reglab/statecodes huggingface dataset:
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 44 - Health › Chapter 61 - Emergency Medical Services › Section 44-61-30. Standards and regulations for improvement of emergency medical services; creation and membership of Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council.

(A) The Department of Health and Environmental Control, with the advice of the Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council and the State Medical Control Physician, shall develop standards and promulgate regulations for the improvement of emergency medical services (hereinafter referred to as EMS) in the State. All administrative responsibility for this program is vested in the department.
(B) The EMS Program shall include:
(1) the regulation and licensing of public, private, volunteer, or other type ambulance services; however, in developing these programs for regulating and licensing ambulance services, the programs must be formulated in such a manner so as not to restrict or restrain competition;
(2) inspection and issuance of permits for ambulance vehicles;
(3) the licensing of emergency medical responder agencies;
(4) training and certification of EMS personnel;
(5) development, adoption, and implementation of EMS standards and state plan;
(6) the development and coordination of an EMS communications system;
(7) designation of trauma centers and the categorization of hospital emergency departments; and
(8) the establishment of an electronic patient care reporting system to provide data to the National EMS Information System database for betterment of EMS across the nation.
(C) An Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council must be established composed of representatives of the Department of Health and Environmental Control, the South Carolina Medical Association, the South Carolina Trauma Advisory Council, the South Carolina Hospital Association, the South Carolina Heart Association, Medical University of South Carolina, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, South Carolina College of Emergency Physicians, South Carolina Emergency Nurses Association, Emergency Management Division of the Office of the Adjutant General, South Carolina Emergency Medical Services Association, State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education, Governor's Office of Highway Safety, Department of Health and Human Services, four regional Emergency Medical Services councils, and one EMT first responder agency. Membership on the council must be by appointment by the board. Three members of the advisory council must be members of organized rescue squads operating in this State, three members shall represent the private emergency services systems, and three members shall represent the county emergency medical services systems. The advisory council shall serve without compensation, mileage, per diem, or subsistence.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 32-905.32; 1974 (58) 2370; 1975 (59) 201; 1981 Act No. 144, Section 2; 1996 Act No. 263, Section 3; 2002 Act No. 190, Section 7, eff March 12, 2002; 2004 Act No. 271, Section 1, eff July 16, 2004; 2010 Act No. 157, Section 1, eff May 11, 2010.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 44 - Health › Chapter 61 - Emergency Medical Services › Section 44-61-40. Required licenses and permits; applications; requirement to retain medical control physician; renewals.

(A) A person, firm, corporation, association, county, district, municipality, or metropolitan government or agency, either as owner, agent, or otherwise, may not furnish, operate, conduct, maintain, advertise, or otherwise engage in or profess to engage in the business or service of providing emergency medical response or ambulance service, or both, without obtaining a license and ambulance permit issued by the department. Failure to furnish, operate, conduct, maintain, advertise, or otherwise engage in or profess to engage in the business or service of providing emergency medical response or ambulance service without the proper license or permit, or both, from the department results in a Class I civil penalty, as defined in Regulation 61-7(304).
(B) Applicants shall file license applications with the appropriate official of the department having authority over emergency services. At a minimum, license applications shall contain evidence of ability to conform to the standards and regulations established by the board and such other information as may be required by the department. If the application is approved, the license will be issued. If the application is disapproved, the applicant may appeal in a manner pursuant to Article 3, Chapter 23, Title 1.
(C) An applicant shall retain a medical control physician to maintain quality control of the patient care provided by the applicant's service. No medical control physician acting in good faith who participates in the review or evaluation of the services provided by the applicant to help improve the quality of patient care is liable for any civil damages as a result of any act or omission by the physician in the course of a review or evaluation.
(D) Applicants shall renew licenses and permits every two years.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 32-905.34; 1974 (58) 2370; 1996 Act No. 263, Section 4; 2004 Act No. 271, Section 1, eff July 16, 2004; 2010 Act No. 157, Section 1, eff May 11, 2010.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 44 - Health › Chapter 61 - Emergency Medical Services › Section 44-61-50. Ambulance permits.

A vehicle must not be operated as an ambulance, unless its licensed owner applies for and receives an ambulance permit issued by the department for that vehicle. Prior to issuing an original permit for an ambulance, the vehicle for which the permit is issued shall meet all requirements as to vehicle design, construction, staffing, medical and communication equipment and supplies, and sanitation as set forth in this article or in the standards and regulations promulgated by the board. Absent revocation or suspension, permits issued for ambulances are valid for a period not to exceed two years.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 32-905.35; 1974 (58) 2370; 2004 Act No. 271, Section 1, eff July 16, 2004; 2010 Act No. 157, Section 1, eff May 11, 2010.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 44 - Health › Chapter 61 - Emergency Medical Services › Section 44-61-60. Ambulance equipment requirements.

(A) Such equipment as deemed necessary by the department must be required of organizations applying for ambulance permits. Each licensee of an ambulance shall comply with regulations as may be promulgated by the board and shall maintain in each ambulance, when it is in use as such, all equipment as may be prescribed by the board.
(B) The transportation of patients and the provision of emergency medical services shall conform to standards promulgated by the board.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 32-905.36; 1974 (58) 2370; 2004 Act No. 271, Section 1, eff July 16, 2004; 2010 Act No. 157, Section 1, eff May 11, 2010.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 44 - Health › Chapter 61 - Emergency Medical Services › Section 44-61-65. First responder licensing requirements.

Organizations applying for emergency medical responder licensure must comply with equipment, training, and certification standards and other requirements promulgated by the department in regulation.
HISTORY: 1996 Act No. 263, Section 1; 2004 Act No. 271, Section 1, eff July 16, 2004; 2010 Act No. 157, Section 1, eff May 11, 2010.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 44 - Health › Chapter 61 - Emergency Medical Services › Section 44-61-70. Suspension or revocation of license or permit; penalty.

(A) The department may enforce rules, regulations, and standards promulgated pursuant to this article. An enforcement action taken by the department may be appealed pursuant to Article 3, Chapter 23, Title 1.
(B) Grounds for an enforcement action against an authorization, license, or permit exist for violation of a regulation promulgated pursuant to this article. The department may suspend a license pending an investigation of an alleged violation or complaint. The department may impose a civil monetary penalty up to five hundred dollars per offense per day to a maximum of ten thousand dollars and revoke or suspend the provider's license or permit if the department finds that a service has:
(1) allowed uncertified personnel to perform patient care;
(2) falsified required forms or paperwork as required by the department;
(3) failed to maintain required equipment as evidenced by past compliance history;
(4) failed to maintain a medical control physician;
(5) failed to maintain equipment in working order; or
(6) failed to respond to a call within the response area of the service without providing for response by an alternate service.
(C) Whoever hinders, obstructs, or interferes with a duly authorized agent of the department while in the performance of his duties or violates a provision of this article or regulation of the board promulgated pursuant to this article is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be punished by a fine of not less than five hundred dollars and not more than five thousand dollars or by imprisonment for not less than ten days nor more than six months for each offense. Information pertaining to the license or permit is admissible in evidence in all prosecutions under this article if it is consistent with applicable statutory provisions.
(D) If a permitted ambulance or licensed emergency medical responder service fails inspection or loses points upon initial inspection, a civil monetary penalty must not be levied. Instead, a copy of the inspection report will be given to the service indicating deficiencies found and a request for a letter of compliance and a time period by which to correct the deficiencies will be issued. Upon reinspection, any deficiencies found will be assigned a point value and fine schedule or the permit will be revoked, or both. The fine schedule is found in Regulation 61-7.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 32-905.37; 1974 (58) 2370; 1981 Act No. 144, Section 3; 1993 Act No. 181, Section 1137; 2004 Act No. 271, Section 1, eff July 16, 2004; 2010 Act No. 157, Section 1, eff May 11, 2010.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 44 - Health › Chapter 61 - Emergency Medical Services › Section 44-61-90. Records to be kept by ambulance service licensees.

Each licensee shall maintain records that include approved patient care report forms, employee or member rosters or both, and training records. These records must be available for inspection by the department at any reasonable time and copies must be furnished to the department upon request.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 32-905.39; 1974 (58) 2370; 1981 Act No. 144, Section 5; 1996 Act No. 263, Section 5; 2004 Act No. 271, Section 1, eff July 16, 2004; 2010 Act No. 157, Section 1, eff May 11, 2010.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 44 - Health › Chapter 61 - Emergency Medical Services › Section 44-61-100. Exemptions.

The following are exempted from the provisions of this article:
(A) ambulances owned and operated by the Federal Government;
(B) a vehicle or vehicles, including associated personnel, rendering assistance to community ambulances in the case of a catastrophe when licensed ambulances in the locality are insufficient to render the required services;
(C) the use of a privately or publicly owned vehicle, not ordinarily utilized in the transportation of persons who are sick, injured, or otherwise incapacitated and operating pursuant to Section 15-1-310 (Good Samaritan Act) in the prevention of loss of life and alleviation of suffering;
(D) the use of out-of-state ambulance services and personnel to assist with treatment and transport of patients during a disaster or catastrophe when licensed services in the locality are insufficient to render the required services.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 32-905.40; 1974 (58) 2370; 2004 Act No. 271, Section 1, eff July 16, 2004; 2010 Act No. 157, Section 1, eff May 11, 2010.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 44 - Health › Chapter 61 - Emergency Medical Services › Section 44-61-110. Restriction on financial aid.

No financial grants or funds administered by the State for emergency medical services pertinent to this article shall be made available to counties or municipalities not in compliance with the provisions of this article.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 32-905.41; 1974 (58) 2370; 2004 Act No. 271, Section 1, eff July 16, 2004; 2010 Act No. 157, Section 1, eff May 11, 2010.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 44 - Health › Chapter 61 - Emergency Medical Services › Section 44-61-120. Development of plan; guidelines for administration of epinephrine by paramedic emergency medical technicians.

The department shall develop a comprehensive statewide emergency medical services plan to implement and ensure the delivery of adequate emergency medical services to every citizen. This plan shall include guidelines for emergency medical technicians at all levels for the administration of epinephrine to a person suffering or believed to be suffering from anaphylaxis.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 32-905.42; 1974 (58) 2370; 2004 Act No. 271, Section 1, eff July 16, 2004; 2006 Act No. 320, Section 1, eff June 2, 2006; 2010 Act No. 157, Section 1, eff May 11, 2010.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 44 - Health › Chapter 61 - Emergency Medical Services › Section 44-61-130. Authority of emergency medical technicians.

A certified emergency medical technician may perform any function consistent with his certification, according to guidelines and regulations that the board may prescribe. Emergency medical technicians, trained to provide advanced life support and possessing current Department of Health and Environmental Control certification while on duty with a licensed service, are authorized to possess limited quantities of drugs, including controlled substances, as may be approved by the Department of Health and Environmental Control for administration to patients during the regular course of duties of emergency medical technicians, pursuant to the written or verbal order of a physician possessing a valid license to practice medicine in this State; however, the physician must be registered pursuant to state and federal laws pertaining to controlled substances.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 32-905.43; 1974 (58) 2370; 1981 Act No. 144, Section 7; 2004 Act No. 271, Section 1, eff July 16, 2004; 2006 Act No. 320, Section 2, eff June 2, 2006; 2010 Act No. 157, Section 1, eff May 11, 2010.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 44 - Health › Chapter 61 - Emergency Medical Services › Section 44-61-140. Chapter does not limit presently operating rescue units.

This article must not be construed as limiting presently operating rescue units from utilizing their existing equipment and performing the functions they are now allowed to do so long as they do not conflict with licensed agencies contained in Section 44-61-40(A).
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 32-905.44; 1974 (58) 2370; 1981 Act No. 144, Section 8; 1996 Act No. 263, Section 6; 2004 Act No. 271, Section 1, eff July 16, 2004; 2010 Act No. 157, Section 1, eff May 11, 2010.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 44 - Health › Chapter 61 - Emergency Medical Services › Section 44-61-310. Definitions.

As used in this article:
(1) "Advanced life support" means an advanced level of prehospital, interhospital, and emergency service care which includes basic life support functions, cardiac monitoring, cardiac defibrillation, telemetered electrocardiography, administration of antiarrhythmic agents, intravenous therapy, administration of specific medications, drugs and solutions, use of adjunctive ventilation devices, trauma care, and other techniques and procedures authorized by the department pursuant to regulations.
(2) "Basic life support" means a basic level of prehospital care which includes patient stabilization, airway clearance, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, hemorrhage control, initial wound care and fracture stabilization, and other techniques and procedures authorized by the department pursuant to regulations.
(3) "Board" means the governing body of the Department of Health and Environmental Control or its designated representative.
(4) "Department" means the Division of Emergency Medical Services and Trauma within the Department of Health and Environmental Control.
(5) "Director" means the Director of the Department of Health and Environmental Control.
(6) "EMSC Program" means the Emergency Medical Services for Children Program established pursuant to this article and other relevant programmatic activities conducted by the department in support of appropriate treatment, transport, and triage of ill or injured children.
(7) "Emergency medical services personnel" means persons trained and certified or licensed to provide emergency medical care, whether on a paid or volunteer basis, as part of a basic life support or advanced life support prehospital emergency care service or in an emergency department or pediatric critical care or specialty unit in a licensed hospital.
(8) "Emergency medical technician" or "EMT" means, when used in general terms for emergency medical personnel, an individual possessing a valid, emergency medical technician (EMT), advanced emergency medical technician (AEMT), or paramedic certificate issued by the State pursuant to the provisions of this article.
(9) "Manager" means the person coordinating the EMSC Program within the Department of Health and Environmental Control.
(10) "Prehospital care" means the provision of emergency medical care or transportation by trained and certified or licensed emergency medical services personnel at the scene of an emergency and while transporting sick or injured persons to a medical care facility or provider.
HISTORY: 1998 Act No. 323, Section 1; 2010 Act No. 157, Section 3, eff May 11, 2010.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 44 - Health › Chapter 61 - Emergency Medical Services › Section 44-61-320. Establishment of program.

There is established within the Department of Health and Environmental Control, Division of Emergency Medical Services, the Emergency Medical Services and Trauma for Children Program.
HISTORY: 1998 Act No. 323, Section 1; 2010 Act No. 157, Section 3, eff May 11, 2010.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 44 - Health › Chapter 61 - Emergency Medical Services › Section 44-61-330. Scope of program; gathering of data.

(A) The EMSC Program must include, but is not limited to, the establishment of:
(1) initial and continuing education programs for emergency medical services personnel that include training in the emergency care of infants and children;
(2) guidelines for referring children to the appropriate emergency treatment facility;
(3) pediatric equipment guidelines for prehospital care and emergency department;
(4) guidelines for EMT, AEMT, and paramedic emergency medical technician certification for administering epinephrine to children suffering from a severe allergic reaction;
(5) guidelines for the voluntary designation of pediatric emergency departments;
(6) guidelines for pediatric trauma centers;
(7) an interhospital transfer system for critically ill or injured children;
(8) in conjunction with the South Carolina Data Oversight Council, the collection and analysis of statewide pediatric emergency and critical care medical services data from emergency and critical care medical services for the purpose of quality improvement by these facilities and services, subject to the confidentiality requirements of Section 44-61-350;
(9) injury prevention programs for parents;
(10) public education programs on accessing the emergency medical services system and what to do until the emergency medical services personnel arrive;
(11) guidelines for the appropriate response to children and their families before, during, and after a disaster;
(12) incorporation of pediatric disaster preparedness training into initial and continuing education programs for emergency medical services personnel;
(13) assistance with the development of disaster plan strategies that address pediatric surge capacity before, during, and after a disaster for both injured and noninjured children.
(B) In gathering statewide pediatric emergency and critical care medical services data, the department shall rely upon, to the extent possible, data from existing sources; however, the department may contact families and physicians for the purpose of gathering additional data and providing information on available public and private resources. Information requested from a physician's office must be obtained pursuant to Section 44-115-10. Patient contact following data received from the Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office must be conducted in accordance with regulations approved by the South Carolina Data Oversight Council and promulgated by the Office of Research and Statistics.
HISTORY: 1998 Act No. 323, Section 1; 2006 Act No. 320, Section 3, eff June 2, 2006; 2010 Act No. 157, Section 3, eff May 11, 2010.
Code Commissioner's Note
Pursuant to the directive to the Code Commissioner in 2018 Act No. 246, Section 10, "Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office" was substituted for all references to "Office of Research and Statistics of the Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office".
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 44 - Health › Chapter 61 - Emergency Medical Services › Section 44-61-350. Advisory Committee.

(A) There is established the Emergency Medical Services for Children Advisory Committee to advise the department on matters concerning preventative, prehospital, hospital, rehabilitative, and other post-hospital medical care for children.
(B) Committee members must be appointed by the board.
(C) The advisory committee is composed of a nurse with emergency pediatric experience, a physician with pediatric training, an emergency physician, an EMT/paramedic who is currently practicing, a ground level prehospital provider representative, an emergency medical services state agency representative, the EMSC Program principal investigator, the EMSC Program manager, and a family representative. All members must reside and, if applicable, be licensed or certified to practice in this State.
(D) Members of the advisory committee shall serve without compensation, mileage, per diem, or subsistence.
HISTORY: 2010 Act No. 157, Section 3, eff May 11, 2010.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 44 - Health › Chapter 61 - Emergency Medical Services › Section 44-61-510. Definitions.

As used in this article:
(1) "Department" means the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.
(2) "Designation" means a formal determination by the department that a hospital or health care facility is capable of providing a specified level of trauma care services.
(3) "Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council" means the emergency medical services council created in Section 44-61-30(c).
(4) "Participating providers" means those providers that have been approved by the department for participation in the trauma system and include, but are not limited to, designated trauma centers, designated rehabilitation facilities, and designated fee for service physicians who provide trauma care within a designated facility.
(5) "State Trauma Advisory Council" means the state advisory council created in this article.
(6) "Trauma" means a major injury or wound to a living person caused by the application of an external force or by violence and the requiring immediate medical or surgical intervention to prevent death or permanent disability. For the purposes of this article, the definition of "trauma" must be determined by current national medical standards including, but not limited to, trauma severity scales.
(7) "Trauma care facility" or "trauma center" means a hospital that has been designated by the department according to the rules and regulations set forth by the department to provide trauma care services at a particular level.
(8) "Trauma registry" means a statewide database of information collected by the department including, but not limited to, the incidence, severity, and causes of trauma and the care and outcomes for certain types of injuries.
(9) "Trauma system" means an organized statewide and regional system of care for the trauma patient, including the department, emergency medical service providers, hospitals, in-patient rehabilitation providers, and other providers who have agreed to participate in and coordinate with and who have been accepted by the department in an organized statewide system.
(10) "Trauma System Fund" means the separate fund established pursuant to this article for the department to create and administer the State Trauma System.
(11) "Verification" means the department's inspection of a participating facility in order to determine whether the facility is capable of providing a designated level of trauma care.
HISTORY: 2004 Act No. 232, Section 1, eff May 11, 2004.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 44 - Health › Chapter 61 - Emergency Medical Services › Section 44-61-540. South Carolina State Trauma Care Fund established; administration; funding contingency.

(A) There is created the South Carolina State Trauma Care Fund. In addition to those monies appropriated to the fund in the general appropriations act, the fund may receive gifts, bequests, grants, fees, or other contributions or donations from public or private entities.
(B) The fund must be a separate and distinct fund for the payment of the Department of Health and Environmental Control's expenses in establishing, administering, and overseeing the Trauma Care System. After the payment of the department's operating expenses from the fund, the department may authorize and allocate the distribution of any remaining funds for any or all of the following purposes:
(1) distribution of financial aid to participating providers using a formula based on criteria and factors identified in regulations promulgated by the department pursuant to this article. All providers receiving funds must be located within this State;
(2) distribution of any remaining funds for grants for proposals related to trauma care in this State which may include, but are not limited to, research, injury prevention, education, and planning and development of related services under this article;
(3) other expenses or providers considered appropriate by the department related to the purposes of this article.
(C) If there is adequate funding in the State Trauma Care Fund, the department shall promulgate regulations to establish the distribution of funds in accordance with the purposes stated in subsection (B). The department is solely responsible for determining the priority of distributions and may use contracts with other agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services, in the distribution of these funds.
(D) Money remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year carries forward to the next fiscal year for the purposes stated in this article. If the trauma system ceases to exist and money remains in the Trauma Fund, the remaining money must be distributed in accordance with this article.
(E) All of the department's duties pursuant to this article including the requirement to promulgate regulations are contingent upon adequate funding to cover the department's operating and administrative costs. If adequate funding does not exist in the State Trauma Care Fund, the department is not obligated to carry out any duties pursuant to this article.
HISTORY: 2004 Act No. 232, Section 1, eff May 11, 2004.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 44 - Health › Chapter 61 - Emergency Medical Services › Section 44-61-550. Trauma Registry; confidentiality.

(A) The department may establish a trauma data collection and evaluation system, known as the "Trauma Registry". The Trauma Registry must be designed to include, but must not be limited to, trauma studies, patient care and outcomes, compliance with standards of verification, and types and severity of injuries in the State.
(B) The department may collect, as considered necessary and appropriate, data and information regarding patients admitted to a facility through the emergency department, through a trauma center, or directly to a special care unit. Data and information must be collected in a manner that protects and maintains the confidential nature of patient and staff identifying information.
(C) Records and reports made pursuant to this section must be held confidential within the department and must not be available to the public, admissible as evidence, or subject to discovery by subpoena. Information that identifies individual patients must not be disclosed publicly without the patient's consent.
(D) All data collection and data inquiry activity shall follow federally established Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act guidelines.
HISTORY: 2004 Act No. 232, Section 1, eff May 11, 2004.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 44 - Health › Chapter 61 - Emergency Medical Services › Section 44-61-610. Short title.

This article may be cited as the "Stroke System of Care Act of 2011" and is based on recommendations of the Stroke System of Care Study Committee provided for in Act 121 of 2009.
HISTORY: 2011 Act No. 62, Section 1, eff June 21, 2011.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 44 - Health › Chapter 61 - Emergency Medical Services › Section 44-61-620. Legislative findings.

The General Assembly finds that:
(1) An effective system to support optimal stroke care is needed in our communities in order to treat stroke patients in a timely manner, improve the overall treatment of stroke patients, increase survival, and decrease the disabilities associated with stroke.
(2) There is a public health need for acute care hospitals in this State to become primary stroke centers to ensure the rapid triage, diagnostic evaluation, and treatment of patients suffering a stroke. There is also a need for a pre-hospital emergency transport system that identifies and transports potential stroke patients as quickly as possible to the most appropriate facility for stroke treatment.
(3) Primary stroke centers for the treatment of acute stroke should be established in as many acute care hospitals as possible. In addition, hospitals that do not have primary stroke center certification but use telemedicine or other means to facilitate acute or early stroke treatment should be integrated, along with primary stroke centers, within a system of care to evaluate, stabilize, and provide emergency and inpatient care to patients with acute stroke.
(4) It is in the best interest of the residents of South Carolina to establish a program to facilitate identification and development of stroke treatment capabilities throughout the State. This program will provide a system of stroke care that will include specific patient care and support services criteria that will ensure stroke patients receive safe and effective care in stroke care centers statewide.
(5) It is also in the best interest of the people of South Carolina to modify the state's emergency medical response system to ensure that potential stroke patients are quickly identified and transported to and treated in facilities that have the capability for providing timely and effective treatment for stroke patients.
HISTORY: 2011 Act No. 62, Section 1, eff June 21, 2011.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 44 - Health › Chapter 61 - Emergency Medical Services › Section 44-61-630. Definitions.

As used in this article:
(1) "Department" means the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.
(2) "Director" means the Director of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.
(3) "Joint Commission" means the Joint Commission, formerly known as the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, a not-for-profit organization that accredits hospitals and other health care organizations.
HISTORY: 2011 Act No. 62, Section 1, eff June 21, 2011.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 44 - Health › Chapter 61 - Emergency Medical Services › Section 44-61-640. Identification of hospitals as primary stroke centers and stroke enabled centers; certification by nationally recognized organizations; designation of acute stroke capable centers; notification of loss of recognition.

(A) The director shall identify hospitals that meet the criteria set forth in this article as primary stroke centers and stroke enabled centers through telemedicine.
(B) The department shall establish a process to recognize as "primary stroke centers" as many accredited acute care hospitals as apply and are certified as primary stroke centers by the Joint Commission or another nationally recognized organization that provides disease-specific certification or accreditation for stroke care, provided that each applicant continues to maintain this certification or accreditation and notifies the department in a timely manner of initial and subsequent certification or accreditation.
(C) As nationally recognized, disease-specific certification or accreditation programs become available at more comprehensive and less comprehensive levels, including, but not limited to, a designation for "acute stroke capable centers", the department may adopt and recognize those hospitals that have achieved the certification or accreditation.
(D) A hospital that no longer meets nationally recognized, evidenced-based standards for primary stroke centers, or other programs as they become recognized by the department, shall notify the department and the Stroke System of Care Advisory Council within thirty days.
HISTORY: 2011 Act No. 62, Section 1, eff June 21, 2011.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 44 - Health › Chapter 61 - Emergency Medical Services › Section 44-61-660. List of stroke centers to be posted on website; distribution of standardized stroke-triage assessment tool; implementation of statewide system of stroke care.

(A)(1) The department, before June first of each year, shall distribute the list of primary stroke centers, stroke enabled centers through telemedicine, and other centers that meet the criteria for disease-specific certification or accreditation programs as they become available to each licensed emergency medical services provider in this State. This list must be posted on the department website and be continuously updated.
(2) For the purposes of this article, the department may include on its distribution list pursuant to subsection (A)(1) primary stroke centers in North Carolina and Georgia that are certified by the Joint Commission, or are otherwise designated by those states' departments of public health as meeting the criteria for primary stroke centers.
(B) The department, in consultation with the Stroke System of Care Advisory Council, shall adopt and distribute a nationally recognized, standardized stroke-triage assessment tool. The department must post the stroke-triage assessment tool on its website and provide a copy, which may be an electronic copy, of the stroke-triage assessment tool to each licensed emergency medical services provider before January 31, 2012. Each licensed emergency medical services provider must establish a stroke assessment and triage system that incorporates the department approved stroke-triage assessment tool.
(C) The department, through the Division of Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention and the Division of Emergency Medical Services, shall develop and implement the statewide system of stroke care in accordance with this article and shall give consideration to recommendations submitted by the Stroke Advisory Council.
(D) Each licensed emergency medical services provider must comply with all sections of this article before June 1, 2012.
HISTORY: 2011 Act No. 62, Section 1, eff June 21, 2011.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 44 - Health › Chapter 61 - Emergency Medical Services › Section 44-61-670. Duties of department; confidentiality of health care information.

(A) The department, in consultation with the Stroke System of Care Advisory Council, shall:
(1) provide assistance for sharing information and data among health care providers on ways to improve the quality of care;
(2) facilitate the communication and analysis of health information and data among health care professionals providing care for individuals with stroke;
(3) collect data regarding the transition of care to community-based follow-up care in hospital outpatient, physician office, and ambulatory clinic settings for ongoing care after hospital discharge following acute treatment for a stroke;
(4) set expectations for hospitals and emergency medical services agencies to report data on the treatment of individuals with suspected stroke within the statewide system of stroke care; and
(5) establish a Stroke Registry Task Force, as a subcommittee of the Stroke System of Care Advisory Council, which shall maintain a statewide stroke registry database that compiles information and statistics on stroke care that align with the stroke consensus metrics developed and approved by the American Heart Association, American Stroke Association, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Joint Commission. The department shall utilize the stroke registry data platform of "Get With The Guidelines-Stroke" or another nationally recognized data set platform with confidentiality standards no less secure. To every extent possible, the department shall coordinate with national voluntary health organizations involved in stroke quality improvement to avoid duplication and redundancy.
(6) The Stroke Registry Task Force shall:
(a) analyze data generated by the statewide stroke registry database on stroke care;
(b) identify potential interventions to improve stroke care in geographic areas or regions of the State; and
(c) provide recommendations to the department and the General Assembly for the improvement of stroke care in the State.
(B) Except to the extent necessary to address continuity of care issues, health care information must not be provided in a format that contains individually identifiable information about a patient. The sharing of health care information containing individually identifiable information about patients must be limited to that information necessary to address continuity of care issues, and otherwise must be in accordance with, and subject to, the confidentiality provisions required by applicable state and federal law, including, but not limited to, the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and regulations pursuant to that act.
HISTORY: 2011 Act No. 62, Section 1, eff June 21, 2011.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 44 - Health › Chapter 61 - Emergency Medical Services › Section 44-61-680. Limitation of application of article.

This article is not a medical practice guideline and may not be used to restrict the authority of a hospital to provide services for which it has received a license under state law. The General Assembly intends that all patients be treated individually, based on each patient's needs and circumstances.
HISTORY: 2011 Act No. 62, Section 1, eff June 21, 2011.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 44 - Health › Chapter 61 - Emergency Medical Services › Section 44-61-690. Regulations; duties contingent on funding and promulgation of regulations.

(A) The department has the authority to promulgate regulations to carry out the purposes of this article.
(B) All of the department's duties pursuant to this article are contingent upon adequate funding to cover the department's operating and administrative costs and upon the promulgation of regulations. If adequate funding does not exist, the department is not obligated to carry out any duties pursuant to this article. The department is not obligated to carry out any duties pursuant to this article until the applicable regulations have been promulgated.
HISTORY: 2011 Act No. 62, Section 1, eff June 21, 2011.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 44 - Health › Chapter 61 - Emergency Medical Services › Section 44-61-710. Purpose.

In order to protect the public through verification of competency and ensure accountability for patient care-related activities all states license emergency medical services (EMS) personnel, such as emergency medical technicians (EMTs), advanced EMTs and paramedics. This compact is intended to facilitate the day-to-day movement of EMS personnel across state boundaries in the performance of their EMS duties as assigned by an appropriate authority and authorize state EMS offices to afford immediate legal recognition to EMS personnel licensed in a member state. This compact recognizes that states have a vested interest in protecting the public's health and safety through their licensing and regulation of EMS personnel and that such state regulation shared among the member states will best protect public health and safety. This compact is designed to achieve the following purposes and objectives:
(1) increase public access to EMS personnel;
(2) enhance the states' ability to protect the public's health and safety, especially patient safety;
(3) encourage the cooperation of member states in the areas of EMS personnel licensure and regulation;
(4) support licensing of military members who are separating from an active duty tour and their spouses;
(5) facilitate the exchange of information between member states regarding EMS personnel licensure, adverse action, and significant investigatory information;
(6) promote compliance with the laws governing EMS personnel practice in each member state; and
(7) invest all member states with the authority to hold EMS personnel accountable through the mutual recognition of member state licenses.
HISTORY: 2018 Act No. 248 (H.4486), Section 1, eff May 18, 2018.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 44 - Health › Chapter 61 - Emergency Medical Services › Section 44-61-730. Home state licensure.

(A) Any member state in which an individual holds a current license shall be deemed a home state for purposes of this compact.
(B) Any member state may require an individual to obtain and retain a license to be authorized to practice in the member state under circumstances not authorized by the privilege to practice under the terms of this compact.
(C) A home state's license authorizes an individual to practice in a remote state under the privilege to practice only if the home state:
(1) currently requires the use of the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) examination as a condition of issuing initial licenses at the EMT and paramedic levels;
(2) has a mechanism in place for receiving and investigating complaints about individuals;
(3) notifies the Commission, in compliance with the terms herein, of any adverse action or significant investigatory information regarding an individual;
(4) no later than five years after activation of the compact, requires a criminal background check of all applicants for initial licensure, including the use of the results of fingerprint or other biometric data checks compliant with the requirements of the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the exception of federal employees who have suitability determination in accordance with 5 C.F.R. Section 731.202 and submit documentation of such as promulgated in the rules of the Commission; and
(5) complies with the rules of the Commission.
HISTORY: 2018 Act No. 248 (H.4486), Section 1, eff May 18, 2018.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 44 - Health › Chapter 61 - Emergency Medical Services › Section 44-61-740. Compact privilege to practice.

(A) Member states shall recognize the privilege to practice of an individual licensed in another member state that is in conformance with Section 44-61-730.
(B) To exercise the privilege to practice under the terms and provisions of this compact, an individual must:
(1) be at least eighteen years of age;
(2) possess a current unrestricted license in a member state as an EMT, AEMT, paramedic, or state-recognized and licensed level with a scope of practice and authority between EMT and paramedic; and
(3) practice under the supervision of a medical director.
(C) An individual providing patient care in a remote state under the privilege to practice shall function within the scope of practice authorized by the home state unless and until modified by an appropriate authority in the remote state as may be defined in the rules of the Commission.
(D) Except as provided in subsection (C), an individual practicing in a remote state will be subject to the remote state's authority and laws. A remote state may, in accordance with due process and that state's laws, restrict, suspend, or revoke an individual's privilege to practice in the remote state and may take any other necessary actions to protect the health and safety of its citizens. If a remote state takes action it shall promptly notify the home state and the Commission.
(E) If an individual's license in any home state is restricted or suspended, the individual shall not be eligible to practice in a remote state under the privilege to practice until the individual's home state license is restored.
(F) If an individual's privilege to practice in any remote state is restricted, suspended, or revoked the individual shall not be eligible to practice in any remote state until the individual's privilege to practice is restored.
HISTORY: 2018 Act No. 248 (H.4486), Section 1, eff May 18, 2018.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 44 - Health › Chapter 61 - Emergency Medical Services › Section 44-61-750. Conditions of practice in a remote state.

An individual may practice in a remote state under a privilege to practice only in the performance of the individual's EMS duties as assigned by an appropriate authority, as defined in the rules of the Commission, and under the following circumstances:
(1) the individual originates a patient transport in a home state and transports the patient to a remote state;
(2) the individual originates in the home state and enters a remote state to pick up a patient and provide care and transport of the patient to the home state;
(3) the individual enters a remote state to provide patient care and/or transport within that remote state;
(4) the individual enters a remote state to pick up a patient and provide care and transport to a third-member state; or
(5) other conditions as determined by rules promulgated by the Commission.
HISTORY: 2018 Act No. 248 (H.4486), Section 1, eff May 18, 2018.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 44 - Health › Chapter 61 - Emergency Medical Services › Section 44-61-760. Relationship to Emergency Management Assistance Compact.

Upon a member state's governor's declaration of a state of emergency or disaster that activates the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), all relevant terms and provisions of EMAC shall apply and to the extent any terms or provisions of this compact conflicts with EMAC, the terms of EMAC shall prevail with respect to any individual practicing in the remote state in response to such declaration.
HISTORY: 2018 Act No. 248 (H.4486), Section 1, eff May 18, 2018.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 44 - Health › Chapter 61 - Emergency Medical Services › Section 44-61-770. Veterans, service members separating from active duty military, and their spouses.

(A) Member states shall consider a veteran, active military service member, and member of the National Guard and Reserves separating from an active duty tour, and a spouse thereof, who holds a current valid and unrestricted NREMT certification at or above the level of the state license being sought as satisfying the minimum training and examination requirements for such licensure.
(B) Member states shall expedite the processing of licensure applications submitted by veterans, active military service members, and members of the National Guard and Reserves separating from an active duty tour, and their spouses.
(C) All individuals functioning with a privilege to practice under this section remain subject to the Adverse Actions provisions of Section 44-61-780.
HISTORY: 2018 Act No. 248 (H.4486), Section 1, eff May 18, 2018.