Regulations adopted by the Emergency Medical Services Authority pursuant to Section 1830 relating to a triage to alternate destination program shall include all of the following:

(a) Local EMS agencies participating in providing patients with advanced life support triage and assessment by a triage paramedic and transportation to an alternate destination facility shall ensure that any patient who meets the triage criteria for transport to an alternate destination facility, but who requests to be transported to an emergency department of a general acute care hospital, shall be transported to the emergency department of a general acute care hospital.

(b) (1) Local EMS agencies participating in providing patients with advanced life support triage and assessment by a triage paramedic and transportation to an alternate destination facility shall require that a patient who is transported to an alternate destination facility and, upon assessment, is found to no longer meet the criteria for admission to an alternate destination facility, be immediately transported to the emergency department of a general acute care hospital.

(2) The local EMS agency shall require alternate destination facilities to send with each patient at the time of transfer or, in the case of an emergency, as promptly as possible, copies of all medical records related to the patient’s transfer. To the extent practicable and applicable to the patient’s transfer, the medical records shall include current medical findings, diagnosis, laboratory results, medications provided prior to transfer, a brief summary of the course of treatment provided prior to transfer, ambulation status, nursing and dietary information, name and contact information for the treating provider at the alternate destination facility, and, as appropriate, pertinent administrative and demographic information related to the patient, including name and date of birth. The requirements in this paragraph do not apply if the alternate destination facility has entered into a written transfer agreement with a local hospital that provides for the transfer of medical records.

(c) For authorizing transport to an alternate destination facility, training and accreditation for the triage paramedic shall include topics relevant to the needs of the patient population, including, but not limited to:

(1) A requirement that a participating triage paramedic complete instruction on all of the following:

(A) Mental health crisis intervention, to be provided by a licensed physician and surgeon with experience in the emergency department of a general acute care hospital.

(B) Assessment and treatment of intoxicated patients.

(C) Local EMS agency policies for the triage, treatment, transport, and transfer of care, of patients to an alternate destination facility.

(2) A requirement that the local EMS agency verify that the participating triage paramedic has completed training in all of the following topics meeting the standards of the United States Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration National Emergency Medical Services Education Standards:

(A) Psychiatric disorders.

(B) Neuropharmacology.

(C) Alcohol and substance abuse.

(D) Patient consent.

(E) Patient documentation.

(F) Medical quality improvement.

(d) For authorizing transport to a sobering center, a training component that requires a participating triage paramedic to complete instruction on all of the following:

(1) The impact of alcohol intoxication on the local public health and emergency medical services system.

(2) Alcohol and substance use disorders.

(3) Triage and transport parameters.

(4) Health risks and interventions in stabilizing acutely intoxicated patients.

(5) Common conditions with presentations similar to intoxication.

(6) Disease process, behavioral emergencies, and injury patterns common to those with chronic alcohol use disorders.

(e) A process for local EMS agencies to certify and provide periodic updates to the authority to demonstrate that the alternate destination facility authorized to receive patients maintains adequate licensed medical and professional staff, facilities, and equipment pursuant to the authority’s regulations and the provisions of this chapter, which shall include all of the following:

(1) Identification of qualified staff to care for the degree of a patient’s injuries and needs.

(2) Certification of standardized medical and nursing procedures for nursing staff.

(3) Certification that the necessary equipment and services are available at the alternate destination facility to care for patients, including, but not limited to, an automatic external defibrillator and at least one bed or mat per individual patient.

(Added by Stats. 2020, Ch. 138, Sec. 4. (AB 1544) Effective January 1, 2021. Repealed as of January 1, 2031, pursuant to Section 1857.)