§ 1023.21. General rights and responsibilities.
(a) Change of address. An EMS provider, an EMSVO and an applicant for EMS provider or EMSVO certification shall ensure that the Department has a current address at which the person can be reached by mail. This applies to an EMS provider and an EMSVO whether or not that person maintains current registration of the EMS provider or EMSVO certification.
(b) Reports of criminal convictions, discipline and exclusions.
(1) An applicant for EMS provider or EMSVO certification shall report to the Department, on a form or through an electronic process, as prescribed by the Department, misdemeanor, felony and other criminal convictions that are not summary or equivalent offenses and disciplinary sanctions that have been imposed upon a license, certification or other authorization of the applicant to practice an occupation or profession. An applicant for an EMSVO certification shall also report to the Department any other conviction of an offense involving reckless driving or driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. An applicant for an EMSVO certification shall also report to the Department a driver’s license suspension due to the use of drugs or alcohol or from a moving traffic violation. The applicant shall also arrange for the custodian of the criminal charging, judgment and sentencing document for each conviction and the custodian of an adjudication or other document imposing discipline against the applicant to provide the Department with a certified copy of those records. If the applicant has not been sentenced on a criminal conviction at the time of making application for certification, the applicant shall inform the Department and then arrange, within 5 days after the applicant is sentenced, for the custodian of the sentencing document to provide the Department with a certified copy of that document. If, after making application for EMS provider certification, but before the Department acts upon an application, the applicant is convicted of a reportable offense or has discipline imposed upon a license, certification or other authorization to practice an occupation or profession, the applicant shall report that information to the Department immediately in the manner prescribed in the application form.
(2) An applicant for EMS provider certification shall report to the Department, on a form or through an electronic process, as prescribed by the Department, an exclusion from a Federal or State health care program of the applicant, or of an entity in which the applicant had equity or capital, stock or profits equal to at least 5% of the value of the property or assets of the entity at the time of the exclusion. The applicant shall also provide the Department with a certified copy of the document by which the applicant is excluded from the health care program. A health care program is a program in which the State or Federal government serves as a payor for health care services, such as the Medicare and Medicaid programs. If, after making application for EMS provider certification, but before the Department acts upon an application, there is an exclusion from a Federal or State health care program that is reportable under this paragraph, the applicant shall report that information to the Department immediately in the manner prescribed in the application form.
(3) The Department will not act upon an application for certification that reports information under paragraph (1) or (2) until it receives a certified copy of each document that is required to be provided under those paragraphs, unless the applicant establishes that the document from which a certified copy would be made does not exist.
(4) An EMS provider and an EMSVO shall report the same type of information and arrange for the same documents to be provided to the Department, as required under paragraphs (1) and (2), within 30 days after each conviction, discipline and exclusion. This applies to an EMS provider and an EMSVO whether or not the person maintains current registration of the EMS provider’s or EMSVO’s certification.
(c) Certification examinations.
(1) An applicant for EMS provider certification shall take the required certification examinations within 1 year after completing the education required for the EMS provider certification.
(2) Except as otherwise provided in this section, a person who fails a written or practical skills certification examination may repeat the failed examination without retaking a passed certification examination.
(3) A person who fails a written certification examination three times shall complete a refresher course approved by the Department or repeat the education required for the EMS provider certification before retaking a written certification examination.
(4) A person who fails a practical skills certification examination three times shall complete a remedial course approved by the Department or repeat the education required for the EMS provider certification before retaking a practical skills certification examination.
(5) A person who either fails an EMS provider certification examination six times or does not pass all required EMS provider certification examinations within 2 years after completing the EMS provider education required for the EMS provider certification may not receive credit for an examination previously passed. If that person elects to continue to pursue EMS provider certification, that person will be required to repeat the EMS provider education program and take the EMS provider certification examinations in accordance with paragraphs (1)—(4).
(6) If the standards a person needs to satisfy to take a certification examination change after the person has failed the examination, the person may not retake the examination unless the person meets the new standards.
(d) Exceptions to certification registration requirements for members of armed forces. An EMS provider or EMSVO who returns from active military service and who had a certification registration expire during a tour of duty or will have a certification registration expire within 12 months after returning from active military service may secure an exception to the certification registration requirements as follows:
(1) An EMS provider who chooses to secure registration of the EMS provider’s certification by satisfying continuing education requirements may apply for an exception to the period of time in which the EMS provider was required or would be required to satisfy the continuing education requirements, and the Department will grant the EMS provider an extended period of time to satisfy those requirements as the Department deems appropriate under the circumstances. If the EMS provider is certified at an AEMT level or higher, before the EMS provider may begin work for an EMS agency without a current registration, the EMS provider needs to be approved by the EMS agency’s medical director, under § 1023.1(a)(1)(viii) (relating to EMS agency medical director) as having current competency in the knowledge and skills required to provide the level of EMS the EMS agency intends to assign to the EMS provider.
(2) An EMS provider who chooses to secure registration of the EMS provider’s certification by satisfying continuing education requirements may ask the Department to endorse the EMS provider’s relevant military training as satisfying some or all of the continuing education requirements.
(3) An EMSVO may apply for an exception to the period of time in which the EMSVO was required or would be required to satisfy the continuing education requirements, and the Department will grant the EMSVO an extended period of time to satisfy those requirements as the Department deems appropriate under the circumstances. An EMSVO may also ask the Department to endorse the EMSVO’s relevant military training as satisfying some or all of the continuing education requirements.
(e) Lapse of registration.
(1) An EMS provider who does not secure a new registration of an EMS provider certification before a registration expires may secure a new registration within 2 years after the registration expires by completing a registration form or through an electronic process, as prescribed by the Department, if the information provided establishes that the EMS provider has passed the written certification registration examination as well as the clinical patient care and other core continuing education requirements that would have been needed to timely secure the registration by satisfying the continuing education requirements for registering the certification.
(2) An EMS provider who does not secure a new registration of an EMS provider certification before a registration expires may secure a new registration more than 2 years after the registration expires by completing a registration form or through an electronic process, as prescribed by the Department, if the information provided establishes that the EMS provider has passed both the written and practical skills certification registration examinations and the clinical patient care and other core continuing education requirements for each registration of a certification that was missed.
(3) The paramedic certification registration examinations are the certification registration examinations for a PHPE, a PHRN or a PHP who seeks to register a certification after the registration of that certification lapses.
(4) A registration secured under this subsection will expire when the registration would have expired if past registrations would have been secured on a timely basis.
(f) Authority derived from protocols and medical command. An EMS provider shall provide EMS for an EMS agency within the EMS provider’s scope of practice and, other than a PHP, under Statewide and regional EMS protocols and medical command.
(g) Downgraded certification or practice. An EMS provider who is certified at or above the AEMT level who chooses not to practice at that level or who is not permitted to practice at that level for an EMS agency by its EMS agency medical director under § 1023.1(a)(1)(vi) or (vii) and § 1027.3(m) (relating to licensure and general operating standards) has the following options with respect to EMS provider certification and registration of that certification:
(1) Upon expiration of the biennial registration period, the EMS provider may choose to maintain EMS provider certification at the EMS provider’s current certification level, in which case the EMS provider would need to satisfy the requirements for the registration of that EMS provider certification to renew registration of that certification.
(2) Prior to or upon expiration of the registration period, the EMS provider may choose to transition to a lower level EMS provider certification than the EMS provider’s current certification level, in which case the EMS provider would need to satisfy the requirements for the registration of that EMS provider certification to secure registration of that lower level EMS provider certification. If the EMS provider satisfies the registration requirements for that lower level of EMS provider certification, the Department will issue the EMS provider an EMS provider certification at that level, which will be deemed registered for 3 years or 2 years, depending upon the level of certification.
(3) When providing EMS, an EMS provider who transitions to a lower level EMS provider certification may not display a higher level insignia, patch, registration card or other indicia of the EMS provider’s certification at the higher EMS provider level.
(4) An EMS provider who, for any period of time, has been precluded from practicing for an EMS agency at the EMS provider’s certification level under § 1027.3(m) shall report the action to other EMS agencies for which the EMS provider is providing or seeks to provide EMS and to all regional EMS councils having responsibility for the EMS regions in which those EMS agencies are headquartered.
(5) An EMS provider who transitions to a lower level EMS provider certification may later renew registration of the EMS provider’s certification at the higher level by satisfying the requirements in subsection (e).
(h) Identification. If an EMS provider is asked to provide proof of authority to practice as an EMS provider when the EMS provider is providing EMS, or an EMSVO is asked to provide proof of authority to operate a ground EMS vehicle when the EMSVO is operating a ground EMS vehicle, the EMS provider or EMSVO shall present a card or certificate issued by the Department that shows current registration of the EMS provider’s or EMSVO’s certification.
(i) Interaction with law enforcement officers.
(1) If a law enforcement officer is at the scene of a police incident when an EMS provider arrives, the EMS provider may not enter the scene to provide EMS if the law enforcement officer so directs until the law enforcement officer advises that it is safe for the EMS provider to enter.
(2) An EMS provider shall have access to a patient at a police incident scene before the patient is removed from the scene by or at the direction of a law enforcement officer.
(3) If, under a medical treatment protocol or medical command, an EMS provider is required to transport to a receiving facility a patient whom a law enforcement officer has taken or wants to take into custody or whom the law enforcement officer believes needs to be spoken to immediately by the law enforcement officer, the EMS provider shall transport the patient to a receiving facility by ambulance. The EMS provider and EMSVO shall allow the law enforcement officer to accompany the patient in the ambulance if the law enforcement officer so chooses and may not interfere with the law enforcement officer employing security precautions deemed necessary by the law enforcement officer to ensure the safety of the officer and others. A law enforcement officer is not permitted to implement security precautions that unreasonably interfere with the provision of EMS to the patient.
Cross References This section cited in 28 Pa. Code § 1023.22 (relating to EMS vehicle operator); 28 Pa. Code § 1023.24 (relating to emergency medical responder); 28 Pa. Code § 1023.25 (relating to emergency medical technician); 28 Pa. Code § 1023.26 (relating to advanced emergency medical technician); 28 Pa. Code § 1023.27 (relating to paramedic); 28 Pa. Code § 1023.28 (relating to prehospital registered nurse); 28 Pa. Code § 1023.29 (relating to prehospital physician extender); 28 Pa. Code § 1023.30 (relating to prehospital EMS physician); 28 Pa. Code § 1025.1 (relating to accreditation and operational requirements of EMS educational institutes); 28 Pa. Code § 1027.2 (relating to license and registration applications); 28 Pa. Code § 1027.3 (relating to licensure and general operating standards); 28 Pa. Code § 1027.14 (relating to management companies); and 52 Pa. Code § 29.503 (relating to age restrictions).
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