By Doug Wolfberg & Steve Wirth We all know federal privacy regulations limit the use and disclosure of patient information by EMS agencies that are “covered entities” under HIPAA. But how does HIPAA apply to the mass casualty incident (MCI) where there are multiple victims, our resources are taxed and the situation isn’t as controlled […]
The Michigan House of Representatives recently passed a religious freedom bill that could potentially support emergency medical personnel to exercise religious objections to treating gay patients. When I first read this, my first question was, how would we even know if a patient is gay? How did this arise, and why now? I generally don’t […]
Over the past several years, various cities (including Seattle, Portland, Eugene, San Francisco, Jersey City, New York and Washington, D.C.) have enacted paid sick leave laws. In addition, California and Connecticut now have state-wide paid sick leave laws on the books. These laws, while having the common goal of providing guaranteed paid time off for […]
In the wake of recent events in Ferguson, Mo., and other situations calling into question the conduct of police officers, hundreds of police departments nationwide are equipping their officers with body-worn cameras. Should EMS providers also have them? The improved technology and low cost certainly make body cameras a viable option for many EMS agencies. […]
Previous articles have addressed the issue of whether a health club is required to provide an AED, and whether a “big box” store (such as Target or Walmart) is required to so.1 Although courts in general have been unwilling to find a legal duty for a business to have an AED on hand, the Florida […]
By Allison J. Bloom, Esq. & Lee Varner, BS EMS, EMT-P Let’s say you have recently returned from a conference or trade show, where you found a great new piece of technology that you want to implement in your agency. Or, maybe you have been tasked with sourcing a new piece of software or technology […]
By Pamela Johnston & Jeremy Bledsoe No one running an ambulance company ever planned to go to prison for doing his or her job. But that is a real possibility if the government knocks on the door and the owner or manager is dishonest in his or her response to the inquiry. CMS contractors are […]
INCISIVE ANALYSIS OF EMS LEGAL TOPICS It’s very important in this day and age to find out why people leave your organization so you can take the appropriate action to fix what may be a serious workplace problem. In addition to making good HR sense, exit interviews make good sense for lawsuit prevention. Conducting an […]
INCISIVE ANALYSIS OF EMS LEGAL TOPICS Imagine waking up one morning and seeing your organization on the news feed with the headline: Ambulance Service Officer Indicted for Theft. Now, imagine trying to solicit the public as part of your annual fund drive, or petition your elected officials for additional funding, while these stories are still […]
INCISIVE ANALYSIS OF EMS LEGAL TOPICS In the October issue of EMS Insider, I discussed the idea that as EMS agencies partner with other providers and institutions in their communities to implement mobile integrated healthcare practice/community paramedicine (MIHP-CP) programs, those partners will have certain expectations regarding the existence within the EMS agency of both a […]
Inside Current Issue
Implementing a Health Information Exchange
Documentation Differences
SARS-Like Virus a Global Threat
Recall Alert
