Brief Description: Revising license and certificate fees for emergency medical services and personnel.

Sponsors: Representative Cody.

Hearing Date:

Staff: Amy Hanson (786-7118).

Background:

The Department of Health (Department) and the various health profession boards issue credentials to 55 types of health care providers. Currently, there are over 250,000 health care providers credentialed in these fields in Washington. Each category of credentialed professionals is required to pay for the costs to the Department to regulate the profession. Fees must be established in rule. The Department may waive the fee when it decides that charging a fee to the profession would not be in the public's best interest or would financially disadvantage the state.

Emergency medical service personnel are certified as either first responders, emergency medical technicians, intermediate life support technicians, or paramedics. The Department certifies these personnel in three year periods and does not charge a fee for certification. There are approximately 16,600 certified emergency medical service personnel. Almost half of these providers are volunteers.

Summary of Bill:

First responders, emergency medical technicians, intermediate life support technicians, and paramedics (emergency medical service personnel) shall be charged certification fees according to their pro rata share of the cost of regulating their professions. Emergency medical service personnel who do not receive compensation for their services are exempt from paying certification fees.

The Department is required to adopt fees for emergency medical service personnel who receive compensation for their services.

The bill also makes technical and terminology changes.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Not requested.

Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.