8126 - Medical command physicians and facility medical directors.

     § 8126.  Medical command physicians and facility medical                directors.        (a)  Role of medical command physician.--A medical command     physician communicates with and issues medical command orders to     EMS providers when they seek direction. A medical command     physician shall have an arrangement with a medical command     facility to provide medical command on its behalf and shall     function under the direction of a medical command facility     medical director and under the policies and procedures of the     medical command facility. A medical command physician shall     provide medical command to EMS providers consistent with     Statewide protocols and protocols that are in effect in either     the region in which treatment originates or the region from     which the EMS providers begin receiving medical command from a     medical command physician. For good cause, a medical command     physician may give medical command orders that are inconsistent     with these protocols.        (b)  Certification.--The department shall certify as a     medical command physician a physician who was approved as a     medical command physician in this Commonwealth immediately prior     to the effective date of this section. The department shall also     certify as a medical command physician a physician who:            (1)  Completes an application for medical command        physician certification on a form or through an electronic        application process, as prescribed by the department.            (2)  Satisfies one of the following:                (i)  Has successfully completed an emergency medicine            residency program accredited by a residency program            accrediting body recognized by the State Board of            Medicine or the State Board of Osteopathic Medicine.                (ii)  Has successfully completed or taught an            advanced cardiac life support course acceptable to the            department within the preceding two years and has            successfully completed or taught an advanced trauma life            support course acceptable to the department and an            advanced pediatric life support course acceptable to the            department or other programs determined by the department            to meet or exceed the standards of these programs.                (iii)  Has had an emergency medicine practice in            another jurisdiction and establishes to the department            that the physician has a combination of training,            education and emergency medicine practice that makes the            physician qualified to serve as a medical command            physician.            (3)  Has completed a medical command course offered or        approved by the department.            (4)  Is practicing as an emergency medicine physician or        is participating as a resident in a second or subsequent year        in an emergency medicine residency program or has had at        least three years' experience as a full-time emergency        medicine physician.            (5)  Has a current Drug Enforcement Agency number, except        for an emergency medicine resident who is authorized to use a        hospital's Drug Enforcement Agency number for practice within        the emergency medicine residency program.            (6)  Has an arrangement with a medical command facility        to serve as a medical command physician for that facility        after receiving certification as a medical command physician.        (c)  Triennial registration.--A medical command physician's     certification is deemed registered for three years after     issuance. A medical command physician shall triennially register     the physician's certification with the department on a form or     through an electronic application process, as prescribed by the     department, as a condition for continued practice as a medical     command physician. The department shall issue a triennial     registration of a medical command physician's certification to a     medical command physician within 30 days after the physician     applies for a new registration if the physician demonstrates     that the physician continues to meet the requirements for the     certification, except the requirements of subsection (b)(2), and     satisfies such other requirements as the department may impose     by regulation.        (d)  Residents.--A physician who is in a second year in an     emergency medicine residency program may issue medical command     orders only to the extent that performance of that function is a     component of and within the framework of the emergency medicine     residency program and may do so only with supervision by a     medical command physician who has served as a medical command     physician for at least two years, has completed two years in an     emergency medicine residency program or has secured medical     command certification by satisfying subsection (b)(2)(iii).        (e)  Role of medical command facility medical director.--A     medical command facility medical director shall be responsible     for the following in a medical command facility:            (1)  Medical command.            (2)  Quality improvement.            (3)  Serving as a liaison with the regional EMS council        medical director.            (4)  Participating in prehospital training activities.            (5)  Verifying to the department that a physician seeking        a medical command physician's certification, based upon the        physician's arrangement with the medical command facility,        meets all certification requirements.            (6)  Ensuring that the medical command facility satisfies        statutory and regulatory requirements.        (f)  Certification.--The department shall certify as a     medical command facility medical director a physician who was     approved as a medical command facility medical director in this     Commonwealth immediately prior to the effective date of this     section. The department shall also certify as a medical command     facility medical director a physician who:            (1)  Completes an application for medical command        facility medical director certification on a form or through        an electronic application process, as prescribed by the        department.            (2)  Is currently serving as a medical command physician.            (3)  Satisfies one of the following:                (i)  Has successfully completed a residency program            in emergency medicine accredited by a residency program            accrediting body recognized by the State Board of            Medicine or the State Board of Osteopathic Medicine.                (ii)  Has successfully:                    (A)  completed a residency program in surgery,                internal medicine, family medicine, pediatrics or                anesthesiology accredited by a residency program                accrediting body recognized by the State Board of                Medicine or the State Board of Osteopathic Medicine;                and                    (B)  completed or taught:                        (I)  an advanced cardiac life support course                    acceptable to the department within the preceding                    two years;                        (II)  an advanced trauma life support course                    acceptable to the department; and                        (III)  an advanced pediatric life support                    course acceptable to the department.            (4)  Has experience in prehospital and emergency        department care of acutely ill or injured patients.            (5)  Has experience in providing medical command        direction to EMS providers.            (6)  Has experience in the training of EMS providers both        below and above the advanced EMT level.            (7)  Has experience in the medical audit, review and        critique of EMS providers below and above the advanced EMT        level.            (8)  Has an arrangement with a medical command facility        to serve as its medical director after receiving        certification as a medical command facility medical director.        (g)  Triennial registration.--A medical command facility     medical director's certification is deemed registered for three     years after issuance. A medical command facility medical     director shall triennially register the physician's     certification with the department on a form or through an     electronic application process, as prescribed by the department,     as a condition for continued practice as a medical command     facility medical director. The department shall issue a     triennial registration of a medical command facility medical     director certification to a medical command facility medical     director within 30 days after the physician applies for a new     registration if the physician demonstrates that the physician     continues to meet the requirements for the certification, except     the requirements of subsection (f)(3), and satisfies such other     requirements as the department may impose by regulation.        (h)  Grounds for discipline.--The department may discipline a     medical command physician or medical command facility medical     director for the following reasons:            (1)  Violating a responsibility imposed on the physician        by this chapter or the related regulations.            (2)  Without good cause, failing to comply with a medical        treatment, transport or transfer protocol established or        approved by the department.        (i)  Types of discipline authorized.--When the department is     empowered to discipline a medical command physician or medical     command facility medical director under subsection (h), the     department may do one or more of the following:            (1)  Deny the application for a certification.            (2)  Issue a public reprimand.            (3)  Revoke, suspend, limit or otherwise restrict or        condition the certification.            (4)  Impose a civil money penalty not exceeding $1,000        for each incident in which the physician engages in conduct        that constitutes a basis for discipline.            (5)  Stay enforcement of any suspension, revocation or        other discipline and place the individual on probation with        the right to vacate the probationary order for noncompliance.