Patient Interfacility Transportation Requirements

3
26B-2-244
26B-2-244
20
Patient Interfacility Transportation Requirements
2026 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Sahara Hayes
Senate Sponsor: Keith Grover
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This bill enacts provisions related to patient interfacility transportation.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
defines terms;
requires a health care facility to allow a patient to use non-medical transportation to
another health care facility under certain circumstances;
requires a health care facility to provide a notice;
enacts provisions for admissions and billing for a receiving health care facility; and
enacts liability protections for originating health care facilities and health care providers
under certain circumstances.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
None
Other Special Clauses:
None
Utah Code Sections Affected:
ENACTS:
26B-2-244
, Utah Code Annotated 1953
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1. Section
26B-2-244
is enacted to read:
26B-2-244
. Non-medical transport -- Receiving health care facility requirements.
(1)
As used in this section:
(a)
"Adequate time" means:
(i)
for an originating facility located in a county of the fourth, fifth, or sixth class as
classified under Section
17-60-104
, four hours of being discharged by the
originating facility; or
(ii)
for an originating facility not described in Subsection
(1)(a)(i)
, two hours of being
discharged by the originating facility.
(b)
"Ambulance transportation" means transportation provided by a person licensed
under Title 53, Chapter 2d, Emergency Medical Services Act.
(c)
"Health care provider" means:
(i)
a physician licensed under Title 58, Chapter 67, Utah Medical Practice Act, or
Title 58, Chapter 68, Utah Osteopathic Medical Practice Act;
(ii)
a physician assistant licensed under Title 58, Chapter 70a, Utah Physician
Assistant Act; or
(iii)
an advanced practice registered nurse licensed under Subsection
58-31b-301(2)(e)
.
(d)
"Interfacility transfer" means the transferring of a patient between an originating
facility and a receiving facility.
(e)
(i)
"Non-medical transportation" means transportation that does not:
(A)
provide medical services during transport; or
(B)
employ or provide trained medical personnel for transporting an individual.
(ii)
"Non-medical transportation" includes transportation provided by a family
member or public transit.
(f)
"Originating facility" means a health care facility where a patient is currently
admitted or being treated.
(g)
"Receiving facility" means a health care facility that will receive a patient from an
originating facility.
(2)
A health care facility shall allow a patient to use non-medical transportation for an
interfacility transfer if:
(a)
the patient is not subject to:
(i)
temporary commitment described in Section
26B-5-331
; or
(ii)
involuntary commitment described in Section
26B-5-332
;
(b)
the patient's health care provider at the originating facility determines that:
(i)
the patient is not in a condition described in Section
53-2d-405
; and
(ii)
the patient's current medical and mental condition does not require ambulance
transportation to the receiving facility; and
(c)
the transfer would not violate the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor
Act described in 42 U.S.C. Sec. 1395dd.
(3)
A patient may request that a health care facility or health care provider determine
whether the patient is eligible to use non-medical transportation under Subsection
(2)
.
(4)
For a patient eligible to use non-medical transportation for an interfacility transfer, the
health care facility shall provide a written notice to the patient that states:
(a)
the patient's medical and mental condition does not meet medical necessity for
ambulance transportation;
(b)
insurance may elect not to cover the charges for ambulance transportation;
(c)
the patient may be responsible for the cost of ambulance transportation; and
(d)
the current transportation rate and mileage rate established under Section
53-2d-503
.
(5)
If a patient uses non-medical transportation as described in this section and arrives at the
receiving facility within adequate time, the receiving facility may not:
(a)
charge the patient or the patient's insurance or other health benefit plan for admission
or readmission services unless medical staff have reason to believe the patient's
medical condition has changed from when the originating facility discharged the
patient to the time of the patient's arrival at the receiving facility; or
(b)
assign the available bed that the patient was offered upon discharge from the
originating facility to an individual that is not the patient.
(6)
An originating facility or health care provider is immune from civil action for acts or
omissions made when allowing a patient to use non-medical transportation if the
patient's medical or mental condition at the time the originating facility discharges the
patient did not require ambulance transportation to the receiving facility.
(7)
Nothing in this section restricts a patient's ability to refuse health care services,
including any form of transportation.
Section 2.
Effective Date.
This bill takes effect on
May 6, 2026
.
3-3-26 9:52 AM