A. Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Regions, Ambulance Service districts or municipalities are hereby authorized to regulate and control, pursuant to duly enacted ordinance or regulation, Ambulance Service transports originating within the jurisdiction of such EMS Regions, Ambulance Service districts or municipalities.

B. Any ordinance or regulation adopted pursuant to subsection A of this section shall meet and may exceed, but shall not be in contravention of, the standards promulgated by the State Board of Health for Ambulance Service transports.

C. 1. Any ordinance or regulation adopted by an EMS Region, Ambulance Service district or a municipality may establish a sole-provider system for stretcher van and/or Ambulance Service transports; provided, however, any such designated or contracted sole-provider which is not an EMS Region, Ambulance Service district, municipality, or other public entity shall be selected by competitive bidding.

2. A contract entered into pursuant to such bidding shall be with the lowest and best bidder and may be for an initial term of such duration as deemed operationally and fiscally prudent by the contracting agency. The term of such sole-provider contract shall be made public at the time bids are solicited, which solicitation shall be not less than sixty (60) days prior to the contract start date.

D. Any EMS Region, Ambulance Service district or municipality may establish a sole-provider system for stretcher van and/or Ambulance Service transports and may allow additional geographic or political subdivisions to join such a system at any time. Whenever such a geographic or political subdivision joins such a sole-provider system, competitive bidding shall not be required and provision for servicing the new jurisdiction may be accomplished by amending the existing sole-provider contract. Furthermore, in the event the expansion of the service area of the EMS Region, Ambulance Service district or the municipality is substantial (in the sole opinion of the governing body of the EMS Region, Ambulance Service district or municipality), the existing sole-provider contract may be extended for a period sufficient to allow reasonable opportunity for recovery of capital costs of expansion, as determined by the contracting agency.

E. The provisions of this section shall not be construed or applied to limit the operation of any emergency medical service district established and operating pursuant to Section 9C of Article 10 of the Oklahoma Constitution; provided, however, that, upon invitation and approval of a majority of the voters of the district, any such district is hereby authorized to join by appropriate agreement any system established by an EMS Region, Ambulance Service district or a municipality pursuant to the provisions of this section.

F. The following types of patient transports shall be exempt from regulation by EMS Regions, Ambulance Service districts or municipalities:

1. Any ambulance owned or operated by, or under contract to perform ambulance transport services for, the Federal or State government, or any agency thereof;

2. Any ambulance owned and operated by a hospital and in use to transport a patient of the owner-hospital, which patient has been admitted to and not been discharged from the owner-hospital, to or from another hospital or medical care facility at which the patient receives a diagnostic or therapeutic procedure not available at the owner-hospital;

3. Any ambulance engaged in a routine transport call to transport a patient from a hospital, nursing home, or dialysis center located within an EMS Region, Ambulance Service district or municipality to any location outside the EMS Region, Ambulance Service district or municipality;

4. Any ambulance engaged in the transport of a patient from a location outside an EMS Region, Ambulance Service district or municipality to a location inside an EMS Region, Ambulance Service district or municipality; or

5. Any ambulance engaged in the interstate transport of a patient.

Added by Laws 1990, c. 320, § 18, emerg. eff. May 30, 1990. Amended by Laws 1991, c. 167, § 3, eff. July 1, 1991; Laws 1995, c. 194, § 4, eff. Nov. 1, 1995; Laws 1997, c. 281, § 1, eff. July 1, 1997; Laws 2001, c. 411, § 8, eff. Nov. 1, 2001; Laws 2016, c. 236, § 3, eff. Nov. 1, 2016.