South Carolina General Assembly
104th Session, 1981-1982

Bill 2715


                    Current Status

Bill Number:               2715
Ratification Number:       198
Act Number                 144
Introducing Body:          House
Subject:                   Emergency medical services, definition,
                           council established, etc
View additional legislative information at the LPITS web site.


(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

(A144, R198, H2715)

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTIONS 44-61-20, 44-61-30, 44-61-70, 44-61-80, AS AMENDED, 44-61-90, 44-61-105, 44-61-130 AND 44-61-140, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, ALL RELATING TO EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES, SO AS TO MODIFY AND CLARIFY DEFINITIONS IN CHAPTER 61 OF TITLE 44, RELATING TO SUCH SERVICES, FURTHER PROVIDE FOR THE EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES ADVISORY COUNCIL, REGULATORY AUTHORITY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL, CERTIFICATES ISSUED TO EMERGENCY MEDICAL PERSONNEL, RECORDS OF LICENSED EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE AGENCIES AND THE AUTHORITY OF EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIANS.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

Definition

SECTION 1. Section 44-61-20 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

"(r) 'In-service training' means a course of training approved by the department that is conducted by the licensed provider for his personnel at his prime location.

(s) 'Convalescent vehicle' means a vehicle that is used for making nonemergency calls such as scheduled visits to a physician's office or hospital for treatment, routine physical examinations, x-rays or laboratory tests, or is used for transporting patients upon discharge from a hospital or nursing home to a hospital or nursing home or residence, or other nonemergency calls."

Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council established

SECTION 2. Section 44-61-30 Of the 1976 Code is amended by striking subsections (c) and (d) and inserting:

"(c) An Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council shall be established composed of representatives of the Department of Health and Environmental Control, the South Carolina Medical Association, the South Carolina Committee on Trauma, the South Carolina Hospital Association, the South Carolina Heart Association, areawide health planning agencies and regional councils of government and all such others as are deemed appropriate. Membership on the council shall be by appointment by the board. Three members of the advisory council shall be members of organized rescue squads operating in this State, three members shall represent the private emergency services systems and three members shall represent the county emergency medical services systems."

Suspension of license

SECTION 3. Subsection (a) of Section 44-61-70 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"(a) The appropriate official of the department having authority over emergency services shall have authority to recommend suspension of the license, certificate or permit of any person, firm, corporation, association, county, district, municipality or metropolitan government or agency for noncompliance with this chapter or the standards or the rules and regulations promulgated pursuant thereto."

Certificate valid for three years

SECTION 4. Subsection (d) of Section 44-61-80 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 420 of 1980, and subsection (e) of that section are amended to read:

"(d) A certificate so issued shall be valid for a period not exceeding three years from the date of issuance and may be renewed every three years from the date of original certification subject to the holder completing a refresher course and examination during the three-year certification period as required by the department and provided for by this chapter; provided, that upon completion of forty-eight hours of in-service training by licensed ambulance service personnel during the three-year certification period and passage of the examination as provided for by the department, the refresher course requirements may be waived; provided, further, that failure to successfully pass the examination after two attempts will require completion of the refresher course and reexamination; provided, further, that the curriculum for in-service training programs required by this subsection shall include but not be limited to subject matter prescribed by the department.

(e) The department shall suspend or revoke a certificate so issued at any time it is determined that the holder no longer meets the prescribed qualifications set forth by the department or has failed to provide to patients emergency medical treatment of a quality deemed acceptable by the department or is guilty of misconduct as outlined by the rules and regulations."

Licensee to maintain records

SECTION 5. Section 44-61-90 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 44-61-90. Each licensee of an ambulance service shall maintain records that include, but are not limited to, approved ambulance run report forms, employee/member rosters, time sheets, call rosters and training records. Such records shall be available for inspection by the department at any reasonable time and copies shall be furnished to the department upon request." County may exempt certain ambulances

SECTION 6. The first two paragraphs of Section 44-61-105 of the 1976 Code, added by Act 84 of 1979, are amended to read:

"The governing body of any county may exempt, by ordinance, any ambulances used primarily as convalescent transport units from the size provisions of this chapter or any regulations relating to size requirements promulgated pursuant to this chapter.

Any vehicle which does not meet the size requirements named in federal specification KKK-A-1822 may be used as a convalescent transport unit provided it meets the following requirements:".

Technicians may provide services, possess drugs, etc.

SECTION 7. Section 44-61-130 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 44-61-130. A duly certified emergency medical technician may perform any function consistent with his certification, according to such rules and regulations as the board may prescribe.

Emergency medical technicians, trained to provide advanced life support and possessing current Department of Health and Environmental Control certification, are authorized to possess limited quantities of drugs, including controlled substances, as may be approved by the Department of Health and Environmental Control for administration to patients during the regular course of duties of such emergency medical technicians, pursuant to the written or verbal order of a physician possessing a valid license to practice medicine within this State provided such physician is registered under the state and federal laws pertaining to controlled substances."

Units may utilize existing equipment

SECTION 8. Section 44-61-140 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 44-61-140. Nothing herein shall be construed as limiting presently operating rescue units from utilizing their existing equipment and performing the functions they are now allowed to do so long as they do not conflict with ambulance services contained in subsection (a) of Section 44-61-40."

Time effective

SECTION 9. This act shall take effect upon approval by the Governor.