Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 45, November 9, 2024
Section 1027.31 - General standards for providing EMSRegardless of the type of service through which an EMS agency is providing EMS, the following standards apply to the EMS agency and its EMS providers when functioning as an EMS provider on behalf of an EMS agency, except as otherwise provided in this subchapter:
(1) An EMS provider who encounters a patient before the arrival of other EMS providers shall attend to the patient and begin providing EMS to the patient at that EMS provider's skill level.(2) An EMR may not be the EMS provider who primarily attends to a patient unless another higher level EMS provider is not present or all other EMS providers who are present are attending to other patients.(3) Except as set forth in paragraph (2), or unless there are multiple patients and the EMS needs of other patients require otherwise, among EMS providers who are present, an EMS provider who is certified at or above the EMS skill level required by the patient shall be the EMS provider who primarily attends to the patient.(4) If a patient requires EMS at a higher skill level than the skill level of the EMS providers who are present, unless there are multiple patients and the EMS needs of other patients require otherwise, an EMS provider who is certified at the highest EMS skill level among the EMS providers who are present shall be the EMS provider who primarily attends to the patient.(5) A member of the EMS vehicle crew with the highest level of EMS provider certification shall be responsible for the overall management of the EMS provided to the patient or patients by the members of that EMS vehicle crew. If more than one member of the EMS vehicle crew is an EMS provider above the AEMT level, any of those EMS providers may assume responsibility for the overall management of the EMS provided to the patient or patients by the members of that EMS vehicle crew.(6) If an EMS vehicle crew needs additional assistance in attending to the needs of a patient or patients, it shall contact a PSAP or its EMS agency dispatch center to request that assistance.(7) Except as otherwise provided in this subpart, an EMS agency shall operate 24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week, each type of service it is licensed to provide at each location it is licensed to operate that service.(8) A member of an EMS vehicle crew who responds to a call in a personal vehicle may not transport in that vehicle medications, equipment or supplies that an EMT is not authorized to use.The provisions of this §1027.31 adopted October 11, 2013, effective 4/10/2014, 43 Pa.B. 6093. This section cited in 28 Pa. Code § 1027.41 (relating to special operations EMS services).