FRANKFORT, Ky. (July 30, 2024) — Legislators on the Interim Joint Committee on Health Services heard Tuesday from paramedic and emergency medical technician advocates, trauma network supporters and other medical-related stakeholders.
John Holder, chair of the Kentucky Board of Emergency Medical Services, said EMS groups are “hemorrhaging providers,” causing great concern.
“The EMS in Kentucky has an attrition rate of 21% among our providers right now. That means for us, two out of 10 of our providers will not return and will not certify again next year,” he said.
Additionally, Holder said the call volume is up 30,000 runs from the time a legislative task force started examining the situation approximately two years ago.
Committee Co-Chair Sen. Stephen Meredith, R-Leitchfield, said he filed legislation last year dubbed the “super speeder bill.” He said it’s modeled after legislation in Georgia, a state that didn’t have a trauma network and needed a way to fund it.
“So, in Georgia, if you go 20 miles over the speed limit, you get an additional $200 fine, which is put into a trauma fund. And for Georgia, this generates $20 million a year. The legislation I filed – I had a compromise on it. It would actually call for 25 miles over the speed limit,” he said.
Meredith said the fines could possibly generate $9 million a year in Kentucky by using the 25-mile-an-hour speeding infraction. He said that could help improve the EMT situation in Kentucky, bolster the Kentucky Rural Hospital Revolving Loan Program and pay for new automated external defibrillators (AEDs).
Sen. Karen Berg, D-Louisville, who is a physician, said she favors allowing inmates who are trained to be emergency medical technicians to keep practicing once they are released from incarceration.
“They’ve already been selected. They’ve already been trained. This is just a suggestion. I made it years ago. Nobody wanted to listen to it because these people have felony convictions, but the truth is you have a right to make up a debt to society,” she said.
Rep. Lisa Willner, D-Louisville, asked Holder what paramedic and EMT leaders need from the legislators to increase reimbursement rates. She expressed apprehension that paramedics and EMTs don’t get reimbursed when patients aren’t transported to a hospital.
Holder said treatment in place is a good thing because patients don’t have to go to a hospital unnecessarily and hospitals don’t have to incur the costs if patients can be treated in the field.
“Basically, we would need support from you to increase those reimbursement rates. We’re moving our advanced practice paramedics forward, including community paramedics and mobile integrated health programs,” he said. “Looking forward in the very near future, we’re going to be looking for avenues for those folks to be reimbursed when they go out and provide that care.”
Committee members also heard from Richard “Dick” Bartlett, Kentucky State Trauma Program Director for the Kentucky Hospital Association, who said trauma is a severe health problem and is a major cause of death and long-term disability. He said trauma centers save lives and money.
“We have built a system essentially using voluntary assistance, grants and gifts, and we’ve grown it from four verified trauma centers in 2008 to where we are today, which is about 23. And I’ve got probably five to seven more that are working hard to become trauma centers down the road." he said.
Meredith said the cost of doing nothing to remedy trauma system and EMT/paramedic situations would be staggering.
“We heard from the trauma system that they want $1 million. Really, that’s not that much money, but the return is just phenomenal. The EMTs are asking for $3 million and $6 million over the biennium. Again, the return on investment could be incredible,” he said.
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“Capitol Update” is a non-partisan publication of the Legislative Research Commission
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