Trauma care systems.

Existing law, the Emergency Medical Services System and the Prehospital Emergency Medical Care Personnel Act, permits each county to establish an emergency medical services program under which the county is required to designate a local emergency medical services (EMS) agency. The act establishes the Emergency Medical Services Authority, which is responsible for the coordination and integration of all state agencies concerning emergency medical services. Existing law authorizes a local EMS agency to implement a trauma care system only if the system meets the minimum standards adopted by the authority, as prescribed. Existing law requires a local EMS agency that elects to implement a trauma care system to develop and submit a plan for that trauma care system to the authority in accordance with regulations adopted by the authority. This bill would require a local EMS agency implementing a trauma care system, as part of the minimum standards, to commission an independent nonprofit organization or governmental entity qualified to assess trauma systems to conduct a comprehensive regional assessment of equitability and access to its trauma system, and would require the assessment be performed in conjunction with other local EMS agencies in that agency's region and the regional trauma coordinating committee (RTCC) established by the authority for that region. The bill would require the local EMS agencies to submit the results of each assessment to the authority. The bill would require that the assessments occur at least once every five years, but would authorize the RTCCs and the authority to determine, after the initial assessment, whether it would be proper for subsequent assessments to occur on a more frequent basis, as specified. The bill would authorize the 5 RTCCs to assess and provide recommendations to the local EMS agencies and the authority, and would require the local EMS agencies implementing a trauma care system to incorporate these recommendations into their respective trauma care plans. This bill would require the authority to develop a statewide trauma plan that addresses all aspects of a trauma care system and would require the authority to report to the Legislature, by March 31, 2015, the status of the development or implementation of the statewide trauma plan. The bill would appropriate $500,000 from the General Fund to the authority for the implementation of a data collection system for conducting trauma care assessments across the state. The bill would require the authority to use the data to help implement and direct the statewide trauma system plan.