HB 57-EMERGENCY MED. SVCS: REVIEW ORGANIZATIONS  3:38:15 PM CHAIR SUMNER announced that the next order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 57, "An Act relating to review organizations and permitting an emergency medical services provider to establish a review organization; and relating to patient records." 3:38:41 PM REPRESENTATIVE WRIGHT, as prime sponsor, introduced HB 57. He stated that emergency medical service (EMS) providers currently are not included in the legal definition for privacy protections. 3:40:14 PM ALLAN RIORDAN-RANDALL, Staff, Representative Stanley Wright, Alaska State Legislature, presented HB 57 on behalf of Representative Wright, prime sponsor. He stated that it would modify sections of AS 18.23.07.0 to add EMS personnel to the definitions for privacy protections. It would reduce excess litigation against EMS personnel and allow them to perform better at their jobs. 3:42:04 PM BRIAN WEBB, Emergency Medical Services Officer, Section of Rural and Community Health Systems, Division of Public Health, Department of Health, described EMS providers being without the same privacy protections as other medical providers as an "omission." Legislation to protect this privacy for EMS providers has been enacted in other states. He said that many rural communities have EMS directors that are volunteers. The lack of privacy protections that they would otherwise have causes some to resign. 3:44:43 PM REPRESENTATIVE PRAX asked whether medical professionals have professional liability insurance coverage. MR. WEBB answered that medical professionals do have such coverage but added that that coverage does not carry over when a medical professional is acting as a volunteer EMS director. 3:46:05 PM DR. MICHAEL LEVY, EMS Medical Director, Section of Rural and Community Health Systems, Division of Public Health, Department of Health, stated that EMS is a sub-specialty of board certified medicine, demonstrating that it is its own unique branch of the healthcare system. He said that peer review of best practices in medicine is used to improve the care given by providers that is largely unavailable to EMS providers because they do not have the same privacy protections as other healthcare providers. 3:48:36 PM REPRESENTATIVE PRAX asked whether professional liability insurance is available to EMS providers. DR. LEVY answered that malpractice insurance is available to EMS personnel. He added that the importance of peer review is to improve care, but without privacy protections, EMS personnel could face "discovery" for potential civil proceedings. [HB 57 was held over.]