1. a) The Department shall approve the development of a new EMS System only when a local or Regional need for establishing such System has been identified (Section 3.20(c)(1) of the Act). The applicant shall submit documentation addressing the following:

   1. 1) A clear description of its current role and status within the existing System;
   2. 2) Its rationale for separating from the existing System and developing its own program;
   3. 3) A description of the methods to be used for ensuring the coordination of emergency services with adjacent Systems, including the System that it proposes to leave;
   4. 4) A statement detailing the effect that the proposed change will have on the area's pre-hospital services and patient referral patterns;
   5. 5) A statement summarizing the steps to be taken to ensure that the necessary quality and level of care will be maintained during the implementation phase of the proposed System; and
   6. 6) A letter of support from the Regional Advisory Committee.

2. b) In the event of a denial letter from the Regional Advisory Committee, the Department may approve the establishment of a new System based upon any of the following criteria:

   1. 1) Unavailability or inaccessibility of primary or continuing education to current providers that participate in the area;
   2. 2) Discrepancy between the level of pre-hospital emergency care of the EMS System and the level of the provider; or
   3. 3) Documentation of extenuating circumstances, to be reviewed by the Department on an individual basis, where a special need exists and/or a special population is not serviced by an existing EMS System.

(Source: Amended at 25 Ill. Reg. 16386, effective December 20, 2001)