eligible
licensee's number of awarded points by the established per-point amount.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 7. new text end

new text begin Payment. new text end

new text begin The executive director of the board must certify the payment amount
for each eligible licensee and must make the full payment to each eligible licensee by May
30, 2025.
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Sec. 2. new text begin APPROPRIATION; RURAL EMS UNCOMPENSATED CARE POOL
PAYMENT PROGRAM.
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new text begin $3,000,000 in fiscal year 2025 is appropriated from the general fund to the Emergency
Medical Services Regulatory Board for the rural EMS uncompensated care pool payment
program. This is a onetime appropriation.
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