1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to health; eliminating the requirement of a variance for a staff 
1.3 	requirement for ambulance services; allowing a medical director of an ambulance 
1.4 	service to authorize certain staffing requirements in limited areas;amending 
1.5 	Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 144E.101, subdivision 6.
1.6 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.7 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 144E.101, subdivision 6, is amended to 
1.8 	read:
1.9 		Subd. 6.Basic life support. (a) Except as provided in ~~paragraphs~~ paragraph (e) ~~and~~ 
1.10 	~~(f)~~, a basic life-support ambulance shall be staffed by at least two EMTs, one of whom 
1.11 	must accompany the patient and provide a level of care so as to ensure that:
1.12 	(1) life-threatening situations and potentially serious injuries are recognized;
1.13 	(2) patients are protected from additional hazards;
1.14 	(3) basic treatment to reduce the seriousness of emergency situations is administered; 
1.15 	and
1.16 	(4) patients are transported to an appropriate medical facility for treatment.
1.17 	(b) A basic life-support service shall provide basic airway management.
1.18 	(c) A basic life-support service shall provide automatic defibrillation.
1.19 	(d) A basic life-support service licensee's medical director may authorize ambulance 
1.20 	service personnel to perform intravenous infusion and use equipment that is within the 
1.21 	licensure level of the ambulance service, including administration of an opiate antagonist. 
1.22 	Ambulance service personnel must be properly trained. Documentation of authorization 
1.23 	for use, guidelines for use, continuing education, and skill verification must be maintained 
1.24 	in the licensee's files.
2.1 	(e) ~~Upon application from~~ An ambulance service ~~that includes evidence~~ 
2.2 	~~demonstrating hardship, the board may grant a variance from the staff requirements in~~ 
2.3 	~~paragraph (a) and~~ medical director as defined in section 144E.265 may authorize a basic 
2.4 	life-support ambulance under the medical director's medical direction to be staffed by 
2.5 	one EMT and one registered emergency medical responder driver for all emergency 
2.6 	ambulance calls and interfacility transfers. ~~The variance shall apply to basic life-support~~ 
2.7 	~~ambulances operated by the ambulance service until the ambulance service renews its~~ 
2.8 	~~license. When a variance expires, an ambulance service may apply for a new variance~~ 
2.9 	~~under this paragraph.~~ For purposes of this paragraph, "ambulance service" means 
2.10 	either an ambulance service whose primary service area is mainly located outside the 
2.11 	metropolitan counties listed in section 473.121, subdivision 4, and outside the cities of 
2.12 	Duluth, Mankato, Moorhead, Rochester, and St. Cloud; or an ambulance service based in 
2.13 	a community with a population of less than ~~1,000~~ 2,500.
2.14 	~~(f) After an initial emergency ambulance call, each subsequent emergency ambulance~~ 
2.15 	~~response, until the initial ambulance is again available, and interfacility transfers, may~~ 
2.16 	~~be staffed by one registered emergency medical responder driver and an EMT. The~~ 
2.17 	~~EMT must accompany the patient and provide the level of care required in paragraph~~ 
2.18 	~~(a). This paragraph applies only to an ambulance service whose primary service area is~~ 
2.19 	~~mainly located outside the metropolitan counties listed in section 473.121, subdivision~~ 
2.20 	~~4, and outside the cities of Duluth, Mankato, Moorhead, Rochester, and St. Cloud, or an~~ 
2.21 	~~ambulance based in a community with a population of less than 1,000 persons.~~