CS/CS/HB 1033

1
A bill to be entitled
2An act relating to cardiology services; creating s.
3395.3042, F.S.; requiring emergency medical services
4providers to transport certain cardiac patients to the
5most appropriate facility and specify a facility
6preference; providing legislative findings; providing
7definitions; requiring medical directors of emergency
8medical services providers to develop and implement
9certain protocols for assessment, treatment, and
10transportation of cardiac patients; providing an
11exemption; requiring the Department of Health to identify
12and provide to emergency medical services providers
13opportunities and resources to secure appropriate
14equipment for the identification of certain cardiac
15patients; authorizing medical directors to determine
16appropriate transport locations for patients; requiring
17participation by certain hospitals; requiring notice of
18changes; requiring hospitals to report certain data;
19providing a timeframe for emergency medical services
20providers to comply with the act; providing for
21rulemaking; providing an effective date.
22
23     WHEREAS, every year, approximately 24,000 people in this
24state suffer a type of life-threatening heart attack known as an
25ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI), one-third of whom
26die within 24 hours after the attack, and
27     WHEREAS, fewer than 20 percent of heart attack victims
28receive emergency reperfusion to open blocked arteries, and
29     WHEREAS, studies have shown that individuals suffering a
30life-threatening heart attack known as an ST-Elevation
31Myocardial Infarction or STEMI have better outcomes if they
32receive emergency reperfusion, and
33     WHEREAS, studies have shown that percutaneous coronary
34intervention (PCI) is currently the optimum treatment for a
35patient suffering from a STEMI heart attack, and
36     WHEREAS, studies have shown that opening a blocked coronary
37artery using emergency PCI within recommended timeframes can
38effectively prevent or significantly minimize permanent damage
39to the heart caused by a heart attack, and
40     WHEREAS, even fewer patients receive the procedure within
41the timeframe recommended by the American Heart Association and
42the American College of Cardiology, and
43     WHEREAS, damage to the heart muscle can result in death,
44congestive heart failure, arterial fibrillation, and other
45chronic diseases of the heart, and
46     WHEREAS, organizations such as the American Heart
47Association, the American College of Cardiology, and the Florida
48College of Emergency physicians recommend deploying protocols
49and systems to help ensure that people suffering from a life-
50threatening heart attack receive the latest evidence-based care,
51such as timely reperfusion and emergency PCI, within recommended
52timeframes, and
53     WHEREAS, Florida's system of trauma services and system of
54emergency stroke treatment have dramatically improved the care
55provided for individuals suffering from a traumatic injury or a
56stroke, and
57     WHEREAS, emergency medical services (EMS) personnel often
58have a unique opportunity to identify STEMI patients through
59training, appropriate equipment use, and quality assurance
60programs and can impact their outcome by following protocols
61that specify appropriate destination selection, and
62     WHEREAS, cooperative relationships between EMS agencies and
63medical facilities are necessary to provide a systematic
64continuum of care for STEMI patients that ensures that they will
65receive the latest evidence-based care within recommended
66timeframes, NOW, THEREFORE,
67
68Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
69
70     Section 1.  Section 395.3042, Florida Statutes, is created
71to read:
72     395.3042  Emergency medical services providers; triage and
73transportation of victims of an acute ST-elevation myocardial
74infarction; legislative findings; definitions.--Emergency
75medical services providers shall provide triage and
76transportation to victims of an acute ST-elevation myocardial
77infarction to the most appropriate medical facility with a
78specific preference to medical facilities with a percutaneous
79coronary intervention center or those medical centers certified
80as chest pain centers by the Society of Chest Pain Centers.
81     (1)(a)  The Legislature finds that rapid identification and
82treatment of serious heart attacks, known as ST-elevation
83myocardial infarction, or STEMI, can significantly improve
84outcomes by reducing death and disability by rapidly restoring
85blood flow to the heart in accordance with the latest evidence-
86based standards.
87     (b)  The Legislature further finds that a strong emergency
88system to support survival from life-threatening heart attacks
89is needed in this state in order to treat victims in a timely
90manner and to improve outcomes and the overall care of heart
91attack victims.
92     (c)  Therefore, the Legislature directs all local emergency
93medical services providers and medical facilities to work
94together to establish local STEMI systems of care to help
95improve outcomes for individuals suffering from this life-
96threatening heart attack.
97     (2)  As used in this section, the term:
98     (a)  "Local" means, at a minimum, a functional area defined
99by an emergency medical services provider and the medical
100facilities to which it routinely transports STEMI and other
101patients with medical complaints.
102     (b)  "Percutaneous coronary intervention center" means a
103provider of adult interventional cardiology services licensed by
104the agency under s. 408.0361 that provides 24-hour-a-day
105availability of services for acute STEMI patients.
106     (c)  "STEMI system of care" means a local agreement between
107emergency medical service providers and local hospitals to
108deliver patients identified as having an ST-elevation myocardial
109infarction to appropriate medical facilities.
110     (3)  The medical director of each licensed emergency
111medical services provider shall establish protocols for the
112assessment, treatment, destination selection, and transportation
113of suspected cardiac patients. These protocols must specify
114destination selection criteria for suspected STEMI patients.
115Emergency medical services providers that only provide
116nonemergency ambulance transportation and do not provide first
117response services are exempt from the requirements of this
118section.
119     (4)  The medical director of each licensed emergency
120medical services provider shall determine which medical
121facilities are the most appropriate destinations for suspected
122STEMI patients, taking local resources into consideration.
123     (5)  The department shall assist in identifying and
124providing all licensed emergency medical service providers with
125opportunities, partnerships, and resources for securing
126appropriate equipment for identifying a suspected STEMI patient.
127These sources may include the Emergency Medical Services Grant
128program established under ss. 401.101-401.121.
129     (6)  A facility licensed under chapter 395 which routinely
130cares for adult acute cardiac patients shall agree to
131participate and cooperate with each medical director of an
132emergency medical services provider to ensure establishment of
133local protocols for STEMI patient assessment, treatment, and
134destination selection.
135     (7)(a)  Any local medical facility whose status changes
136regarding percutaneous coronary intervention service
137availability is required to notify the medical director or
138medical directors of the local emergency medical services
139provider whether the changes are permanent or temporary. This
140notification must be made prior to the change, if possible, and
141must occur immediately if the facility can no longer provide the
142service to an immediately incoming suspected STEMI patient.
143     (b)  An emergency medical services provider and its medical
144directors shall be held harmless if such notification has not
145been provided or if insufficient notice has been provided such
146that the medical director of the emergency medical services
147provider could not take measures to prevent the transportation
148of a suspected STEMI patient to the facility during the period
149of status change.
150     (8)(a)  All receiving hospitals shall report data on all
151suspected STEMI patients to the medical director of the
152respective emergency medical services provider for that patient.
153Reports shall be delivered to the medical director no later than
15430 days after the time when the patient was discharged,
155transferred, or died.
156     (b)  For suspected STEMI patients, the data reported to the
157medical director of the emergency medical services provider
158shall include, but are not limited to:
159     1.  Patient name.
160     2.  Date of transport.
161     3.  Patient date of birth.
162     4.  Emergency medical services provider incident or run
163number.
164     5.  Emergency department arrival time.
165     6.  Emergency department exit time.
166     7.  Name of facility, if transferred, and time of
167departure.
168     8.  Medical therapy delivered to patient and time
169administered.
170     9.  Cathertization laboratory arrival time.
171     10.  Medical reason if percutaneous coronary intervention
172was not used or was contraindicated.
173     11.  Femoral access time.
174     12.  Cross lesion time.
175     13.  Admission.
176     14.  Survival outcome.
177     (9)  The department shall adopt rules necessary to
178administer the provisions of this section relating to emergency
179medical services providers. The department and the agency are
180authorized to create rules to implement the data sharing
181required by this section.
182     (10)  Each emergency medical services provider licensed
183under chapter 401 must comply with this section by July 1, 2010.
184     Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2009.


CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.