2007 California Health and Safety Code Article 1. Base Hospitals

CA Codes (hsc:1798.100-1798.105)

1798.100.  In administering the EMS system, the local EMS agency,
with the approval of its medical director, may designate and contract
with hospitals or other entities approved by the medical director of
the local EMS agency pursuant to Section 1798.105 to provide medical
direction of prehospital emergency medical care personnel, within
its area of jurisdiction, as either base hospitals or alternative
base stations, respectively.  Hospitals or other entities so
designated and contracted with as base hospitals or alternative base
stations shall provide medical direction of prehospital emergency
medical care provided for the area defined by the  local EMS agency
in accordance with policies and procedures established by the local
EMS agency and approved by the medical director of the local EMS
agency pursuant to Sections 1797.220 and 1798.



1798.101.  (a) In rural areas, as determined by the authority, where
the use of a base hospital having a basic emergency medical service
special permit pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 1277 is
precluded because of geographic or other extenuating circumstances, a
local EMS agency, in order to assure medical direction to
prehospital emergency medical care personnel, may utilize other
hospitals which do not have a basic emergency medical service permit
but which have been approved by the medical director of the local EMS
agency for utilization as a base hospital, if both of the following
apply:
   (1) Medical control is maintained in accordance with policies and
procedures established by the local EMS agency, with the approval of
the medical director of the local EMS agency.
   (2) Approval is secured from the authority.
   (b) (1) In rural areas, as determined by the authority, when the
use of a hospital having a basic emergency medical service special
permit is precluded because of geographic or other extenuating
circumstances, as determined by the authority, the medical director
of the local EMS agency may authorize another facility which does not
have this special permit to receive patients requiring emergency
medical services if the facility has adequate staff and equipment to
provide these services, as determined by the medical director of the
local EMS agency.
   (2) A local EMS agency which utilizes in its EMS system any
facility which does not have a special permit to receive patients
requiring emergency medical care pursuant to paragraph (1) shall
submit to the authority, as part of the plan required by Section
1797.254, protocols approved by the medical director of the local EMS
agency to ensure that the use of that facility is in the best
interests of patient care. The protocols addressing patient safety
and the use of the nonpermit facility shall take into account, but
not be limited to, the following:
   (A) The medical staff, and the availability of the staff at
various times to care for patients requiring emergency medical
services.
   (B) The ability of staff to care for the degree and severity of
patient injuries.
   (C) The equipment and services available at the facility necessary
to care for patients requiring emergency medical services and the
severity of their injuries.
   (D) The availability of more comprehensive emergency medical
services and the distance and travel time necessary to make the
alternative emergency medical services available.
   (E) The time of day and any limitations which may apply for a
nonpermit facility to treat patients requiring emergency medical
services.
   (3) Any change in the status of a nonpermit facility, authorized
pursuant to this subdivision to care for patients requiring emergency
medical services, with respect to protocols and the facility's
ability to care for the patients shall be reported by the facility to
the local EMS agency.



1798.102.  The base hospital shall supervise prehospital treatment,
triage, and transport, advanced life support or limited advanced life
support, and monitor personnel program compliance by direct medical
supervision.


1798.104.  The base hospital shall provide, or cause to be provided,
EMS prehospital personnel training and continuing education in
accordance with local EMS policies and procedures.



1798.105.  The medical director of the local EMS agency may approve
an alternative base station, as defined in Section 1798.53, to
provide medical direction to advanced life support or limited
advanced life support personnel for an area of the local EMS system
for which no qualified base hospital is available, to provide that
medical direction, providing that both the following conditions are
met:
   (a) Medical control is maintained in accordance with policies and
procedures established by the local EMS agency, with the approval of
the medical director of the local EMS agency.
   (b) Any responsibilities of a base station hospital, including
review of run reports or provision of continuing education, which are
not assigned to the alternative base station, are assigned to either
the local EMS agency, a base hospital for another area of the local
EMS system, or a receiving hospital which has been approved by the
medical director to, and has agreed to, assume the responsibilities.