Overview:
EMS providers have historically only been authorized to provide patient care within a pre-hospital emergency setting, or during interfacility transport for a licensed EMS agency. Substitute House Bill 1893 adds the ability for EMTs, a subset of EMS providers, to additionally provide public health care, or “collaborative medical care,” within the scope of their training and certification. This bill makes permanent an emergency policy enacted during the states response to COVID-19, which aimed to utilize EMTs in combating the public health emergency.“Collaborative medical care” is defined in SHB 1893 as “medical treatment and care provided pursuant to agreements with local, regional, or state public health agencies to control and prevent the spread of communicable diseases which is rendered separately from emergency medical service.” In other words, under this bill, and the former COVID-19 emergency order, EMTs are permitted, within their scope of practice, to provide public health treatment, such as vaccines, outside of a pre-hospital or inter-hospital emergency setting.SHB 1893 additionally creates a new provisional emergency services provider certification. This certification is designed to allow EMS providers with licenses in other states, to work in Washington while their permanent license is being approved by the Department of Health (DOH). The provisional certification will be issued by DOH according to conditions established in SHB 1893, and procedures to be determined by DOH. |
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