EMS Physicians Laud Senate Passage of Bipartisan Bill Protecting Medical Treatment of Emergency Patients, Sponsored by Senators Bill Cassidy (Louisiana) and Michael Bennet (Colorado)

WASHINGTON, DC – The National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP) applauds the Senate’s passage of the Protecting Patient Access to Emergency Medications Act of 2017. The House of Representatives unanimously passed a similar version of the bill (H.R. 304) in January. The Senate-approved bill included minor technical changes from the House version requiring the House to approve the Senate version of the bill before it becomes law.
This bipartisan legislation ensures emergency medical service (EMS) care providers, such as paramedics, are able to continue administering the appropriate life-saving emergency medications to patients, without needing to obtain physician permission and potentially delay critical patient care. Additionally, the bill facilitates and strengthens the Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA) oversight of EMS.
“This bill will protect Americans and enable our medical first responders to do their utmost to care for patients in their most vulnerable moments,” said Dr. Brent Myers, President of NAEMSP. “We want to extend our deepest gratitude to the bill sponsors Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) for their unwavering support.”
"EMS professionals work directly with physicians to respond to traumatic events," said Senator Michael Bennet. "This bipartisan bill will allow them to continue this important work while creating safeguards to track controlled substances, such as opioids. The bill also improves access to ...

Source: JEMS Patient Care - October 27, 2017 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: National Association of EMS Physicians Tags: Patient Care News Administration and Leadership Source Type: news