Pennsylvania Consolidated & Unconsolidated Statutes
Chapter 81 - Emergency Medical Services System
Section 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.

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