Legislative Updates

EMS standing orders update


POSTED IN: Legislative Updates,

On Monday, Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Mike Bennet (D-CO) reintroduced the ACEP-supported “Protecting Patient Access to Emergency Medications Act” (S. 916) and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee approved it by voice vote on Wednesday.

For those not familiar with this legislation, it allows EMS to give benzodiazepines and opioids under standing orders. Basically, it allows them to continue to do what they were doing, treating seizures, pain, and other disorders without having to wait and call to obtain consent from medical control, first. This legislation almost went through last year before stalling in the Senate.