SECTION XX. (a) Notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law to the contrary, the executive office of health and human services, in collaboration with the department of public health and the emergency medical care advisory board, shall establish a special task force to issue a report and make recommendations on the structure, support and delivery of emergency medical services in the commonwealth. The commission shall look at all aspects of emergency medical services and impact on patient quality of care, including but not limited to: the ability to designate emergency medical services as an essential service in the commonwealth; workforce development initiatives; training; compensation; retention; costs versus expenses of care; reimbursement rates; organization of EMS services; the feasibility of reorganizing the emergency medical care advisory board within the executive office of public safety and security, and; local and state support.  The task force shall consist of the following members: the secretary of health and human services or their designee, who shall serve as co-chair; the commissioner of the department of public health or their designee, who shall service as co-chair; and one representative from each of the following organizations: the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association; the Massachusetts Ambulance Association; the Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts; the Massachusetts Association of Behavioral Health Systems; the Association for Behavioral Health Care;  the Massachusetts College of Emergency Physicians, the Massachusetts Emergency Nurses Association, and; the Massachusetts Senior Care Association.

(b) The task force shall conduct an analysis and issue a report which shall include but not be limited to: (i) a review of the methodologies used for determining reimbursement rates affecting the availability of emergency and non-emergency  ambulance transport, including a review of a cost-based method for rate determination, and the potential need to reimburse certain transports requiring longer transport-times or further geographical distances at a higher rate, including but not limited to transports to and within the behavioral health system; (ii) an assessment on the efficacy of the MassHealth non-emergency wheelchair van brokerage program; (iii) industry-wide workforce initiatives including, but not limited to, strategies  to improve recruitment, training, including but not limited to, transitional training opportunities for emergency medical services, and cost of training, certification, and licensure ; (iv) impact of municipal ambulance service contracts being exempt from public bidding requirements; (v) impact of administrative barriers on access and utilization of non-emergency ambulance transport; (vi) the role of external economic factors on the development, sustainability, and retention of the emergency medical service workforce such as the increases in the minimum wage and competition from other industries; and (vii) recommendations on coverage and reimbursement methodology for emerging models, including but not limited to mobile integrated health and alternative behavioral health transportation.

(c) The task force shall convene its first meeting within 30 days of the effective date of this act. The task force shall submit its report, including recommendations to address any statutory, regulatory, budgetary, or other barriers to implementing said recommendations, with the clerks of the house of representatives and senate, the joint committee on health care financing, the joint committee on labor and workforce development, joint committee on public safety and homeland security, and the house and senate committees on ways and means within six months of the effective date of this act.