Legislative End-of-Session Report Available
The spring legislative session ended in June, with 20 bills of interest to ICEP and its lobbyists signed into law.
Download the End of Session Report
Among the notable changes signed by Governor Rauner are:
Amendments to the EMS System Act:
- Freestanding emergency centers: Requires a freestanding emergency center to limit its participation in the EMS System strictly to receiving a limited number of patients by ambulance (rather than a limited number of ambulance runs by emergency medical vehicles).
- EMS definitions: Defines “clinical observation” and “medical monitoring”. It provides that “Basic Life Support (BLS) Services” includes medical monitoring and clinical observation and provides that “non-emergency medical services” includes clinical observation.
- Epinephrine vials: Permits EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, or paramedics who have successfully completed a Department of Public Health approved course in the administration of epinephrine to administer epinephrine from a glass vial, auto-injector, ampule, or pre-filled syringe (rather than administer epinephrine from a vial).
Opioid abuse:
Amends the Drug Court Treatment Act to provide that if the defendant needs treatment for opioid abuse or dependence, the court may not prohibit that the defendant participate in and receive medically assisted treatments under the care of a physician licensed in Illinois. It also provides that drug court participants may not be required to refrain from using medication assisted treatment as a term or condition of successful completion of the drug court program.
Illinois Poison Center funding:
Designates funding for the Illinois Poison Center for State fiscal year 2017 and State fiscal year 2018 through disbursements from the Healthcare Provider Relief Fund. This is an initiative of the Illinois Hospital and Health Association.
Mobile Healthcare Task Force:
Creates the Mobile Integrated Healthcare Task Force and includes an appointment of an Illinois emergency physician appointed by the Director of Public Health. The task force will identify and recommend ways that the State of Illinois can incorporate changes in our health care delivery system in order to increase the collaboration and utilization of our current health care workers while decreasing the associated costs.
Hospital sepsis protocols:
Makes changes in provisions concerning requirements for sepsis protocols and the reporting of sepsis protocols. It requires hospitals to provide sepsis protocols to the Department of Public Health upon request and also requires hospitals to collect certain sepsis-related data (rather than report it to the Department).
Epinephrine auto-injectors:
Creates the Epinephrine Auto-Injector Act, which provides that a health care practitioner may prescribe epinephrine auto-injectors in the name of an authorized entity where allergens capable of causing anaphylaxis may be present. It provides that any employee, agent, or other individual of the authorized entity who has completed the required training program may either provide or administer an epinephrine auto-injector to a person whom they believe in good faith is experiencing anaphylaxis.
School Code asthma action plan:
Annually requires each school district, public school, charter school, or nonpublic school to request an asthma action plan from the parents or guardians of a pupil with asthma, and sets forth provisions concerning the asthma action plan.
EMS definitions in the Criminal Code:
Redefines various statutes in the Criminal Code of 2012 concerning bodily harm directed against emergency medical services personnel. It provides that “emergency medical services personnel” includes all ambulance crew members, including drivers or pilots.