By Michael Touchstone, BS, EMT-P As supervisors, managers and leaders, we have a responsibility to participate in preparing our practitioners for practice. Likewise, we have a responsibility to participate in succession planning. We should be preparing practitioners who want to grow professionally to fill supervisory, management and leadership roles. There are various classes available and […]
By Pascal Rodier, MA, MStJ The unfortunate situation exists today that if you were to go out into any crew room and ask the average paramedic whether they would ever aspire to be a supervisor or an officer one day, they would probably laugh out loud. We have to ask ourselves why that is. Although […]
In my role in the EMS Section of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), I have had the opportunity to write numerous articles about all things EMS. From responder safety and personal protective equipment to technological advances in professional development and education, my goal has been to jumpstart a conversation, not within just fire-based […]
By Paul LeSage & Mike Taigman Every once in a while, you’ll run across a patient care report that causes your blood pressure to spike, your pulse to double and your “I’m going to fire someone” trigger finger to get itchy. We were reviewing some charts last week when one launched my sympathetic nervous system […]
By Michael T. Metro Threats can turn into opportunities with strategic planning. A potential threat to your ambulance reimbursement rates needs your action now. Recently, there has been much talk regarding the impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA; P.L. 111-148) on pre-hospital care and EMS. Many have said there will be […]
The community paramedicine program is one part of a three-pronged approach taken by REMSA to find ways to provide the most appropriate and safest care for patients with low-acuity medical conditions at lower overall cost. The other two include a nurse health line and ambulance transport alternatives. These programs are funded by a Centers for […]
By Paul LeSage & Mike Taigman Recently, there have been several news articles related to an interesting new public safety software designed for police agencies. This software disables all but the mapping and GPS functions of the mobile data computer (MDC) when an ambulance is operating over a certain speed. This has the potential to […]
EMS leaders have long known that what we do is a high-stress occupation. However, the drastically increasing number of suicides within our workforce compels leaders to shine a bright light into the dark corners of our caregivers’ souls and directly upon our profession’s apathy. According to the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance, nearly 600 EMS and […]
Most EMS organizations know how many vehicle crashes their rigs have been involved in and how many patients they have dropped. Some know how many medication errors their folks have made, how many ECGs have been misinterpreted, and how many serious trauma patients have been transported to a non-trauma center. Very few know how many […]
By Paul LeSage & Mike Taigman Ask any EMS leader if safety is one of their organization’s core values and it’s unlikely that you will hear anything other than, “Of course the safety of our providers and patients is one of our top values.” If you look at safety from the provider’s perspective, the risks […]
Inside Current Issue
Implementing a Health Information Exchange
Documentation Differences
SARS-Like Virus a Global Threat
Recall Alert
