Effective 28 Aug 2016

190.240. At-risk behavioral health patients, notice required before transport of — training of personnel — temporary involuntary hold, patient placed on, when. — 1. Any hospital, as such term is defined in section 197.020, or any nursing home facility licensed under chapter 198 shall have policies and procedures that require the hospital or facility to give advance notification to emergency medical services personnel prior to the transportation of any at-risk behavioral health patient.

2. Any emergency medical services personnel licensed under this chapter who conduct interfacility transfers of at-risk behavioral health patients may be properly trained as determined by the medical director for the ambulance services or emergency medical response agency as required under section 190.103, with regard to proper restraining procedures and nonmedical management techniques, such as verbal de-escalation techniques, to handle such patients before their transportation.

3. Any physician treating an at-risk behavioral patient in an emergency situation who, after assessing the patient, determines that there is reasonable cause to believe there is a likelihood that the patient may cause an imminent serious harm to himself, herself, or others unless the patient is immediately transported to another appropriate facility may, upon initiation as soon as possible by either the sending facility or the receiving facility, place the patient on a temporary involuntary hold for a period of time necessary to effectuate the patient's transport. The provisions of section 632.440 shall apply to such physicians. During the transport, the emergency medical services personnel may rely on the physician's hold order as a basis for implied consent to treat and transport the patient and shall not be liable for any claims of negligence, false imprisonment, or invasion of privacy based on such temporary hold, treatment, or transport of the patient.

4. Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the patient's rights under the federal Mental Health Patient's Bill of Rights under 42 U.S.C. Section 9501(1)(A) and (F).

5. For the purposes of this section, "at-risk behavioral health patient" shall mean any patient who displays violent, homicidal, or suicidal ideation or behavior.

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(L. 2016 S.B. 732)