Subchapter F. REGIONAL EMS COUNCILS
Sec.
1021.101. Designation of regional EMS councils.
1021.102. Structure of regional EMS councils.
1021.103. Governing body.
1021.104. Responsibilities of regional EMS councils.§ 1021.101. Designation of regional EMS councils.
(a) The Department will designate a regional EMS council that satisfies the structural and representation requirements in § 1021.102 (relating to structure of regional EMS councils) for each geographic area of this Commonwealth that the Department designates as a regional EMS geographic area for regional EMS system purposes.
(b) The designation of the geographical area will be based on the capability to:
(1) Provide definitive care services to the majority of general, emergent and critical patients.
(2) Establish community-wide and regional care programs.
(3) Interact and liaison with hospitals, other health care facilities and important public health and public safety entities.
(c) The Department will evaluate the performance and effectiveness of each regional EMS council on a periodic basis to ensure that each council is appropriately meeting the needs of the EMS region to which it is assigned in planning, developing, maintaining, expanding, improving and upgrading the regional EMS system.
§ 1021.102. Structure of regional EMS councils.
(a) Regional EMS councils shall be organized by one of the following:
(1) A unit of general local government with an advisory council.
(2) A representative public entity administering a compact or other area wide arrangement or consortium.
(3) A public or private nonprofit entity.
(b) If the regional EMS council is a unit of local government it shall have an advisory council which is determined by the Department to be representative of health care consumers, the health professions, and major private, public and volunteer agencies, organizations and institutions concerned with providing EMS.
(c) A regional EMS council shall have a governing body.
(d) A regional EMS council shall have a director who is approved by the Department.
(e) A regional EMS council shall have a medical director and establish committees which are necessary to carry out the responsibilities of the regional EMS council.
Cross References This section cited in 28 Pa. Code § 1021.23 (relating to award of contract or grant to a regional EMS council); 28 Pa. Code § 1021.101 (relating to designation of regional EMS councils); and 28 Pa. Code § 1021.103 (relating to governing body).
§ 1021.103. Governing body.
(a) If the regional EMS council is a public or private nonprofit organization, its governing body shall satisfy the representation requirements in § 1021.102 (relating to structure of regional EMS councils).
(b) If the governing body consists of a board, it shall adopt written policies which include:
(1) A method of selection for board membership.
(2) Qualifications for board membership.
(3) Criteria for continued board membership.
(4) Frequency of meetings.
(c) The duties of the governing body shall include:
(1) Selecting a director who will be responsible for the daily operations of the regional EMS council.
(2) Selecting a regional EMS medical director.
(3) Describing the organizational structure.
(4) Establishing appropriate committees, including a quality improvement committee and a medical advisory committee.
(i) A majority of the members of the medical advisory committee shall be physicians.
(ii) The regional medical advisory committee shall assist the regional EMS medical director in matters of medical coordination and ensure that EMS is provided within the region in a manner that considers patient safety and the quality of EMS.
(5) Monitoring and ensuring the regional EMS council’s compliance with contracts and grants from the Department.
(d) The governing body shall make available to the public an annual report no later than 30 days after the end of the fiscal year. This requirement may be met by posting the annual report on the regional EMS council’s web site. The governing body also shall provide the Department with an electronic or hard copy of the annual report within the same time frame. The annual report must include:
(1) Activities and accomplishments of the preceding year.
(2) A financial statement of income and expenses.
(3) A statement disclosing the names of officers and directors.
(e) A staff member of a regional EMS council may not serve as a voting member of the governing body.
Cross References This section cited in 28 Pa. Code § 1021.23 (relating to award of contract or grant to a regional EMS council).
§ 1021.104. Responsibilities of regional EMS councils.
In addition to other responsibilities imposed upon regional EMS councils by this subpart, regional EMS councils have responsibility for:
(1) Organizing, maintaining, implementing, expanding and improving the EMS system within the geographic area for which the regional EMS council has been assigned responsibilities.
(2) Developing and implementing comprehensive EMS plans, as approved by the Department.
(3) Advising PSAPs and municipal and county governments as to EMS resources available for dispatching and recommending dispatching criteria that may be developed by the Department, or by the regional EMS council as approved by the Department.
(4) Developing, maintaining, implementing, expanding and improving programs of medical coordination. The programs are subject to approval by the Department.
(5) Assisting hospitals, upon their request, with issues regarding EMS when hospitals are developing their plans for emergency services as required under § 117.11 (relating to emergency services plan).
(6) Assisting the Department in achieving a unified Statewide EMS system and regional EMS system components and goals as described in section 8105 of the act (relating to duties of department).
(7) Assisting the Department in the collection and maintenance of standardized data and information provided through EMS PCRs.
(8) Providing EMS agencies with data summary reports.
(9) Ensuring the reasonable availability of training programs, including continuing education programs, for EMS providers. The programs must include those that lead to certification of EMS providers by the Department. Regional EMS councils may also develop and implement additional educational programs.
(10) Monitoring EMS provider, EMS agency, EMS agency medical director, medical command physician, medical command facility medical director and medical command facility compliance with minimum standards established by the Department.
(11) Facilitating the integration of medical command facilities into the regional EMS system in accordance with policies and guidelines established by the Department.
(12) Developing and implementing regional protocols for issues of regional importance that are not addressed by the Statewide EMS protocols. Protocols shall be developed in consultation with the regional EMS council’s medical advisory committee and approved by the Department. Protocols must:
(i) Be consistent with the Department’s established protocol format.
(ii) Address matters the Department directs regional EMS councils to address.
(iii) Be distributed to EMS agencies within the region.
(iv) Be reviewed annually and revised as necessary in consultation with the regional EMS council’s medical advisory committee.
(v) Be consistent with Chapter 1023 (relating to personnel) which governs the scope of practice of EMS providers.
(vi) Be based upon accepted standards of emergency medical care, with consideration given to maximizing patient safety.
(13) Assisting Federal, State and local agencies, upon request, in the provision of onsite mitigation, technical assistance, situation assessment, coordination of functions or post-incident evaluations, in the event of a potential or actual disaster, mass casualty situation or other substantial threat to public health.
(14) Maintaining an inventory of EMS resources, including EMS providers, available in the EMS region and promoting the recruitment, retention and recognition of EMS providers.
(15) Designating a regional EMS medical director.
(16) Supervising the regional EMS medical director to ensure that the roles and responsibilities in § 1023.4 (relating to regional EMS medical director) are carried out.
(17) Assisting EMS providers, other persons and EMS agencies operating in the regional EMS system to meet the licensure, certification, registration and continuing education requirements established under the act and this subpart, and assisting the Department in ensuring that those requirements are met.
(18) Having a conflict of interest policy and requiring its employees and officials to agree to the policy in writing.
(19) Assisting the Department in carrying out the act and this part and adhering to policy direction established by the Department.
(20) Performing other duties deemed appropriate by the Department for the initiation, expansion, maintenance and improvement of the regional and Statewide EMS system which are in accordance with the Statewide EMS System Plan.
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