56-1016. AGENCY MINIMUM STANDARDS. Each ambulance service, air medical service and nontransport service shall be licensed by the EMS bureau based on the level of licensed personnel it utilizes, transport capability and self-declared geographic coverage area and shall meet the following standards:

(1) Personnel during transport or transfer — There shall be at least two (2) crew members on each patient transport or transfer, with the crew member delivering patient care being, at a minimum, a licensed emergency medical technician (EMT) or a licensed emergency medical responder (EMR) with a valid ambulance certification issued by the EMS bureau.

(2) Dispatch — Each licensed EMS agency shall have a twenty-four (24) hour dispatch arrangement and shall respond to calls on a twenty-four (24) hour basis.

(3) Agency inspections and licensing — The EMS bureau shall conduct inspections at least annually related to agency licensing or shall contract to have the inspections carried out. Each agency shall have a current state license in order to operate.

(4) Ambulance service minimum standards waiver — The controlling authority providing ambulance services may petition the board for waiver of the ambulance standards of section 56-1016(2), Idaho Code, if compliance with these standards would cause undue hardship on the community being served, or would result in abandonment of ambulance services.

(5) Nontransport service minimum standards waiver — The controlling authority providing nontransport services may petition the EMS bureau for waiver of the twenty-four (24) hour response requirement of this section if the petition demonstrates that the community, setting, industrial site or event is not populated on a twenty-four (24) hour basis or does not exist on a three hundred sixty-five (365) day per year basis or if compliance with these standards would cause undue hardship on the community being served, or would result in abandonment of nontransport services.

(6) Supervision — A licensed physician shall supervise the medical activities provided by licensed personnel affiliated with the licensed agency including, but not limited to: establishing standing orders and protocols, reviewing performance of licensed personnel, approving methods for licensed personnel to receive instructions for patient care via radio, telephone or in person, and other oversight as provided in the rules of the commission.

(7) Applicants must submit the following information with their applications and agree to meet the following requirements as a condition of licensure:

(a) A declaration of anticipated applicant agency costs and revenues; a statement of projected changes in response time; and a narrative describing projected clinical benefits to patients resulting from licensure using methods defined in board rules concerning such matters on an application provided by the EMS bureau; and

(b) Collect and report data to the EMS bureau upon receiving a license using a data collection system that is validated as compliant by the national emergency medical services information system technical assistance center in accordance with board rules.

(8) The EMS bureau will provide notice of any such application to all cities, counties and other units of local government that have any geographic coverage area in common with the applicant in accordance with board rules. Such notice will include a summary of the applicant data supplied to the EMS bureau. Any other EMS bureau use of the cost and revenue data supplied by applicants is limited exclusively to informational purposes.

(9) Appeal of a denial of an applicant’s license will be governed by IDAPA 16.05.03, rules governing contested case proceedings and declaratory rulings.

History:

[(56-1016) 39-144, added 1976, ch. 187, sec. 5, p. 677; am. 1993, ch. 50, sec. 2, p. 131; am. 1996, ch. 26, sec. 7, p. 64; am. and redesig. 2001, ch. 110, sec. 9, p. 380; am. 2006, ch. 421, sec. 4, p. 1305; am. 2009, ch. 189, sec. 7, p. 616; am. 2018, ch. 101, sec. 1, p. 212.]