South Carolina § 44-61-40 - Required licenses and permits; applications; requirement to retain medical control physician; renewals.

§ 44-61-40. Required licenses and permits; applications; requirement to retain medical control physician; renewals.

(A) A person, firm, corporation, association, county, district, municipality, or metropolitan government or agency, either as owner, agent, or otherwise, may not furnish, operate, conduct, maintain, advertise, or otherwise engage in or profess to engage in the business or service of providing emergency medical response or ambulance service, or both, without obtaining a license and ambulance permit issued by the department. Failure to furnish, operate, conduct, maintain, advertise, or otherwise engage in or profess to engage in the business or service of providing emergency medical response or ambulance service without the proper license or permit, or both, from the department results in a Class I civil penalty, as defined in Regulation 61-7(304).

(B) Applicants shall file license applications with the appropriate official of the department having authority over emergency services. At a minimum, license applications shall contain evidence of ability to conform to the standards and regulations established by the board and such other information as may be required by the department. If the application is approved, the license will be issued. If the application is disapproved, the applicant may appeal in a manner pursuant to Article 3, Chapter 23, Title 1.

(C) An applicant shall retain a medical control physician to maintain quality control of the patient care provided by the applicant's service. No medical control physician acting in good faith who participates in the review or evaluation of the services provided by the applicant to help improve the quality of patient care is liable for any civil damages as a result of any act or omission by the physician in the course of a review or evaluation.

(D) Applicants shall renew licenses and permits every two years.

HISTORY: 1962 Code SECTION 32-905.34; 1974 (58) 2370; 1996 Act No. 263, SECTION 4; 2004 Act No. 271, SECTION 1, eff July 16, 2004; 2010 Act No. 157, SECTION 1, eff May 11, 2010.