AB 40 (Rodriguez, D-Pomona)
Oppose Unless Amended
Passed the Assembly on May 25. Pending a Senate policy committee referral.
In Assembly Health Committee, the author agreed to amend AB 40 to remove the statewide, 20-minute ambulance patient offload time (APOT) standard and instead require local emergency medical services agencies to establish an APOT of no more than 30 minutes 90% of the time. Additional amendments would clarify that the Emergency Medical Services Authority will begin monitoring APOT once the California Emergency Medical Services Information System electronic signature tool is available. CHA is continuing to work with the author’s office on additional amendments to ensure that hospitals would not be subject to additional fines or penalties if the local standard is not met, since there are many factors that contribute to APOT that are outside of hospitals’ control. See APOT Advocacy Materials.
AB 296 (Rodriguez, D-Pomona)
Support
Passed the Assembly on May 26. Pending a Senate policy committee referral.
AB 296 would establish the 911 Public Education Campaign to educate the public on when it is appropriate to call 911. Some of the goals of the campaign would include reducing the number of unnecessary calls to 911 and reducing delays in the 911 system caused by nonemergency calls.
AB 482 (Wilson, D-Suisun City)
Support
Two-year bill
AB 482 would require the Department of Transportation to transfer $8 million annually from the Aeronautics Account in the State Transportation Fund to the Emergency Medical Air Transportation and Children’s Coverage Fund, enabling the Department of Health Care Services to continue to augment Medi-Cal reimbursement for emergency medical air transportation services.
AB 767 (Gipson, D-Gardena)
Follow
Passed the Assembly on May 25. Pending a Senate policy committee referral.
AB 767 would extend the Community Paramedicine or Triage to Alternate Destination Act of 2020 pilot program to Jan. 1, 2031. It is currently set to expire on Jan. 1, 2024.
AB 977 (Rodriguez, D-Pomona)
Support
Two-year bill
AB 977 would extend the penalties for violence committed against first responders to all health care workers who provide services within emergency departments. The bill defines “health care worker” as all staff, employees, or volunteers who provide services and treatment in the emergency department. AB 977 would also allow emergency departments to post a notice stating that an assault and battery against hospital staff is a crime and may result in a felony conviction.
AB 1036 (Bryan, D-Culver City)
Follow
Two-year bill
AB 1036 would require a physician, upon an individual’s arrival at a hospital’s emergency department, to certify in the treatment record whether an emergency medical condition existed and required emergency medical transportation services. If a physician certifies that emergency medical transportation was needed, a health care service plan, disability insurance policy, or Medi-Cal managed care plan would be required to provide coverage for emergency medical transport, consistent with an individual’s plan or policy. The bill would specify that the indication by a physician pursuant to these provisions is limited to an assessment of the medical necessity of the emergency medical transport services. It would not apply or otherwise impact provisions regarding coverage for care provided following completion of the emergency medical transport. For Medi-Cal benefits, the bill would specify that these conditions do not apply to various specified provisions related to nonemergency transport services. Additionally, for Medi-Cal benefits, it would also not apply to any other law or regulation related to reimbursement or authorization requirements for services provided for emergencies and care.
AB 1164 (Lowenthal, D-Long Beach)
Oppose
Held on Assembly Appropriations Committee suspense file on May 18.
AB 1164 would require hospitals to create a protocol for emergency department crowding. Hospitals would be required to determine the range of crowding scores that constitute each category of the crowding scale and — with some exceptions — calculate and record a crowding score every four hours, at a minimum. The bill would require implementation and filing of the protocol with the Department of Health Care Access and Information by Jan. 1, 2025.
AB 1731 (Santiago, D-Los Angeles)
Support
Passed the Assembly on April 17. June 5 hearing in Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee.
AB 1731 would remove the requirement for a health care practitioner to consult the Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES) database before prescribing more than a seven-day supply of buprenorphine in an emergency department (ED) setting. Providing a buprenorphine exemption from CURES lookup requirements for health care practitioners in the ED will save time and will enable patients who require treatment for opioid overdose or addiction to receive timely treatment.