ty under this section unless the entity submits an applica-
tion to the Secretary in such form, in such manner, and 
containing such agreements, assurances, and information 
as the Secretary may require. The Secretary shall ensure 
that the requirements for submitting an application under 
this section are not unduly burdensome. 
SEC. 9. EVALUATING INNOVATIVE MODELS FOR ACCESS 
AND DELIVERY OF FIELD EMS FOR PATIENTS. 
(a) EVALUATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
of Health and Human Services, in consultation with 
the Administrator of NHTSA, and taking into con-
sideration the recommendations of NEMSAC and 
FICEMS, shall complete an evaluation of— 
(A) alternative delivery models for medical 
care through field EMS; and 
(B) the integration of field EMS patients 
with other medical providers and facilities as 
medically appropriate. 
(2) SPECIFIC
ISSUES.—The evaluation under 
paragraph (1) shall consider each of the following: 
(A) Alternative dispositions of low-acuity 
patients (as defined by the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services) such as transporting pa-
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tients by ambulance to destinations other than 
a hospital such as the office of the patient’s 
physician, an urgent care center, or the facili-
ties of another health care provider as medically 
necessary and appropriate. 
(B) Medical liability issues associated with 
transport to destinations other than a hospital 
emergency department. 
(C) Necessary protections to ensure that 
patients receive the appropriate care in the ap-
propriate setting without delay. 
(D) Whether there are any barriers to pro-
viding alternate dispositions to low-acuity pa-
tients who are not in need of care in hospital 
emergency departments. 
(E) Other issues determined by the Sec-
retary of Health and Human Services, includ-
ing, when possible, issues recommended by 
FICEMS or NEMSAC for evaluation under 
this subsection. 
(b) DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Beginning not later than 1 
year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services shall con-
duct or support up to 5 demonstration projects to— 
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(A) evaluate the implementation of alter-
native dispositions of low-acuity field EMS pa-
tients (such as transporting patients by ambu-
lance to alternate destinations when medically 
appropriate and in the patients’ best interests); 
and 
(B) determine whether such dispositions— 
(i) improve the safety, effectiveness, 
timeliness, and efficiency of EMS; and 
(ii) reduce overall utilization and ex-
penditures under the Medicare program 
under title XVIII of the Social Security 
Act. 
(2) EVIDENCE-BASED
PROTOCOLS.—The Sec-
retary of Health and Human Services shall ensure 
that at least one demonstration project under para-
graph (1) evaluates evidence-based protocols that 
give guidance on selection of the destination to 
which patients are transported. 
(3) DURATION.—The period of a demonstration 
project under paragraph (1) shall not exceed 36 
months. 
(4) RESEARCH.—If the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services determines that further research is 
necessary prior to or in conjunction with the dem-
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onstration projects under this subsection in order to 
evaluation the implementation of alternative disposi-
tions of low-acuity field EMS patients, the Secretary 
shall conduct or support such research. 
(5) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Of 
the amount made available to carry out section 
1115A of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1315a) 
for a fiscal year, there are authorized to be appro-
priated such sums as may be necessary to carry out 
this subsection. 
(c) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 1 year 
after the completion of all demonstration projects under 
subsection (b), the Secretary of Health and Human Serv-
ices shall submit to the Congress a report on the results 
of activities under this section, including recommendations 
on the efficacy of alternative dispositions of low-acuity 
field EMS patients. 
SEC. 10. ENHANCING RESEARCH IN FIELD EMS. 
(a) MODELS TO BE TESTED BY CENTER FOR MEDI-
CARE
AND
MEDICAID
INNOVATION.—Section 
1115A(b)(2)(B) of title XI of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1315a(b)(2)(B)) is amended by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘(xxi) Enhancing health outcomes for 
patients receiving field emergency medical 
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services and improving timely and efficient 
delivery of high-quality field emergency 
medical services, such as through regional-
ization of emergency care or medical trans-
port to alternate destinations.’’. 
(b) EMERGENCY
MEDICAL
RESEARCH.—Section 
498D of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 289g– 
4) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as 
subsections (d) and (e), respectively; and 
(2) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(c) FIELD
EMS EMERGENCY
MEDICAL
RE-
SEARCH.—The Secretary shall conduct research and eval-
uation relating to field EMS through the Agency for 
Healthcare Research and Quality and the Center for Medi-
care and Medicaid Innovation.’’. 
(c) FIELD EMS PRACTICE CENTER.—Subpart II of 
part D of title IX of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 299b–33 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘SEC. 938. FIELD EMS PRACTICE CENTER. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—For the purpose described 
in subsection (b), the Director shall establish within the 
Agency a Field EMS Evidence-Based Practice Center. 
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