1 | A bill to be entitled |
2 | An act relating to cardiology services; creating s. |
3 | 395.3042, F.S.; requiring emergency medical services |
4 | providers to transport certain cardiac patients to the |
5 | most appropriate facility and specify a facility |
6 | preference; providing legislative findings; providing |
7 | definitions; requiring medical directors of emergency |
8 | medical services providers to develop and implement |
9 | certain protocols for assessment, treatment, and |
10 | transportation of cardiac patients; providing an |
11 | exemption; requiring the Department of Health to identify |
12 | and provide to emergency medical services providers |
13 | opportunities and resources to secure appropriate |
14 | equipment for the identification of certain cardiac |
15 | patients; authorizing medical directors to determine |
16 | appropriate transport locations for patients; requiring |
17 | participation by certain hospitals; requiring notice of |
18 | changes; requiring hospitals to report certain data; |
19 | providing a timeframe for emergency medical services |
20 | providers to comply with the act; providing for |
21 | rulemaking; providing an effective date. |
22 |
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23 | WHEREAS, every year, approximately 24,000 people in this |
24 | state suffer a type of life-threatening heart attack known as an |
25 | ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI), one-third of whom |
26 | die within 24 hours after the attack, and |
27 | WHEREAS, fewer than 20 percent of heart attack victims |
28 | receive emergency reperfusion to open blocked arteries, and |
29 | WHEREAS, studies have shown that individuals suffering a |
30 | life-threatening heart attack known as an ST-Elevation |
31 | Myocardial Infarction or STEMI have better outcomes if they |
32 | receive emergency reperfusion, and |
33 | WHEREAS, studies have shown that percutaneous coronary |
34 | intervention (PCI) is currently the optimum treatment for a |
35 | patient suffering from a STEMI heart attack, and |
36 | WHEREAS, studies have shown that opening a blocked coronary |
37 | artery using emergency PCI within recommended timeframes can |
38 | effectively prevent or significantly minimize permanent damage |
39 | to the heart caused by a heart attack, and |
40 | WHEREAS, even fewer patients receive the procedure within |
41 | the timeframe recommended by the American Heart Association and |
42 | the American College of Cardiology, and |
43 | WHEREAS, damage to the heart muscle can result in death, |
44 | congestive heart failure, arterial fibrillation, and other |
45 | chronic diseases of the heart, and |
46 | WHEREAS, organizations such as the American Heart |
47 | Association, the American College of Cardiology, and the Florida |
48 | College of Emergency physicians recommend deploying protocols |
49 | and systems to help ensure that people suffering from a life- |
50 | threatening heart attack receive the latest evidence-based care, |
51 | such as timely reperfusion and emergency PCI, within recommended |
52 | timeframes, and |
53 | WHEREAS, Florida's system of trauma services and system of |
54 | emergency stroke treatment have dramatically improved the care |
55 | provided for individuals suffering from a traumatic injury or a |
56 | stroke, and |
57 | WHEREAS, emergency medical services (EMS) personnel often |
58 | have a unique opportunity to identify STEMI patients through |
59 | training, appropriate equipment use, and quality assurance |
60 | programs and can impact their outcome by following protocols |
61 | that specify appropriate destination selection, and |
62 | WHEREAS, cooperative relationships between EMS agencies and |
63 | medical facilities are necessary to provide a systematic |
64 | continuum of care for STEMI patients that ensures that they will |
65 | receive the latest evidence-based care within recommended |
66 | timeframes, NOW, THEREFORE, |
67 |
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68 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
69 |
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70 | Section 1. Section 395.3042, Florida Statutes, is created |
71 | to read: |
72 | 395.3042 Emergency medical services providers; triage and |
73 | transportation of victims of an acute ST-elevation myocardial |
74 | infarction; legislative findings; definitions.--Emergency |
75 | medical services providers shall provide triage and |
76 | transportation to victims of an acute ST-elevation myocardial |
77 | infarction to the most appropriate medical facility with a |
78 | specific preference to medical facilities with a percutaneous |
79 | coronary intervention center or those medical centers certified |
80 | as chest pain centers by the Society of Chest Pain Centers. |
81 | (1)(a) The Legislature finds that rapid identification and |
82 | treatment of serious heart attacks, known as ST-elevation |
83 | myocardial infarction, or STEMI, can significantly improve |
84 | outcomes by reducing death and disability by rapidly restoring |
85 | blood flow to the heart in accordance with the latest evidence- |
86 | based standards. |
87 | (b) The Legislature further finds that a strong emergency |
88 | system to support survival from life-threatening heart attacks |
89 | is needed in this state in order to treat victims in a timely |
90 | manner and to improve outcomes and the overall care of heart |
91 | attack victims. |
92 | (c) Therefore, the Legislature directs all local emergency |
93 | medical services providers and medical facilities to work |
94 | together to establish local STEMI systems of care to help |
95 | improve outcomes for individuals suffering from this life- |
96 | threatening heart attack. |
97 | (2) As used in this section, the term: |
98 | (a) "Local" means, at a minimum, a functional area defined |
99 | by an emergency medical services provider and the medical |
100 | facilities to which it routinely transports STEMI and other |
101 | patients with medical complaints. |
102 | (b) "Percutaneous coronary intervention center" means a |
103 | provider of adult interventional cardiology services licensed by |
104 | the agency under s. 408.0361 that provides 24-hour-a-day |
105 | availability of services for acute STEMI patients. |
106 | (c) "STEMI system of care" means a local agreement between |
107 | emergency medical service providers and local hospitals to |
108 | deliver patients identified as having an ST-elevation myocardial |
109 | infarction to appropriate medical facilities. |
110 | (3) The medical director of each licensed emergency |
111 | medical services provider shall establish protocols for the |
112 | assessment, treatment, destination selection, and transportation |
113 | of suspected cardiac patients. These protocols must specify |
114 | destination selection criteria for suspected STEMI patients. |
115 | Emergency medical services providers that only provide |
116 | nonemergency ambulance transportation and do not provide first |
117 | response services are exempt from the requirements of this |
118 | section. |
119 | (4) The medical director of each licensed emergency |
120 | medical services provider shall determine which medical |
121 | facilities are the most appropriate destinations for suspected |
122 | STEMI patients, taking local resources into consideration. |
123 | (5) The department shall assist in identifying and |
124 | providing all licensed emergency medical service providers with |
125 | opportunities, partnerships, and resources for securing |
126 | appropriate equipment for identifying a suspected STEMI patient. |
127 | These sources may include the Emergency Medical Services Grant |
128 | program established under ss. 401.101-401.121. |
129 | (6) A facility licensed under chapter 395 which routinely |
130 | cares for adult acute cardiac patients shall agree to |
131 | participate and cooperate with each medical director of an |
132 | emergency medical services provider to ensure establishment of |
133 | local protocols for STEMI patient assessment, treatment, and |
134 | destination selection. |
135 | (7)(a) Any local medical facility whose status changes |
136 | regarding percutaneous coronary intervention service |
137 | availability is required to notify the medical director or |
138 | medical directors of the local emergency medical services |
139 | provider whether the changes are permanent or temporary. This |
140 | notification must be made prior to the change, if possible, and |
141 | must occur immediately if the facility can no longer provide the |
142 | service to an immediately incoming suspected STEMI patient. |
143 | (b) An emergency medical services provider and its medical |
144 | directors shall be held harmless if such notification has not |
145 | been provided or if insufficient notice has been provided such |
146 | that the medical director of the emergency medical services |
147 | provider could not take measures to prevent the transportation |
148 | of a suspected STEMI patient to the facility during the period |
149 | of status change. |
150 | (8)(a) All receiving hospitals shall report data on all |
151 | suspected STEMI patients to the medical director of the |
152 | respective emergency medical services provider for that patient. |
153 | Reports shall be delivered to the medical director no later than |
154 | 30 days after the time when the patient was discharged, |
155 | transferred, or died. |
156 | (b) For suspected STEMI patients, the data reported to the |
157 | medical director of the emergency medical services provider |
158 | shall 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 |
163 | number. |
164 | 5. Emergency department arrival time. |
165 | 6. Emergency department exit time. |
166 | 7. Name of facility, if transferred, and time of |
167 | departure. |
168 | 8. Medical therapy delivered to patient and time |
169 | administered. |
170 | 9. Cathertization laboratory arrival time. |
171 | 10. Medical reason if percutaneous coronary intervention |
172 | was 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 |
178 | administer the provisions of this section relating to emergency |
179 | medical services providers. The department and the agency are |
180 | authorized to create rules to implement the data sharing |
181 | required by this section. |
182 | (10) Each emergency medical services provider licensed |
183 | under chapter 401 must comply with this section by July 1, 2010. |
184 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2009. |