N.Y. Pub. Health Law § 3018

Current through 2024 NY Law Chapter 443

Section 3018 - [Expires Effective 6/22/2025] Community-based paramedicine demonstration program

1. The department shall establish a community paramedicine demonstration program to evaluate the role of emergency medical services personnel in the delivery of health care services in the community in non-emergent settings.

2. For purposes of this section, "emergency medical services personnel" shall mean an emergency medical technician, or an advanced emergency medical technician as defined in this article.

3. This program shall authorize mobile integrated and community paramedicine programs presently operating and approved by the department as of May eleventh, two thousand twenty-three, under the authority of Executive Order Number 4 of two thousand twenty-one, entitled "Declaring a Statewide Disaster Emergency Due to Healthcare staffing shortages in the State of New York" to continue in the same manner and capacity as currently approved for a period of two years following the effective date of this section.

4. Such program shall include but not be limited to:

(a) authorizing emergency medical services personnel to provide services within their scope of practice beyond settings currently authorized.

(b) authorizing emergency medical service personnel to provide community paramedicine, use alternative destinations, telemedicine to facilitate treatment of persons in place, and such other services as may be approved by the commissioner.

(c) authorizing emergency medical services personnel providing community paramedicine services, with prior approval of the department, to administer vaccinations against influenza and COVID-19 pursuant to nonpatient specific orders and under the medical direction of a licensed physician.

(d) nothing in this section shall be deemed to allow a person to provide any service for which a license, registration, certification or other authorization under title eight of the education law is required and which the person does not possess, provided that any service being excluded pursuant to this paragraph shall not include a service that is within the scope of practice for the respective emergency medical services personnel.

5. Upon the effective date of this section, the department shall convene a stakeholder advisory panel including patient representatives, health care facilities operating or utilizing community paramedicine programs, emergency medical services providers and labor organizations representing emergency medical services personnel, and labor organizations representing nursing and other healthcare professional titles affected by the demonstration program flexibilities to advise the department to make recommendations on regulations and guidance that will:

(a) evaluate patient safety and standards of care for community paramedicine programs participating in the demonstration program;

(b) establish criteria setting forth permitted tasks that can be performed by each category of emergency medical services personnel;

(c) establish minimum training and competencies required for emergency medical services personnel to provide patient care services; and

(d) work with the department to issue such regulations and guidelines within ninety days following the assembly of the advisory panel.

6. The department shall submit a report on the demonstration program on an annual basis to the speaker of the assembly, the temporary president of the senate, the chairs of the assembly and senate health committees, and the governor.

N.Y. Pub. Health Law § 3018

Added by New York Laws 2023, ch. 137,Sec. 1, eff. 6/22/2023, op. 5/22/2023, exp. 6/22/2025.