(a) It is the purpose of this chapter to establish a statewide paramedic program under the direction of the Office of Emergency Medical Services, Division of Public Health, Department of Health and Social Services. (b) The paramedic program includes a coordinated advanced life support system, under qualified medical supervision, which has the responsibility for providing a rapid response capability in the delivery of emergency medical services to individuals who become unexpectedly ill or incapacitated or who are otherwise placed in a position where highly skilled medical assistance must be rendered to sustain or maintain such individual prior to institutional health care. (c) The paramedic services program shall be utilized for medical emergencies, either at the scene or while the patient is in transit to a health facility. (d) It is the further purpose of this chapter to provide a program which shall have a direct impact on the morbidity and mortality rates of this State and which, over a period of time, will also reduce health-care costs to each emergency patient. (e) It is the further purpose of this chapter to establish a framework for the creation of an effective and efficient means for the provision of advanced life support services to the citizens of this State regardless of their economic status, who require such services without prior inquiry as to the patient's ability to pay. (f) This chapter is intended to promote the public health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of this State by providing for the creation of a statewide advanced life support services system, in conjunction with the efforts of all providers of emergency medical services in this State, with uniform standards for all such providers of advanced life support services. (g) It is the further purpose of this chapter to ensure that emergency patients requiring advanced life support services are transported from the scene of a medical emergency to the nearest emergency medical institution or the institution of their choice, within reason, that possesses the equipment and staff resources to immediately attend to the particular needs of the patient. This statement is tempered by the understanding that, in certain circumstances, it may be necessary to bypass the closest medical facility if specialized medical care is required. It shall also be understood that the use of paramedics to assist in the transfer of patients to facilities and programs which offer such follow-up care and rehabilitation as is necessary to effect the maximum recovery of the patient, shall be permitted when deemed medically necessary. (h) It is the further purpose of this chapter to ensure that patients who are being seen under a written agreement and enrollment into a mobile-integrated healthcare or community paramedicine program are not considered emergencies, but rather follow-up to a previous medical condition that required emergency transport to a hospital.
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