(a) The Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department shall establish an Integrated Health Care Task Force to study nationally recognized best practices and develop recommendations regarding strategies for reducing EMS call volume, improving EMS delivery, and providing for collaboration between agencies, hospitals, health care organizations, and community-based organizations, as well as strategies to achieve these goals by connecting patients with appropriate health care and social services.

(b) The Task Force shall:

(1) Examine the need for, cost of, and implementation of a pilot community paramedicine program ("program"), including:

(A) Which District agency should manage the program;

(B) Whether the program should be a self-sustaining independent entity that links hospitals, practice pharmacies, community health centers, schools, behavioral health services, public health services, nursing homes, and home health services;

(C) Whether the program should employ case managers who are notified when a patient comes into contact with social service or EMS providers; and

(D) Whether the program should be staffed with Department civilian EMS employees;

(2) Determine the usefulness of advice nurses, tele-medicine, and tele-health techniques;

(3) Examine the need for, cost of, and implementation of transporting EMS patients to destinations other than hospitals;

(4) Make recommendations on how to best educate the community on medical conditions and resources for non-emergency medical conditions, as well as the proper use of 911;

(5) Make recommendations on how to connect repeat users of EMS to effective health care and other services while considering the use of technology and data sharing consistent with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, approved August 21, 1996 (110 Stat. 1936; 42 U.S.C. § 1320d, et seq.) ("Act"), and the regulations issued pursuant to the Act;

(6) Make recommendations for the District to provide additional health care resources to meet the needs identified by the Task Force, if the Task Force concludes that such resources are necessary;

(7) Develop reporting requirements, performance measurements, or patient surveys that should be used to evaluate programs recommended by the Task Force; and

(8) Make recommendations for criteria that will enable the District to train and equip members of the Department to provide pediatric care.

(c) The Task Force shall be comprised of the following:

(1) The Department's Medical Director, who shall chair the Task Force;

(2) One representative from a District-based college or university;

(3) Three representatives from organizations for which the primary purpose of the organization is to provide services, education, or outreach to underserved populations with gaps in EMS or health services;

(4) One representative from the District of Columbia Emergency Medical Services Advisory Committee, established by § 7-2341.22;

(5) Two labor representatives, one from each labor organization affiliated with the Department;

(6) One representative from the Department of Aging and Community Living;

(7) One representative from the Department of Health;

(8) One representative from the Department of Health Care Finance;

(9) One representative from the Department of Behavioral Health; and

(10) One representative from the Office of Unified Communications.

(d)(1) By June 30, 2017, the Task Force shall submit a report to the Mayor and to the Council that includes the definition of the issues identified in subsection (a) of this section, an analysis of the data supporting the objective assessments, and recommendations completed pursuant to subsection (b) of this section.

(2) The Task Force shall dissolve after transmitting its report under paragraph (1) of this subsection.

(e) For the purposes of this section, the term:

(1) "Department" means the Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department.

(2) "EMS" means emergency medical services.

(3) "Practice pharmacies" means pharmacies that optimize health outcomes from drug-related treatments, research safe and effective drug use, and develop practices that maximize patient benefit from medications.

(4) "Task Force" means the Integrated Health Care Task Force established pursuant to this section.

(June 20, 1906, 52 Stat. 78, ch. 3443, § 3b; as added Oct. 8, 2016, D.C. Law 21-160, § 3082, 63 DCR 10775; Mar. 29, 2019, D.C. Law 22-276, § 3(c), 66 DCR 1721.)