House Bill 3817
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida House of Representatives - 1998 HB 3817
By Representatives Effman, Dockery and D. Prewitt
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to emergency medical services;
3 creating s. 401.272, F.S.; authorizing
4 paramedics and emergency medical technicians to
5 perform health promotion and wellness
6 activities and blood pressure screenings;
7 authorizing paramedics to administer
8 immunizations, and requiring verification and
9 documentation of their qualifications to do so;
10 specifying conditions for the provision of such
11 community health care; providing for
12 rulemaking; amending s. 401.265, F.S.;
13 providing liability of medical directors for
14 such activities; amending s. 401.411, F.S.;
15 providing that undertaking activities for which
16 the paramedic or emergency medical technician
17 is not qualified is grounds for disciplinary
18 action; providing an effective date.
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20 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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22 Section 1. Section 401.272, Florida Statutes, is
23 created to read:
24 401.272 Emergency medical services community health
25 care.--
26 (1) The purpose of this section is to encourage more
27 effective utilization of the skills of emergency medical
28 technicians and paramedics by enabling them to perform, in
29 partnership with local county health departments, specific
30 additional health care tasks that are consistent with the
31 public health and welfare.
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Florida House of Representatives - 1998 HB 3817
579-114A-98
1 (2) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the
2 contrary:
3 (a) Paramedics or emergency medical technicians may
4 perform health promotion and wellness activities and blood
5 pressure screenings in a nonemergency environment, within the
6 scope of their training, and under the direction of a medical
7 director. As used in this paragraph, the term "health
8 promotion and wellness" means the provision of public health
9 programs pertaining to the prevention of illness and injury.
10 (b) Paramedics may administer immunizations in a
11 nonemergency environment, within the scope of their training,
12 and under the direction of a medical director. There must be a
13 written agreement between the paramedic's medical director and
14 the county health department located in each county in which
15 the paramedic administers immunizations. This agreement must
16 establish the protocols, policies, and procedures under which
17 the paramedic must operate.
18 (3) Each medical director under whose direction a
19 paramedic administers immunizations must verify and document
20 that the paramedic has received sufficient training and
21 experience to administer immunizations. The verification must
22 be documented on forms developed by the department, and the
23 completed forms must be maintained at the service location of
24 the licensee and made available to the department upon
25 request.
26 (4) The department may adopt and enforce all rules
27 necessary to enforce the provisions relating to a paramedic's
28 administration of immunizations and the performance of health
29 promotion and wellness activities and blood pressure
30 screenings by a paramedic or emergency medical technician in a
31 nonemergency environment.
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida House of Representatives - 1998 HB 3817
579-114A-98
1 Section 2. Subsection (4) is added to section 401.265,
2 Florida Statutes, to read:
3 401.265 Medical directors.--
4 (4) Each medical director who uses a paramedic or
5 emergency medical technician to perform blood pressure
6 screenings or health promotion and wellness activities, or
7 uses a paramedic to administer immunizations, on any patient
8 in a nonemergency environment, as provided for in s. 406.272,
9 is liable for any act or omission of any such paramedic or
10 emergency medical technician acting under the medical
11 director's supervision and control.
12 Section 3. Paragraph (g) of subsection (1) of section
13 401.411, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
14 401.411 Disciplinary action; penalties.--
15 (1) The department may deny, suspend, or revoke a
16 license, certificate, or permit or may reprimand or fine any
17 licensee, certificateholder, or other person operating under
18 this part for any of the following grounds:
19 (g) Unprofessional conduct, including, but not limited
20 to, any departure from or failure to conform to the minimal
21 prevailing standards of acceptable practice as an emergency
22 medical technician or paramedic, including undertaking
23 activities that the emergency medical technician or paramedic
24 is not qualified by training or experience to perform.
25 Section 4. This act shall take effect upon becoming a
26 law.
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida House of Representatives - 1998 HB 3817
579-114A-98
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2 HOUSE SUMMARY
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Authorizes performance of health promotion and wellness
4 activities and blood pressure screenings by paramedics
and emergency medical technicians, and immunizations by
5 paramedics, in a nonemergency environment under the
direction of a medical director. Specifies requirements
6 and restrictions for such activities. Authorizes the
Department of Health to adopt and enforce rules. Provides
7 liability of medical directors. Provides that undertaking
activities for which the paramedic or emergency medical
8 technician is not qualified is unprofessional conduct and
grounds for disciplinary action.
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