What's happening
This bill requires municipalities to report to social services when emergency medical services are called for the same person four or more times in 30 days.
Why it matters
Aims to identify individuals with high emergency medical service usage. By requiring reports after four or more EMS calls for the same person in 30 days, the bill may help flag those who are especially vulnerable, such as the elderly, people with disabilities, or those with unmanaged health or social needs.
Connects emergency response with social services. Mandating that reports go to local social services districts and the Medicaid inspector general could lead to earlier interventions, potentially preventing future crises or unnecessary EMS use by linking individuals to support services.
Requires assessment of adequate care and service appropriateness. Municipalities must report not only the number of EMS calls but also whether the person appears to be receiving adequate care and if the calls seem unwarranted, providing data that could uncover gaps in home care, neglect, or misuse of emergency services.
Potential impact on Medicaid oversight and costs. By involving the Medicaid inspector general, the bill could help detect patterns of excessive or inappropriate EMS use, possibly leading to cost savings or improved allocation of healthcare resources.
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Who cares
Counties, cities, towns and villages
Municipalities that receive and respond to four or more emergency medical calls for one individual within 30 days would have to report each call and response to the local social services district and the Office of the Medicaid Inspector General.
Local social services districts and the Office of the Medicaid Inspector General
They would receive reports addressing whether the individual appears to have adequate care and support at home and whether the calls appear unwarranted.
New York State Department of Health
The commissioner would determine the reporting form and required information.
Individuals receiving repeated emergency medical services
Their calls and apparent care and support at home would be subject to reporting once the municipal response threshold is met.
Headline styles
Report Frequent EMS Calls
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to local government
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Report Frequent EMS Calls
In Assembly Committee · Local Governments · Sponsor Joseph Giglio
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
903
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 9, 2019
Introduced by Sen. YOUNG -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Local Government
AN ACT to amend the general municipal law, in relation to directing municipalities to submit a report to the local social services district on the circumstances surrounding the summoning of emergency medical services on four or more occasions for any individual during a thirty day period of time
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The general municipal law is amended by adding a new section 122-a to read as follows:
§ 122-a. Reports of frequent emergency medical service calls for an individual. 1. Every county, city, town and village, which receives and responds to four or more calls or demands for the provision of emergency medical service, as defined in subdivision one of section three thousand one of the public health law, to any individual during any period of thirty days, shall report the circumstances of each such call or demand and response to the local social services district and office of the medicaid inspector general, in such form as shall be determined by the commissioner of health.
2. Every report submitted by a municipality pursuant to subdivision one of this section shall include such information as shall be required by the commissioner of health, including whether the individual for whom emergency medical service is being summoned appears to be receiving adequate care and support at his or her place of residence, and whether the summoning of emergency medical service appears to be unwarranted.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03642-01-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the general municipal law, in relation to directing municipalities to submit a report to the local social services district on the circumstances surrounding the summoning of emergency medical services on four or more occasions for any individual during a thirty day period of time
Purpose or general idea of bill
To require municipalities which receive four or more emergency medical calls in a 30-day period for an individual to report such calls to the local social services district.
Summary of specific provisions
Section 1 would amend the general municipal law by adding a new section 122-a to require every county, city, town and village which receives four or more calls or demands for emergency medical service in a 30 day period for an individual to report such circumstances to the local social service district and the office of the Medicaid Inspector Gener- al. Every report shall include information, as required by the Commis- sioner of the Department of Health as to the adequacy of care being received by the individual and if the emergency services were warranted.
Section 2 sets forth the effective date.
Justification
Ambulance abuse, or the over use of ambulance services in non-emergency situations, can indicate that an individual needs more or different services than they are currently receiving. In addition, when an ambu- lance is being used for non-emergency care it is not available for emer- gency situations that arise during that same time. For emergencies where seconds count, this places people's lives in danger because they are unable to get an ambulance fast enough.
Further, one trip in an ambulance can cost between $400 and $500. The use of ambulances for non-emergency services, when requested for emer- gency transport, can place the cost of non-emergent transport on the localities who pay for ambulance services. The burden is then shifted to the taxpayers.
This bill would require reports to be made regarding frequent ambulance use to the local social services districts. The local social service district can then assess what additional or different services the indi- vidual may need.
Prior legislative history
2017,2018: S541/A.5028 Referred to Local Government 2015,2016: S.1990/A.5287 Referred to Local Government 2013,2014: S.2692/A.6006 Referred to Local Government 2012: S.5727/A.9307 Referred to Local Government 2011: S.5727/A.9307 Referred to Rules
Fiscal implications
Unknown.
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the date on which it shall have become law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.