N.Y. Public Health Law § 3018: Community-based paramedicine demonstration program

* § 3018. 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 four 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

non-patient 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.

* NB Repealed June 22, 2027