Where does EMS fit in Accountable Care Organizations? In June, the U.S. Supreme Court determined that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) was constitutional, paving the way for sweeping healthcare reform throughout the United States. However, even before the Court’s decision, many changes to the healthcare landscape contained in the PPACA, which will […]
Important lessons on organizational culture for EMS How can repeated instances of child abuse occur in an educational institution that should be devoted to protecting the welfare of children? The essence of the Report of the Special Investigative Counsel, prepared by the law firm headed by former FBI Director Lewis Freeh, at the direction of […]
End the discrimination against administrative & support staff Paramedics, EMTs and medical first responders are all required to undergo continuing education. The legal motivation is to keep their licensure or certification current. The organization motivation is to make sure that those who provide patient care are competent in the treatment of common and less commonly-seen […]
Passing legislation that meets both Medicaid & private insurance requirements During the 2011 session of the Minnesota Legislature, my lobbying partner and fellow paramedic Buck McAlpin, recognized the incredible possibilities for community paramedics (CP) in the evolving EMS delivery system. An innovative idea gains traction and secures credibility in the healthcare delivery system when it’s […]
When good intentions go wrong Earlier this year, the lifeless body of a newborn baby girl was found along the shallow shoreline of the Mississippi River, just south of Minneapolis. The abandoned child had no visible injuries and had been carried to term. What made the tragedy particularly heartbreaking was that the baby had been […]
Identifying the stakeholders and what they need from us In the immortal words of Astronaut James Lovell during the Apollo 13 mission, “Houston, we have a problem.” For the past three decades, EMS leaders and public policymakers have educated the community that generally a “fast” EMS system equates to a “quality” EMS system. We have […]
Accessing your risk level The big question for communities is, “How much is enough response security?” This can be restated as, “What is an acceptable risk level?” These two questions have an inverse relationship. You can’t know what constitutes enough response security unless you know your necessary baseline risk level. To determine an acceptable risk […]
Building a comprehensive scorecard for EMS systems One of the challenges we face in EMS is measuring how well our overall EMS system and the various processes within it are performing. Several recent columns have addressed the issue of measuring EMS performance on ACS/STEMI cases (EMS Insider October 2011 and March 2012). This time, a […]
In the post-9/11 world, many businesses and organizations have become engrossed in the debate over whether we’re prepared for the next terrorist attack, large-scale natural disaster or who-knows-what kind of major incident. For emergency response organizations, the abundance of funding sources from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funds and similar agencies provide new options […]
Leadership lessons for a new service delivery model There are clear indications that things will be different for EMS as U.S. healthcare moves toward accountable-care organizations (ACOs) and other innovative delivery models. Regardless of the election results this fall, some form of healthcare reform is looming. EMS is clearly moving toward a future with higher […]
App Store Links
EMS Insider Newsletter
Inside Current Issue
Implementing a Health Information Exchange
Documentation Differences
SARS-Like Virus a Global Threat
Recall Alert
EMS Admin and Leadership
- Metropolitan Medical Directors Share Protocols on Ebola Practices and Procedures
- Editor-in-Chief A.J. Heightman Gives Specs for his Ideal Ambulance
EMS News
- FDNY Bans “Ebola” from Radio Transmissions
- Philadelphia Officials Clash over Ebola Readiness
EMS Training
- Cleaning the Rig’s Invisible Enemies
- Powerful Labs Help Students and Educators
EMS Featured Articles
- How EMS in Rural Methow Valley, Wash., Coped with a Devastating Wildfire
- 2014 JEMS Salary & Workplace Survey