Cal. HSC § 1797.98a — California Code / Code hsc / Division 2.5 / Chapter 2.5 / Section 1797.98a
Section 1797.98a
Status: in_force

(a) The fund provided for in this chapter shall be known as the Maddy Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Fund.

(b) (1) Each county may establish an emergency medical services fund, upon the adoption of a resolution by the board of supervisors. The moneys in the fund shall be available for the reimbursements required by this chapter. The fund shall be administered by each county, except that a county electing to have the state administer its medically indigent services program may also elect to have its emergency medical services fund administered by the state.

(2) Costs of administering the fund shall be reimbursed by the fund in an amount that does not exceed the actual administrative costs or 10 percent of the amount of the fund, whichever amount is lower.

(3) All interest earned on moneys in the fund shall be deposited in the fund for disbursement as specified in this section.

(4) Each administering agency may maintain a reserve of up to 15 percent of the amount in the portions of the fund reimbursable to physicians and surgeons, pursuant to subparagraph (A) of, and to hospitals, pursuant to subparagraph (B) of, paragraph (5). Each administering agency may maintain a reserve of any amount in the portion of the fund that is distributed for other emergency medical services purposes as determined by each county, pursuant to subparagraph (C) of paragraph (5).

(5) The amount in the fund, reduced by the amount for administration and the reserve, shall be utilized to reimburse physicians and surgeons and hospitals for patients who do not make payment for emergency medical services and for other emergency medical services purposes as determined by each county according to the following schedule:

(A) Fifty-eight percent of the balance of the fund shall be distributed to physicians and surgeons for emergency services provided by all physicians and surgeons, except those physicians and surgeons employed by county hospitals, in general acute care hospitals that provide basic, comprehensive, or standby emergency services pursuant to paragraph (3) or (5) of subdivision (f) of Section 1797.98e up to the time the patient is stabilized.

(B) Twenty-five percent of the fund shall be distributed only to hospitals providing disproportionate trauma and emergency medical care services.

(C) Seventeen percent of the fund shall be distributed for other emergency medical services purposes as determined by each county, including, but not limited to, the funding of regional poison control centers. Funding may be used for purchasing equipment and for capital projects only to the extent that these expenditures support the provision of emergency services and are consistent with the intent of this chapter.

(c) The source of the moneys in the fund shall be the penalty assessment made for this purpose, as provided in Section 76000 of the Government Code.

(d) Any physician and surgeon may be reimbursed for up to 50 percent of the amount claimed pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 1797.98c for the initial cycle of reimbursements made by the administering agency in a given year, pursuant to Section 1797.98e. All funds remaining at the end of the fiscal year in excess of any reserve held and rolled over to the next year pursuant to paragraph (4) of subdivision (b) shall be distributed proportionally, based on the dollar amount of claims submitted and paid to all physicians and surgeons who submitted qualifying claims during that year.

(e) Of the money deposited into the fund pursuant to Section 76000.5 of the Government Code, 15 percent shall be utilized to provide funding for all pediatric trauma centers throughout the county, both publicly and privately owned and operated. The expenditure of money shall be limited to reimbursement to physicians and surgeons, and to hospitals for patients who do not make payment for emergency care services in hospitals up to the point of stabilization, or to hospitals for expanding the services provided to pediatric trauma patients at trauma centers and other hospitals providing care to pediatric trauma patients, or at pediatric trauma centers, including the purchase of equipment. Local emergency medical services (EMS) agencies may conduct a needs assessment of pediatric trauma services in the county to allocate these expenditures. Counties that do not maintain a pediatric trauma center shall utilize the money deposited into the fund pursuant to Section 76000.5 of the Government Code to improve access to, and coordination of, pediatric trauma and emergency services in the county, with preference for funding given to hospitals that specialize in services to children, and physicians and surgeons who provide emergency care for children. Funds spent for the purposes of this section shall be known as Richie’s Fund. This subdivision shall remain in effect until January 1, 2027.

(f) Costs of administering money deposited into the fund pursuant to Section 76000.5 of the Government Code shall be reimbursed from the money collected in an amount that does not exceed the actual administrative costs or 10 percent of the money collected, whichever amount is lower. This subdivision shall remain in effect until January 1, 2027.