The proposed regulations required by Senate Bill 16-069 (Concerning Measures to Provide Community-Based Out-of-Hospital Medical Services) are in draft form and are being provided for your review on the Health Facilities website: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/draft-regulations. The draft rules for Standards for Community Integrated Health Care Service Agencies, 6 CCR 1011-3, will be presented to the Board of Health on August 16, 2017 to ask that the Board to schedule a hearing. The rulemaking hearing is planned for October 18, 2017. These rules create a new licensing category at the Department of Public Health and Environment for Community Integrated Health Care Service (CIHCS) Agencies.
These agencies will be licensed to offer out-of-hospital medical services to consumers who may lack the resources, financial or otherwise, for their medical needs and who may be utilizing the emergency medical services system to address needs that could be met more effectively and efficiently in a different manner. For eleven months, the Department worked with a task force consisting of representatives of the Colorado Association of Local Public Health Officials, Center for Health Progress (fka Colorado Coalition of Medically Underserved), Colorado Counties, Inc., Colorado Hospital Association, Colorado Municipal League, Colorado Nurses Association, Colorado State Fire Chiefs Association, Emergency Medical Services Association of Colorado, Home Care Association, Home Care Advisory Committee, International Association of Fire Fighters, and the State Emergency Medical and Trauma Services Advisory Council to create rules that address the requirements of Senate Bill 16-069:
(1) CIHCS Agency medical direction;
(2) Department inspection of agencies;
(3) Minimum educational training and experience standards for administrator and staff;
(4) License fees from applicants, including governmental entities;
(5) Insurance;
(6) Occurrence reporting; and
(7) Record retention and agency reporting.
In addition to addressing these requirements, the proposed rules set forth necessary definitions such as "out-of-hospital medical services" and standards governing CIHCS Agency operations, including consumer eligibility, types of services CIHCS Agencies may provide, and required service plan, assessment, and discharge procedures. These proposed rules reflect the consensus reached by the task force as to who is eligible to receive CIHCS Agency services; the characteristics that distinguish CIHCS Agencies and their providers from other health care agencies and providers; and the level of medical direction necessary in a CIHCS Agency.
Please direct any comments or questions regarding the proposed rules to Alexandra.haas@state.co.us by August 31, 2017.
This blog publishes information typically sent to users of the Colorado Health Facilities Interactive (COHFI) system for health care entities regulated by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Please note that COHFI is the official medium for business communication between the Department and licensed and/or Medicare/Medicaid certified health care entities. Health care entities should continue to monitor their email accounts routinely.
