Current and Past Issues of EMS Insider
July 2009 Volume 36 Issue 7
June 2009 Volume 36 Issue 6
There Oughta' Be a Law
- 2009 Jun 1
Most of these EMS bills introduced by the 111th Congress won't pass, but it's more likely if members of Congress hear from you.
May 2009 Volume 36 Issue 5
Custom Care in London
- 2009 May 1
London Ambulance Service has created "patient-specific protocols" to guide providers on care for special-needs patients for whom regular protocols don't fit.
April 2009 Volume 36 Issue 4
Paramedics for the People
- 2009 Apr 1
A pilot program in Minnesota is training the nation's first "Community Paramedics" to address critical health-care shortages in rural and remote areas.
March 2009 Volume 36 Issue 3
FEMA Asked to Address Ambulance-Contract Concerns
- 2009 Mar 1
NASEMSO is asking FEMA to ensure local resources aren't depleted when contracted ambulances respond to national disasters.
February 2009 Volume 36 Issue 2
FEMA Addresses Reimbursement Confusion
- 2009 Feb 1
A new FEMA fact sheet clarifies that all ambulances are eligible for reimbursement for services rendered during federally declared disasters and emergencies.
January 2009 Volume 36 Issue 1
A New Standard
- 2009 Jan 14
The National Fire Protection Association’s recent announcement that it's putting together a committee to undertake the creation of new ambulance design standards has drawn mixed reactions.
December 2008 Volume 35 Issue 12
Data-driven processes slash times & employee turnover
- 2008 Dec 8
After getting their MBAs, two Florida EMS leaders returned to the profession, applying the process improvement approach created by Motorola.
November 2008 Volume 35 Issue 11
SFDP Makes Surprise Move, Opens System
- 2008 Nov 7
After the California EMS Authority rescinded San Francisco's right to operate an exclusive ambulance zone, the city invited all private ALS systems to join its 9-1-1 response system.
October 2008 Volume 35 Issue 10
Making the Call on On-Call Pay
- 2008 Oct 1
There are several factors to consider when determining if "on-call" time is compensable.
September 2008 Volume 35 Issue 9
'Alpha Trucks' Get Mixed Reviews
- 2008 Sept 1
Alternative response vehicles speed response times, cut fuel costs in Tucson, while Phoenix ends its pilot program after finding that most ARV calls need ALS.
August 2008 Volume 35 Issue 8
Billing for the Deceased
- 2008 Aug 1
Some agencies collect even if the patient dies, while others feel asking for billing information on scene puts their providers in a tough spot.
July 2008 Volume 35 Issue 7
AMR Leverages Size but Stays Local
- 2008 Jul 1
AMR recently formed three national councils to guide clinical policy and equipment decisions.
June 2008 Volume 35 Issue 6
Restoring Exposure-Reporting Rules
- 2008 Jun 1
Until a 2006 reauthorization, The Ryan White Act required hospitals to test and report a patient's disease status following provider exposure to blood or body fluids. Now, EMS and fire representatives, along with EMS lobbying organization Advocates for EMS, are working together address their concerns with Congress and get the provisions reinstated.
May 2008 Volume 35 Issue 5
Ambulance Traffic Control Program
- 2008 May 1
A Houston program looks to experienced paramedics to assist with taking patients to the best destination hospital for their current needs.
April 2008 Volume 35 Issue 4
High School EMTs
- 2008 Apr 1
A collaborative effort has increased the number of Louisiana high school students taking a one-year course to become certified EMT-Bs.
March 2008 Volume 35 Issue 3
Proposal Slashes Cash for EMS
- 2008 Mar 1
President Bush's proposed 2009 budget proposes cutting Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, eliminating most of the federal EMS programs and making deep cuts in first responder grants.
February 2008 Volume 35 Issue 2
'Gatekeeper' Saves Time
- 2008 Feb 1
Turnaround times for Baltimore City's units dropped with a routing "gatekeeper."
January 2008 Volume 35 Issue 1
Foundation Provides Millions to Improve Response Times
- 2008 Jan 22
The Duke Endowment (TDE) has contributed $1.6 million to help North Carolina counties improve their EMS system response times.
NREMT Sets Deadline
- 2008 Jan 1
NREMT will certify only graduates of accredited paramedic education programs after 2012.
December 2007 Volume 34 Issue 12
Sexual Harassment in EMS
- 2007 Dec 1
It's not only female EMS and fire department employees who sue for sexual harassment.
November 2007 Volume 34 Issue 11
Community Paramedicine Proponents Meet
- 2007 Nov 1
Leaders of the community paramedicine program movement convened in late September in Queensland, Australia to share strategies, successes and solutions to common challenges.
Studying Sleep Deprivation
- 2007 Nov 1
A study recently released by the IAFC and USFA discusses sleep and shiftwork.
October 2007 Volume 34 Issue 10
Grow Your Own EMS Leaders
Every year, JEMS, in partnership with Fitch & Associates, surveys hundreds of EMS organizations across the United States in search of trends in salary and workplace practices. This year, we asked how organizations develop and manage their personnel talent.
September 2007 Volume 34 Issue 9
Systems & Operations Focus at Executive Forum
- 2007 Sept 1
The second Pinnacle conference drew 400 leaders to learn and network about systems and operations.
24-Hour Shifts May Endanger Patients and Employees
- 2007 Aug 28
Austin/Travis County (Texas) EMS changed its work schedules after considering the eye-opening results of a study on its employees’ sleep/wake patterns while on duty.
August 2007 Volume 34 Issue 8
CMS Proposes One Rule & Withdraws Another
- 2007 Aug 15
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services proposed a rule in the July 12 Federal Register that would require ambulance staff to sign a statement during transport if a Medicare beneficiary is mentally or physically unable to sign a claim form and has no representative available to do so.
Bariatric Patients Pose Weighty Challenges
- 2007 Aug 2
Increasing numbers of emergency calls involving obese patients will affect your service's personnel, equipment, vehicles and finances. Agencies must have at least the minimum of solutions in place.
FICEMS Gets Down to Work
- 2007 Aug 2
The Federal Interagency Committee on EMS held its second meeting June 26, drawing high-level government officials into a two-hour meeting where they assigned projects to several federal workgroups.
July 2007 Volume 34 Issue 7
Government Solicits National Ambulance Provider For Disaster Response
- 2007 Jul 8
The federal General Services Administration issued a request for proposals May 24, on behalf of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, seeking a national contractor (or contractors) to provide ambulance, air ambulance and paratransit services after a nationally declared disaster in the Gulf and Atlantic coastal regions of the United States. (FEMA intends to issue RFPs for the rest of the United States later.)
June 2007 Volume 34 Issue 6
Lobby Congress Now
- 2007 Jun 1
Congress is currently crafting its 13 appropriations bills for fiscal year 2008, and House leaders hope to get its versions of those bills passed before the July 4th recess. So the time is right for the EMS community to contact its members of Congress and convince them to move on the primary initiatives identified by national EMS organizations.
EMS Leaders Weigh in on Feds' Plan for National Ambulance Deployment During Disasters
- 2007 Jun 1
Fire service reportedly derails intention for single private ambulance contractThe...
May 2007 Volume 34 Issue 5
EMS Needs a National Brand Identity
- 2007 May 1
Editor's Note: In May EMS Insider, we promised you more from Matt Zavadsky on the...
New QI Tool Helps Systems Improve Emergency Care for Cardiac Patients
- 2007 May 1
A multicenter project funded by a $3 million grant from the Agency for Healthcare...
April 2007 Volume 34 Issue 4
Organizations Meet & Prioritize IOM Recommendations
- 2007 Apr 1
EMS reimbursement revamp & boarding/diversion among top six to pursueThe American...
March 2007 Volume 34 Issue 3
Ford Announces Discontinuation of E-Series Diesel Vehicles
- 2007 Mar 1
Chassis used for most Type II & Type III ambulancesFord Motor Co., which makes the...
Legal Consult: Are Your Employees Abusing Drugs or Alcohol?
- 2007 Mar 1
Recent headlines have been filled with stories of addicted paramedics and how they...
February 2007 Volume 34 Issue 2
Paramedics Activate Cath Lab for STEMI Patients in Some Areas
- 2007 Feb 1
Research shows practice cuts door-to-balloon times significantlyPatients having ST-segment...
January 2007 Volume 34 Issue 1
$1 Billion Available for Public Safety Interoperability in 2007
- 2007 Jan 1
EMS may lose out if leaders don't get involvedHours before adjourning Dec. 11, Congress...
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