PRINTER'S NO. 2089
No. 1769 Session of 1993
INTRODUCED BY DALEY, HANNA AND CIVERA, JUNE 14, 1993
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND WELFARE, JUNE 14, 1993
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of July 3, 1985 (P.L.164, No.45), entitled "An
2 act relating to the prevention and reduction of premature
3 death and disability in this Commonwealth; providing for
4 assistance, coordination and support of the development and
5 maintenance of a comprehensive emergency medical services
6 system and for qualifications, eligibility and certification
7 of emergency medical services personnel and licensing
8 ambulance services; imposing powers and duties on the
9 Department of Health; and making repeals," further providing
10 for minimum standards for ambulance service.
11 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
12 hereby enacts as follows:
13 Section 1. Section 12(o) of the act of July 3, 1985
14 (P.L.164, No.45), known as the Emergency Medical Services Act,
15 is amended and the section is amended by adding a subsection to
16 read:
17 Section 12. Minimum standards for ambulance service.
18 * * *
19 (g.1) Service area.--
20 (1) An ambulance service shall receive telephone calls
21 only at and dispatch its ambulances only from one or more
1 places within this Commonwealth, each of which is within the
2 local 911 emergency telephone area in which it operates, or
3 not more than 15 miles from the geographic area in which it
4 operates.
5 (2) Every advertisement of an ambulance service shall
6 indicate the geographic area in which it operates.
7 (3) (i) If an ambulance service receives a written
8 application for service from a person who lives outside
9 the geographic operating area of the ambulance service,
10 the application and any payment shall be returned to the
11 applicant within ten days with a written explanation.
12 (ii) If an ambulance service receives a telephone
13 application for service from a person who lives outside
14 the operating area of the ambulance service, the
15 applicant shall be advised that the application cannot be
16 accepted because of the geographic operating limits of
17 the ambulance service.
18 * * *
19 (o) Violation.--
20 (1) [Upon] Except as provided in paragraph (2)(i), upon
21 determining that a violation of this act or rules and
22 regulations promulgated thereunder exists, the department
23 shall issue a written notice to the ambulance service
24 specifying the violation or violations that have been found.
25 The notice shall require the ambulance service to take action
26 or submit a plan of correction to the department that shall
27 bring the ambulance service into compliance with applicable
28 law or regulations within a specified period of time. The
29 plan of correction must be submitted within 30 days of
30 receipt of the written notice.
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1 (2) (i) An ambulance service which accepts an
2 application for service from a person who lives outside
3 the ambulance service's operating area in violation of
4 subsection (g.1) commits a summary offense and shall,
5 upon conviction, be sentenced to pay a fine of $500 for a
6 first offense or $1,000 for a second offense. For a third
7 offense the ambulance service's license shall be revoked.
8 [(2)] (ii) If, after such reasonable time for
9 compliance, the department determines that the violation
10 persists, the department shall afford the holder of the
11 license an opportunity for an administrative hearing to
12 be conducted by the department pursuant to Title 2 of the
13 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes (relating to
14 administrative law and procedure). If, after the hearing,
15 the department rules that the license shall be suspended
16 or revoked, appeals may be taken as provided by law.
17 * * *
18 Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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