§ 20-13-1602. Community paramedics — Licensure — Services

(a) To be eligible for licensure by the Department of Health under the Division of Emergency Medical Services as a community paramedic, an individual shall:

1. (1) Be currently licensed as a paramedic;

2. (2) Have two (2) years of full-time service as a paramedic;

3. (3) Be actively employed by a licensed paramedic ambulance service; and

4. (4) Have successfully completed a community paramedic training program from an accredited college or university approved by the Department of Health under the Division of Emergency Services.

(b) The training program for the community paramedic shall consist of a minimum of three hundred (300) hours of classroom and clinical education as follows:

1. (1) Clinical experience that is provided under the supervision of a community paramedic service medical director, advanced practice registered nurse, physician assistant, or home health nurse; and

2. (2) Areas of clinical experience, including at a minimum:

   1. (A) Emergency department services;

   2. (B) Home health services;

   3. (C) Hospital case management; and

   4. (D) Public health agencies services.

(c) A community paramedic may provide services as directed by a patient care plan after the plan has been developed or approved, or both, by the patient’s physician in conjunction with the community paramedic service’s medical director.

(d) An individual is an eligible patient for community paramedic services if the individual has been identified by the individual’s treating physician as an individual for whom community paramedic services would likely:

1. (1) Prevent admission to or allow discharge from a nursing facility; or

2. (2) Prevent readmission to a hospital or nursing home.

(e) Community paramedic services are limited to:

1. (1) Coordination of community services;

2. (2) Chronic disease monitoring and education;

3. (3) Health assessment;

4. (4) Hospital discharge follow-up care;

5. (5) Laboratory specimen collection; and

6. (6) Medication compliance.

(f) For purposes of relicensure, a community paramedic shall:

1. (1) Complete an additional fifteen (15) hours of training beyond the relicensure requirements as a paramedic; and

2. (2) Be active in performing the skills of a community paramedic.