CP News from Nevada
AB305: Community Paramedicine
Filling the gaps in health care
Governor Brian Sandoval also signed the Community Paramedicine Bill May 25. The bill’s goal is to authorize and provide for the regulation of Community Paramedicine Services.
Humboldt General Hospital Emergency Medical Services (EMS) established one of the first Community Paramedicine programs in the state of Nevada in 2012 and Republican Assemblyman James Oscarson worked with local hospital and EMS personnel — as well as stakeholders from all over the state — to develop legislation that will support development of Community Paramedicine programs throughout the state.
In addition to HGH EMS representatives, stakeholders who met with Oscarson many times during development of the bill included representatives of Reno-based REMSA (Regional Emergency Medical Services Authority), Gardnerville/Minden fire department, the State Division of Public and Behavioral Health EMS, Las Vegas Fire and Rescue, and a Nevada State Health Officer.
HGH Manager of Health Systems Development, and an EMT himself, Louis Mendiola, made a presentation on HGH EMS’s Community Paramedicine program before the Nevada Legislative Interim Committee on Health Care.
Assemblyman Oscarson has been working on Community Paramedicine legislation for both of the last legislative sessions. He put forward a bill to the 2013 Legislature requesting an interim committee study on Community Paramedicine. That bill did not pass. Oscarson said each house is granted only three studies and his wasn’t one of the studies that was approved and funded.
However, part of the Community Paramedicine legislation that did pass in 2015 will allow the legislators the opportunity to review what Community Paramedicine programs around the state have done to address health care gaps in both rural and urban locations around the state. The legislation requires each license endorsement holder to send in a quarterly report to the state of the services provided and an estimate of both the health and economic benefits of those services. State Health, the agency that will receive those reports, is required to submit a report summarizing the information received along with a summary of the impact of those services to be reviewed by the Legislature in 2017.
HGH EMS Chief Pat Songer said local Community Paramedicine efforts include helping community members who use the hospital emergency room as their main access to health care navigate to more appropriate primary care whether that is a local physician, nurse practitioner, physician’s assistant, walk-in clinic, hospice, or home health.
Community Paramedicine can help people who don’t qualify for assistance from home health, but who need assistance with prescription inventory, management of chronic health conditions such as diabetes or COPD, daily blood pressure checks, and wellness education, said Songer.
“We can also help with follow-up after release from hospital treatment in cooperation with their doctor,” Songer said. Helping patients understand their discharge instructions and encouraging them to comply reduces post-discharge complications and costly re-admissions.
There has been no charge for HGH EMS Community Paramedicine services. One of the goals of the legislation is to get insurance providers to see the benefit and cost savings when people can get the help they need before their health challenges become an emergency, at which point insurance reimbursement will be more likely.
Assemblyman Oscarson said his original goals for the Community Paramedicine bill were centered on rural communities. He was surprised to see great interest from urban areas as well.
“Our goal was to craft a bill that would open the way for both rural and urban communities to create a program that would be sustainable,” said Assemblyman Oscarson’s son, HGH EMS Deputy Chief Jared Oscarson, who worked on the bill as part of the stakeholder’s group.
“The governor took great interest in the bill, which provides for enough diversification to enable a Community Paramedicine program to work whether the location is urban or rural,” Jared Oscarson added.
The younger Oscarson said getting to work on the legislation with his dad was great. Assemblyman Oscarson agreed.
“Whenever you get to participate in a bill signing with the governor and see all that work come to fruition, it’s great,” he said. Speaking of his son, the assemblyman said, “Quite frankly, without Jared’s prompting and efforts to keep it on track, it wouldn’t have happened; I’m a pretty proud dad.”
Some provisions of the Community Paramedicine legislation will become effective immediately to allow the programs to begin to be developed. The portion of the legislation dealing with licensing and regulating will become effective Jan. 1, 2016.
Provided by:
Patrick Ryan
President
Professional Ambulance Association
of Wisconsin – PAAW
