PLEASE NOTE: Legislative Information cannot perform research, provide legal advice, or interpret Maine law. For legal assistance, please contact a qualified attorney.
An Act To Require Cameras in Ambulances When a Patient Is Being Transported
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  32 MRSA §86, sub-§4  is enacted to read:
 
4.  Video recording required.     An ambulance that is or may be used to transport a patient from the scene of an emergency or from a hospital or other health care facility to another place must be equipped with video recording equipment capable of creating a clear video record of the care provided to the patient during the transport. Whenever an ambulance transports a patient from the scene of an emergency or from a hospital or other health care facility to another place, the video recording equipment required under this subsection must be in operation for the duration of the transport and must be producing a clear video record of the care provided to the patient.
 
A.  A licensee that operates an ambulance service required under this subsection to be equipped with video recording equipment shall maintain each video record required to be produced under this subsection for 90 days from the date of the recording, after which time the licensee shall ensure that the video record is destroyed.
 
B.  In accordance with federal health information privacy laws and regulations and Title 22, section 1711-C, a video record produced under this subsection must be maintained as confidential. A licensee shall provide a copy of a video record produced under this subsection to the board or the department upon request, and the board or the department shall maintain the confidentiality of the video record in accordance with the requirements of section 91-B.
 
SUMMARY
This bill requires that, whenever an ambulance transports a patient from the scene of an emergency or from a hospital or other health care facility to another place, the ambulance must be equipped with video recording equipment that is in operation for the duration of the transport and that is producing a clear video record of the care provided to the patient. In accordance with applicable federal and state law, the video records are to be maintained as confidential by the ambulance service operator and, if applicable, by the Emergency Medical Services' Board and the Department of Public Safety.