Emergency medical services regions; regional emergency medical services advisory boards, membership; regional emergency medical services system plans; rules. (1) The Oregon Health Authority shall, with the advice of the Emergency Medical Services Advisory Board, designate emergency medical services regions that are consistent with local resources, geography, current patient referral patterns and existing regionalized health care structures and networks. The authority and the Emergency Medical Services Advisory Board shall establish a regional emergency medical services advisory board for each designated emergency medical services region. The authority and the Emergency Medical Services Advisory Board may determine the membership of each regional emergency medical services advisory board, and shall ensure that the membership reflects the geographic, cultural, linguistic and economic diversity of the emergency medical services region

(2) Each emergency medical services region must include at least one hospital categorized according to the emergency medical services region’s emergency medical services capabilities as determined by standards adopted by the authority by rule.

(3) The authority, with the advice of the Emergency Medical Services Advisory Board, shall appoint the members of the regional emergency medical services advisory boards. Members serve at the pleasure of the authority. Each regional emergency medical services advisory board is responsible for:

(a) The development and maintenance of a regional emergency medical services system plan as described in subsection (4) of this section;

(b) Central medical direction for all field care and transportation consistent with geographic and current communications capability; and

(c) Patient triage protocols for time-sensitive emergencies.

(4) Each regional emergency medical services system plan:

(a) Must include the following:

(A) A recommendation of hospitals in the emergency medical services region to be designated by the authority as emergency medical services centers under ORS 682.527;

(B) A description of the patient triage protocols to be used in the emergency medical services region;

(C) A description of the transportation of patients, including the transportation of patients who are members of a health maintenance organization, as defined in ORS 442.015;

(D) Information regarding how the emergency medical services region will coordinate with state and regional disaster preparedness efforts; and

(E) Any other information required by the authority by rule.

(b) Must be approved by the authority prior to implementation.

(c) May be revised with the approval of the authority.

(5) The authority may, with the advice of the Emergency Medical Services Advisory Board, implement the regional emergency medical services plans and may coordinate with a regional emergency medical services advisory board to make changes desired by the authority to the regional emergency medical services advisory board. [2024 c.32 §11]