Where do you stand?

house Bill H.R. 4365

Do Paramedics Need to Legally be Able to Administer Narcotics to Patients?

Argument in favor

Paramedics and other emergency medical technicians often assist patients when they are in dire need of pain medication or anti-seizure drugs, so it needs to be legally clear that they can administer those medications.

Alicia's Opinion

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01/19/2017

Withholding pain medication to those in need is inhumane. If a person is horrific pain, it should be treated as soon as possible. This is akin to cruel and unusual punishment.

Like (24)

Mark's Opinion

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01/30/2017

I'm a paramedic in CO and these medications are vital in some life threatening situations. It is imperative that responders are able to perform with the full scope of their ability

Like (10)

Dan's Opinion

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01/25/2017

If paramedics are properly trained to administer these drugs and checks and balances are put into place to ensure that they are handled responsibly then this could be beneficial to innumerable accident victims.

Like (10)

Argument opposed

Existing law doesn’t need to be clarified to ensure that paramedics can administer drugs that are considered controlled substances without a doctor being present, it’s already permitted and that policy will remain in effect.

Don's Opinion

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01/24/2017

This bill is not necessary as emt's already administer narcotics legally.

Like (10)

Alex's Opinion

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01/13/2017

This bill will allow the ambulance business entity to register to administer the drugs, rather than requiring each staff member to register. This will be less burdensome on business, however, it may create scenarios where the first responder is injecting patients without the proper training. Double edged sword: potentially more access comes with risk. Now ask yourself- would you be OK with the higher potential that someone who doesn't know what they're doing treats you during an emergency? If yes, support this.

Like (4)

Luke's Opinion

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01/23/2017

This bill is a joke. I've been a paramedic for over 20 years. We have NEVER had any issue with administering narcotics or any other drug out in the field. The system works. Don't change what works.

Like (2)

What is House Bill H.R. 4365?

This bill would clarify existing law to ensure that emergency medical responders are able to administer controlled substances — like pain narcotics and anti-seizure medications — under the supervision of a physician. It would let paramedics, nurses, or emergency medical service (EMS) providers give patients those medicines based on instructions given by physicians ahead of time.

An existing policy that allows standing orders to be granted by a physician about the administration of controlled substances would be made into law. The physician would retain oversight over medical decisions.

EMS responsible would be liable for receiving, storing, and tracking controlled substances under their care in a manner similar to current procedures at hospitals.

Impact

Emergency medical responders; their patients; and doctors.

Cost of House Bill H.R. 4365

A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.

More Information

In-Depth: Sponsoring Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC) introduced this bill to ensure that the law clearly allows emergency medical responders to administer controlled substances when treating patients:

“Without this solution, we risk sacrificing emergency care and endangering patients simply because law and regulation have no kept up with the evolution of modern medicine. This legislation is an important clarification of law that allows our first responders to continue administering life-saving medications when they need them most.”

This legislation passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee on a voice vote, and has the bipartisan support of 134 cosponsors in the House — including 89 Republicans and 45 Democrats.

Media:

Summary by Eric Revell

(Photo Credit: James Hellman, MD / Creative Commons)