Title 31 — Title 31

(a) The General Assembly finds and determines: (1) That the furnishing of emergency medical services is a matter of substantial importance to the people of this state; (2) That the cost and quality of emergency medical services are matters within the public interest; (3) That it …

Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as prohibiting or preventing a municipality from fixing, charging, or assessing any license fee or registration fee on any business or profession covered by this chapter or upon any related profession or any person engaged in any profess…

As used in this article, the term: 661 31-11-100 (1) ‘‘Burn trauma center’’ means a facility that has been designated by the Department of Public Health as a burn center and that admits at least 300 patients annually with the burn specific principal diagnosis codes as published b…

The Georgia Trauma Care Network Commission shall have the following duties and responsibilities: (1) To apply for, receive, and administer state funds appropriated to the commission and federal funds and grants, private grants and donations, and other funds and donations. The com…

(a) There is established the Georgia Trauma Trust Fund. The executive director of the Georgia Trauma Care Network Commission shall serve as the trustee of the Georgia Trauma Trust Fund. The moneys deposited into such fund pursuant to this article may be expended by the executive …

This chapter shall not apply to the following: (1) An ambulance or ambulance service operated by an agency of the United States government; (2) A vehicle or aircraft that is operated by a person who is not licensed to furnish ambulance service which is rendering assistance tempor…

The General Assembly finds and declares that: (1) The rapid identification, diagnosis, and treatment of stroke can save the lives of stroke patients and in some cases can reverse neurological damage such as paralysis and speech and language impairments, leaving stroke patients wi…

(a) The department shall identify hospitals that meet the criteria set forth in this article as comprehensive, primary, or remote treatment stroke centers. In addition, the department shall be authorized to establish one or more additional levels of stroke centers, in consultatio…

(a) A hospital identified as a comprehensive or primary stroke center shall be certified as such by a national health care accreditation body recognized by the department. Any hospital wishing to receive official identification under this subsection shall submit a written applica…

(a) In order to encourage and ensure the establishment of stroke centers throughout the state, the department shall award grants, subject to appropriations from the General Assembly, to hospitals that seek identification as remote treatment stroke centers and demonstrate a need f…

(a) In order to assure that the patients are receiving the appropriate level of care and treatment at each level of stroke center in the state, each hospital identified as a stroke center shall annually report information, as specified by the department in its rules and regulatio…

This article shall not be construed to be a medical practice guideline and shall not be used to restrict the authority of a hospital to provide services for which it has received a license under state law. The General Assembly intends that all patients be treated individually bas…

A hospital may not advertise to the public, by way of any medium whatsoever, that it is identified by the state as a comprehensive, primary, remote treatment, or other level stroke center unless the hospital has been identified as such by the department pursuant to this article. …

The department shall be authorized to promulgate rules and regulations to carry out the purposes of this article. History. — Code 1981, § 31-11-119, enacted by Ga. L. 2008, p. 1102, § 2/SB 549; Ga. L. 2016, p. 438, § 1/HB 853. Editor’s notes. — Ga. L. 2016, p. 438, § 2/HB 853, no…

The General Assembly finds and declares that: (1) Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in the United States and in Georgia; (2) Georgia ranks as the thirty-eighth worst in the nation for numbers of deaths from cardiovascular disease; (3) There were 79,901 death…

As used in this article, the term: (1) ‘‘Emergency cardiac care center’’ means a hospital that has been designated by the office pursuant to this article as meeting the criteria set forth in this article. (2) ‘‘Office’’ means the Office of Cardiac Care established pursuant to thi…

(a) There shall be established the Office of Cardiac Care within the Department of Public Health. The office shall administer the designation process provided for in this article, including, but not limited to, data collection, analysis and reporting, and site visits. (b) The off…

(a) A hospital shall apply to the office for designation as an emergency cardiac care center through an application process to be determined by the office. A hospital shall demonstrate to the satisfaction of the office that the hospital meets the applicable criteria set forth in …

(a) The office shall establish a data reporting system which may be composed of one or more data bases for the reporting of data on all out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients and all heart attack patients. The data reporting system may be composed of data bases established or de…

(a) In order to encourage and ensure the establishment of emergency cardiac care centers throughout the state, the office shall award grants, subject to appropriations from the General Assembly, to hospitals that seek designation as emergency cardiac care centers and demonstrate …

This article shall not be construed to be a medical practice guideline or to establish a standard of care for treatment and shall not be used to restrict the authority of a hospital to provide services for which it has received a license under state law. The General Assembly inte…

A hospital may not advertise to the public, by way of any medium whatsoever, that it is identified by the state as an emergency cardiac care center unless the hospital has been designated as such by the office pursuant to this article. History. — Code 1981, § 31-11-138, enacted b…

The office shall be authorized to promulgate rules and regulations to carry out the purposes of this article. History. — Code 1981, § 31-11-139, enacted by Ga. L. 2017, p. 302, § 1/SB 102. 682 T.31, C.12 CONTROL OF HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS T.31, C.12 CHAPTER 12 CONTROL OF HAZARDOUS C…

As used in this chapter, the term: (1) ‘‘Air ambulance’’ means any rotary-wing aircraft used or intended to be used for hire for transportation of sick or injured persons who may need medical attention during transport. (1.1) ‘‘Air ambulance service’’ means the for-hire providing…

(a) No person shall operate an ambulance service in this state without having a valid license or provisional license issued by the license officer pursuant to this chapter. (b) No person shall make use of the word ‘‘ambulance’’ to describe any ground or air transportation or faci…

An application for a license or provisional license shall be made to the license officer. The application shall be made upon forms prescribed by the license officer and shall contain the following: 638 31-11-31.1 (1) The name and address of the owner of the ambulance service or p…

(a) Every ambulance service, whether privately operated or operated by any political subdivision of the state or any municipality, as a condition of maintaining a valid license shall pay an annual license fee to the license officer in an amount to be determined by the Board of Pu…

(a) The license officer shall, within ten days after receipt of an application for a license or provisional license as provided for in this article, cause such investigation as he deems necessary to be made to determine that the standards prescribed by this chapter have been met.…

(a) Every ambulance operated on the streets, highways, and private access roads of this state by persons engaged in providing ambulance service shall have insurance coverage issued by an insurance company licensed to do business in this state providing at least the minimum covera…

Ambulances operated by persons engaged in providing ambulance service shall meet all standards as set forth in the department’s rules and regulations. History. — Code 1933, § 88-3105, enacted by Ga. L. 1972, p. 625, § 1; Ga. L. 1975, p. 916, § 2; Ga. L. 2003, p. 304, § 9. 31-11-3…

(a) Any license issued under this article may be suspended or revoked for a failure of a licensee to comply and to maintain compliance with this article or rules and regulations issued under this article, but only after opportunity for a hearing as provided in Article 1 of Chapte…

The board or its designee shall exercise continuing supervision over the operations of the EMSC Program in each health district and shall make all necessary modifications in accord with the procedures set forth in Code Section 31-11-3. History. — Code 1933, § 88-3117, enacted by …

As used in this article, the term: (1) ‘‘Center’’ means the Georgia Crime Information Center. (2) ‘‘Certify’’ and ‘‘certification’’ are synonymous with ‘‘license’’ and ‘‘licensure.’’ (3) ‘‘Emergency medical services personnel’’ means all individuals licensed by the department und…

(a) The department is authorized to adopt and promulgate rules and regulations for the protection of the public health: (1) Prescribing reasonable health, sanitation, and safety standards for transporting patients in ambulances; (2) Prescribing reasonable conditions under which a…

(a) To enhance the provision of emergency medical care, each ambulance service shall be required to have a medical adviser. The adviser shall be a physician licensed to practice medicine in this state and subject to approval by the medical consultant of the Emergency Health Secti…

Medical adviser. Certification and recertification of emergency medical technicians; rules and regulations; use of conviction data in licensing decisions. 31-11-52. Certification and recertification of, and training for, paramedics and cardiac technicians. 31-11-53. Services whic…

Certificates issued to emergency medical technicians pursuant to this chapter may be revoked for good cause, as set forth in the rules and regulations, by the department after notice to the certificate holder of the charges and an opportunity for hearing. Such proceedings shall b…

31-11-58. Recertification of emergency medical technicians; continuing education requirements. 31-11-58.1. Recertification of paramedics and cardiac technicians; continuing education requirements. 31-11-59. Services of emergency medical technicians, paramedics, 623 T.31, C.11 Sec…

Records of each ambulance trip shall be made by the ambulance service in a manner and on such forms as may be prescribed by the department through regulations. Such records shall be available for inspection by the department at any time, and a summary of ambulance service activit…

Any person who shall falsely represent himself to be a certified emergency medical technician, certified cardiac technician, or certified paramedic or who shall accept or continue in employment as such and perform the duties thereof without being certified as prescribed by this c…

This article shall be known and cited as the ‘‘Emergency Services Law.’’ History. — Code 1981, § 31-11-80, enacted by Ga. L. 1996, p. 668, § 1. 659 31-11-81 31-11-81. Definitions.

As used in this article, the term: (1) ‘‘Emergency condition’’ means any medical condition of a recent onset and severity, including but not limited to severe pain that would lead a prudent layperson, possessing an average knowledge of medicine and health, to believe that his or …

The department and its duly authorized agents are authorized to enforce compliance with this chapter and rules and regulations promulgated under this chapter as provided in Article 1 of Chapter 5 of this title and, in connection therewith during the reasonable business hours of t…