REPORT TITLE:
Aeromedical services


DESCRIPTION:
Integrates emergency aeromedical services as a component of the
State Comprehensive Emergency Medical Services System.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES                H.B. NO.           
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
________________________________________________________________
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                   A  BILL  FOR  AN  ACT

RELATING TO EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES.



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

 1      SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that Hawaii is dependent
 
 2 upon aeromedical transportation of patients from neighbor island
 
 3 medical facilities who require specialized care at tertiary
 
 4 hospitals in Honolulu.  The primary value of aeromedical services
 
 5 lies in the speed in which a critically ill or injured person can
 
 6 be transported to the most appropriate medical facility.  In many
 
 7 cases, the time required for persons to receive definitive
 
 8 medical care is the single, most important factor in their
 
 9 survival.
 
10      Act 59, Session Laws of Hawaii 1998, charged the department
 
11 of health to plan and develop a statewide emergency aeromedical
 
12 services system ensuring the coordinated delivery of medical care
 
13 that affords timely and quality transport of seriously ill and
 
14 injured persons to appropriate medical facilities.
 
15      The purpose of this Act is to fulfill the medical need of
 
16 transporting patients intra-island and inter-island in a timely
 
17 manner.
 
18      SECTION 2.  Chapter 321, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended
 
19 by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to
 
20 read as follows:
 

 
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 1      "§321-     Aeromedical emergency medical services
 
 2 information system.  (a)  There is established in the department
 
 3 an aeromedical emergency medical services information system
 
 4 designed to collect and analyze data to measure the efficiency
 
 5 and effectiveness of each phase of the continuum of services as
 
 6 an aeromedical quality improvement program.
 
 7      (b)  The information collected shall serve to:
 
 8      (1)  Identify system strengths and weaknesses;
 
 9      (2)  Allocate resources; and
 
10      (3)  Develop aeromedical system standards."
 
11      SECTION 3.  Section 321-223, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
12 amended to read as follows:
 
13      "[[]§321-223[]]  State comprehensive emergency medical
 
14 services system, establishment.  The department of health shall
 
15 establish, administer, and maintain the state comprehensive
 
16 emergency medical services system to serve the emergency health
 
17 needs of the people of the State.  The department of health in
 
18 the implementation of this part shall plan, coordinate, and
 
19 provide assistance to all entities and agencies, public and
 
20 private, involved in the state system.  All emergency medical
 
21 services, [or] ambulance services, or aeromedical services
 
22 conducted by or under the authority of the department of health
 
23 or any county shall be consistent with this part."
 

 
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 1      SECTION 4.  Section 321-224, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
 2 amended to read as follows:
 
 3      "§321-224  Department of health, functions, duties.  In
 
 4 addition to other functions and duties assigned under this part,
 
 5 the department shall:
 
 6      (1)  Regulate ambulances and ambulance services;
 
 7      (2)  Establish emergency medical services throughout the
 
 8           State[,] which shall include emergency aeromedical
 
 9           services and which shall meet the requirements of this
 
10           part, subject to section 321-228;
 
11      (3)  Consult and coordinate with the University of Hawaii,
 
12           or any other accredited community college, college, or
 
13           university, or any professional organization that
 
14           provides emergency medical services training, regarding
 
15           the training for basic life support personnel and
 
16           advanced life support personnel, as provided in section
 
17           321-229;
 
18      (4)  Collect and evaluate data for the continued evaluation
 
19           of the state system subject to section 321-230;
 
20      (5)  Coordinate emergency medical resources and the
 
21           allocation of the state system's services and
 
22           facilities in the event of mass casualties, natural
 
23           disasters, national emergencies, and other emergencies,
 

 
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 1           ensuring linkage to local, state, and national disaster
 
 2           plans, and participation in exercises to test these
 
 3           plans;
 
 4      (6)  Establish, administer, and maintain a communication
 
 5           system for the state system;
 
 6      (7)  Assist each county in the development of a "911"
 
 7           emergency telephone system;
 
 8      (8)  Secure technical assistance and other assistance and
 
 9           consultation necessary for the implementation of this
 
10           part, subject to section 321-230;
 
11      (9)  Implement public information and education programs to
 
12           inform the public of the state system and its use, and
 
13           disseminate other emergency medical information,
 
14           including appropriate methods of medical self-help and
 
15           first-aid, and the availability of first-aid training
 
16           programs in the State;
 
17     (10)  Establish standards and provide training for
 
18           dispatchers in the state system, and maintain a program
 
19           of quality assurance for dispatch equipment and
 
20           operations;
 
21     (11)  Establish a program that will enable emergency service
 
22           personnel to provide early defibrillation;
 

 
 
 
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 1     (12)  Establish within the department the emergency medical
 
 2           service system for children;
 
 3     (13)  Consult with the advisory committee on matters relating
 
 4           to the implementation of this part; and
 
 5     (14)  Establish and maintain standards for emergency medical
 
 6           services course instructor qualifications and
 
 7           requirements for emergency medical services training
 
 8           facilities."
 
 9      SECTION 5.  Section 321-228, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
10 amended to read as follows:
 
11      "§321-228  Emergency medical services; counties.  The
 
12 department of health shall determine, in consultation with the
 
13 advisory committee under section 321-225, the levels of emergency
 
14 medical services which shall be implemented in each county.  The
 
15 department of health may contract to provide emergency medical
 
16 services or any necessary component of a county emergency
 
17 services system in conformance with the state system.  In the
 
18 event any county shall apply to the department to operate
 
19 emergency medical ambulance services or emergency aeromedical
 
20 services within the respective county, the department of health
 
21 may contract with the county for the provision of such services.
 
22 The department shall operate emergency medical ambulance services
 
23 or emergency aeromedical services or contract with a private
 

 
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 1 agency in those counties which do not apply to it under this
 
 2 section.  Any county or private agency contracting to provide
 
 3 emergency medical ambulance services or emergency aeromedical
 
 4 services under this section shall be required by the department
 
 5 to implement such services in a manner and at a level consistent
 
 6 with the levels determined under this section."
 
 7      SECTION 6.  (a)  There is established in the department of
 
 8 health an aeromedical physician quality improvement committee to:
 
 9      (1)  Analyze information collected from the aeromedical
 
10           quality improvement performance measures; and
 
11      (2)  Recommend system standards or resources that would
 
12           improve the Hawaii emergency aeromedical system.
 
13      (b)  The aeromedical physician quality improvement committee
 
14 members shall include but not be limited to:
 
15      (1)  Neighbor island hospital physicians;
 
16      (2)  A trauma center;
 
17      (3)  Tertiary pediatric physicians;
 
18      (4)  Burn center physicians;
 
19      (5)  Aeromedical services; and
 
20      (6)  Ground ambulance services.
 
21      SECTION 7.  The department of health shall provide to health
 
22 insurers data to support equitable reimbursement of aeromedical
 
23 services as an essential medical service in Hawaii's health care
 
24 delivery system.
 

 
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 1      SECTION 8.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed.
 
 2 New statutory material is underscored.
 
 3      SECTION 9.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
 
 4 
 
 5                           INTRODUCED BY:  _______________________