2023 Texas Statutes › Health and Safety Code › Title 9 - Safety › Subtitle B - Emergencies › Chapter 773 - Emergency Medical Services › Subchapter A. General Provisions › Section 773.014. Administration of Epinephrine by Emergency Medical Services Personnel

Sec. 773.014.  ADMINISTRATION OF EPINEPHRINE BY EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES PERSONNEL.  (a)  An emergency medical services provider and a first responder organization may acquire and possess epinephrine auto-injector devices in accordance with this section.  Emergency medical services personnel may carry and administer epinephrine auto-injector devices in accordance with this section.
(b)  The executive commissioner shall adopt rules designed to protect the public health and safety to implement this section.  The rules must provide that emergency medical services personnel may administer an epinephrine auto-injector device to another only if the person has successfully completed a training course, approved by the department, in the use of the device that is consistent with the national standard training curriculum for emergency medical technicians.
(c)  An emergency medical services provider or first responder organization may acquire, possess, maintain, and dispose of epinephrine auto-injector devices, and emergency medical services personnel may carry, maintain, administer, and dispose of epinephrine auto-injector devices, only in accordance with:
(1)  rules adopted under this section; and
(2)  a delegated practice agreement that provides for medical supervision by a licensed physician who either:
(A)  acts as a medical director for an emergency medical services system or a licensed hospital; or
(B)  has knowledge and experience in the delivery of emergency care.
(c-1)  A licensed physician acting as a medical director for an emergency medical services system may restrict the use and administration of epinephrine auto-injector devices to certain emergency medical services personnel of the system through:
(1)  the delegated practice agreement; or
(2)  the adoption of policies governing the use of the devices by personnel within the system.
(d)  Emergency medical services personnel who administer epinephrine auto-injector devices to others shall immediately report the use to the physician supervising the activities of the emergency medical services personnel.
(e)  The administration of an epinephrine auto-injector device to another under this section is considered to be the administration of emergency care for the purposes of any statute relating to liability for the provision of emergency care.  The administration of an epinephrine auto-injector device to another in accordance with the requirements of this section does not constitute the unlawful practice of any health care profession.
(f)  A person otherwise authorized to sell or provide an epinephrine auto-injector device to another may sell or provide the devices to an emergency medical services provider or a first responder organization authorized to acquire and possess the devices under this section.
(g)  This section does not prevent emergency medical services personnel who are also licensed health care professionals under another health care licensing law and who are authorized to acquire, possess, and administer an epinephrine auto-injector device under the other health care licensing law from acting under the other law.
(h)  This section does not impose a standard of care not otherwise required by law.
Added by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 874, Sec. 4, eff. Jan. 1, 2002;  Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1131, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 2002.
Amended by:
Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1079 (H.B. 2827), Sec. 1, eff. June 15, 2007.
Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1 (S.B. 219), Sec. 3.1517, eff. April 2, 2015.
Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1321 (H.B. 4260), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2019.