Emergency medical services.

Existing law, the Emergency Medical Services System and the Prehospital Emergency Medical Care Personnel Act, governs local emergency medical services (EMS) systems. The act establishes the Emergency Medical Services Authority (authority) , which is responsible for the coordination and integration of all emergency medical services. Existing law requires the authority to develop planning and implementation guidelines for EMS systems that address specified components, including the assessment of hospital and critical care centers and data collection and evaluation. This bill would authorize the authority to develop planning and implementation guidelines for the use of telehealth, within existing authority, in EMS systems. The bill would also authorize the authority to develop guidelines for the collection of data regarding the use of telehealth in EMS systems, as specified. Existing law establishes within the act, until January 1, 2031, the Community Paramedicine or Triage to Alternate Destination Act of 2020. Existing law states that it is the intent of the Legislature, among other things, that local EMS agencies be authorized to develop a community paramedicine or triage to alternate destination program to improve patient care and community health. Existing law states that it is the intent of the Legislature to monitor and evaluate implementation of community paramedicine and triage to alternate destination programs by local EMS agencies in California and determine whether these programs should be modified or extended before the program ends. This bill would make a technical conforming change to these provisions.