By Leila Merrill
PHOENIX — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed legislation that prohibits EMTs from diagnosing patients or discouraging them from being transported to a hospital, 12 News reported Monday.
By prohibiting a presumptive diagnosis, House Bill 2431 keeps EMTs from using such a diagnosis as a justification for not transporting a patient. The law does allow for informing a patient about their right to accept or decline transportation.
A spokesperson for the Phoenix Fire Department previously said that its EMTs and paramedics follow state protocols.
State Rep. Amish Shah, a medical doctor who represents District 24, introduced the legislation after finding research suggesting that Phoenix and other areas had a high rate of “non-transports” compared with other jurisdictions.
“What we’ve seen in these cases is a pattern of counseling people out. And that doesn’t fit in best practice,” Shah told 12 News for a previous article.
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