(a) Certification.--The department shall issue certifications for the following types of EMS providers, which shall be permanent, subject to disciplinary action pursuant to section 8121 (relating to certification sanctions):
(1) Emergency medical responder.
(2) Emergency medical technician.
(3) Advanced emergency medical technician.
(4) Paramedic.
(5) Prehospital registered nurse.
(6) Prehospital physician extender.
(7) Prehospital EMS physician.
(8) Any other class of EMS provider the department establishes by regulation.
(b) Other emergency medical services providers.--The department may establish, by regulation as the need arises, classes of EMS providers to provide specialized EMS. The regulations shall establish certification, practice, disciplinary and other provider standards consistent with the purposes of this chapter and the statutory regulatory schemes applicable to paramedics except as necessary to meet the special EMS needs for which the class of EMS provider is created.
(c) Application.--An applicant for EMS provider certification shall complete an application for certification on a form or through an electronic application process prescribed by the department.
(d) Education.--The department shall assist, encourage and coordinate the education of EMS providers.
(1) The department shall develop standards through regulations for the accreditation, reaccreditation and operation of educational institutes to provide the training persons must successfully complete to be certified as EMS providers.
(2) The department shall develop standards through regulations for the approval of continuing education courses for EMS providers and for the accreditation of persons and Commonwealth agencies that provide continuing education EMS providers may take to secure renewal of registration.
(3) The department, in consultation with the board, shall review and update the permitted scope of continuing education programs not less than biennially.
(4) If the educational institute or provider of continuing education courses fails to satisfy the operational standards or fails to continue to meet the accreditation standards, the department may take one or more of the following actions:
(i) Deny the application for reaccreditation.
(ii) Impose terms of probation.
(iii) Revoke, suspend, limit or otherwise restrict the accreditation.
(iv) Impose a civil penalty not exceeding $1,000 for each infraction.
(e) Examinations.--
(1) A person who intends to secure EMS provider certification shall take the required certification examinations within one year after completing the EMS provider training required for certification.
(2) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, a person who fails a written or practical skills examination for an EMS provider certification may repeat the failed examination without retaking the examination the person passed.
(3) A person who fails the written examination three times shall complete a refresher course approved by the department or repeat the EMS provider training program before taking the examination again.
(4) A person who fails the practical skills examination three times shall complete a remedial course approved by the department or repeat the EMS provider training program before again taking the examination.
(5) A person who fails either examination six times or who does not pass the required examinations within two years after completing the EMS provider training program shall receive no credit for an examination previously passed and shall repeat the training program for the EMS provider certification before the person may take the certification examinations again.
(6) If the standards a person needs to satisfy to take a certification examination change after the person has failed the examination, the person may not retake the examination unless the person meets the new standards.
(7) The department may, by regulation, change the standards in this subsection.
(f) Reciprocity and endorsement.--The department may issue EMS provider certifications by reciprocity or endorsement as follows:
(1) If the department, upon review of the criteria for certification of a type of EMS provider in another state, determines that the criteria is substantially equivalent to the criteria for a similar certification in this Commonwealth, the department may enter into a reciprocity agreement with its counterpart certifying agency in the other state to certify that type of EMS provider based solely on the other state's certification of the provider. No reciprocity agreement may deprive the department from denying a certification based on disciplinary considerations.
(2) If the department, upon review of a course or an examination approved by another state for EMS provider certification or continuing education or upon review of a national course or examination, determines that the course or examination meets or exceeds the standards for such a course or examination for a similar type of certification in this Commonwealth, or for registration of the certification, the department may endorse the course or examination as meeting the course or examination requirements for that type of EMS provider certification in acting upon an applicant's application for certification or registration of the certification in this Commonwealth.
(g) Skills.--The department shall publish in the Pennsylvania Bulletin a list of skills within the scope of practice of each type of EMS provider. The list shall be updated by publication as necessary.
(h) Medical command orders and protocols.--
(1) An EMS provider, other than a prehospital EMS physician, shall provide EMS pursuant to department-approved protocols and medical command orders.
(2) The protocols shall identify circumstances in which an EMS provider shall seek direction from a medical command physician, which direction may be given by the physician in person or through an authorized agent or via radio or other telecommunications device approved by the department, and shall address the responsibilities of an EMS provider when medical command cannot be secured or is disrupted.
(i) Reports of convictions, discipline and exclusions.--
(1) An applicant for an EMS provider certification shall report to the department all misdemeanor, felony and other criminal convictions that are not summary or equivalent offenses, and all disciplinary sanctions that have been imposed upon a license, certification or other authorization of the applicant to practice an occupation or profession, and any exclusion from a Federal or State health care program of the applicant or an entity in which the applicant had equity or capital, stock or profits of the entity equal to at least 5% of the value of the property or assets of the entity at the time of the exclusion.
(2) The applicant shall also provide the department with a certified copy of the criminal charging, judgment and sentencing documents for each conviction and a certified copy of an adjudication or other document imposing discipline against the applicant.
(3) The department may not certify an applicant until the department receives the documents, unless the applicant establishes that the documents from which certified copies are to be made no longer exist.
(4) An EMS provider shall report the same type of convictions, disciplinary sanctions and exclusions and provide the same documents to the department within 30 days after each conviction, discipline and exclusion.
(j) Identification.--
(1) An EMS provider shall provide proof of authority to practice as an EMS provider if requested when providing services as an EMS provider.
(2) For purposes of this subsection, "proof of authority to practice" means a card or certificate issued by the department that shows current registration of the EMS provider's certification.
(k) Change of address.--
(1) An EMS provider and an applicant for EMS provider certification shall ensure that the department has the current address at which the person can be reached by mail at all times.
(2) Neither an EMS provider's home address, telephone number nor any other residential contact information provided to the department shall be deemed a public record.
(l) Current registration.--To provide EMS, an EMS provider shall maintain current registration of his certification as an EMS provider.
(m) Downgrading certification or practice.--
(1) An EMS provider who has a currently registered certification as an advanced EMT or higher-level EMS provider and is not permitted to practice at that level by an EMS agency pursuant to sections 8125(b)(2) (relating to medical director of emergency medical services agency) and 8129(k) (relating to emergency medical services agencies) may function as a lower-level EMS provider for that EMS agency, as authorized by the EMS agency medical director, if the EMS agency permits.
(2) Upon expiration of the biennial registration period, an EMS provider who is at or above the advanced EMT level and whose practice for an EMS agency has been downgraded pursuant to sections 8125(b)(2) and 8129(k) may choose to maintain current registration of the EMS provider's certification by meeting the biennial registration requirements for that certification.
(3) An EMS provider who has a currently registered certification as an advanced EMT or higher-level EMS provider and does not meet the requirements for biennial registration of that certification may apply to and secure from the department registration of a lower-level EMS provider certification if the EMS provider meets the registration requirements for that certification.
(4) Instead of a registration certificate, the department shall issue a lower-level certification to an EMS provider who does not already have that certification and applies for a registration of that certification under this subsection.
(5) An EMS provider whose practice level has been downgraded under this section and who does not maintain current registration of the higher-level certification may not display an insignia, patch or any other indicia of the higher-level certification when providing EMS.
(n) Biennial registrations.--
(1) The biennial registration of each EMS provider certification subject to a biennial registration requirement shall expire on January 1 of the next even-numbered year.
(2) The continuing education requirements for the biennial registration following the initial registration of a certification shall be prorated based upon the month in which the EMS provider became certified, with any fractional requirement rounded down.
(o) Exceptions for members of armed forces returning from tour of duty.--EMS providers and EMS vehicle operators returning from active military service who have a certification registration that expired during their tours of duty or will expire within 12 months after their return from military duty may secure an exception to satisfying the continuing education requirements for certification registration as follows:
(1) EMS providers who have a triennial certification registration requirement may secure an exception to the period of time in which they would otherwise need to meet continuing education requirements for triennial registration of their certifications, as the department deems appropriate.
(2) EMS providers and EMS vehicle operators who have a biennial certification registration requirement may secure an exception to the period of time in which they would otherwise need to meet continuing education requirements for biennial registration of their certifications, as the department deems appropriate. Before an EMS provider without a current biennial registration begins to work for an EMS agency, the EMS agency medical director must determine that the EMS provider has continuing competency in the knowledge and skills required to provide the services the EMS agency will assign to the EMS provider.
(3) EMS providers may seek an exception to their continuing education requirements for certification registration by asking the department to endorse their relevant military training as satisfying some or all of the applicable continuing education requirements.