HB 2883.E - DIGEST

(AS OF HOUSE 2ND READING 3/10/04)

Finds that requiring all patients who need to travel in a prone or supine position but are medically stable, to be transported by ambulance can be overly restrictive to individuals with disabilities. These individuals frequently travel by means of reclining wheelchairs or devices commonly referred to as banana carts. Expanding travel options for these individuals will give them greater opportunities for mobility and reduce their costs of travel.

Declares that "stretcher" means a cart designed to serve as a litter for the transportation of a patient in a prone or supine position as is commonly used in the ambulance industry, such as wheeled stretchers, portable stretchers, stair chairs, solid backboards, scoop stretchers, basket stretchers, or flexible stretchers. The term does not include personal mobility aids that recline at an angle or remain at a flat position, that are owned or leased for a period of at least one week by the individual using the equipment or the individual's guardian or representative, such as wheelchairs, personal gurneys, or banana carts.