Ambulances Held Hostage
When does a patient become the hospital’s legal responsibility? When can EMS crews leave patients and return to service? A major factor contributing to the current shortage of available EMS personnel and units is the increasing frequency of lengthy hospital bed delays.
In this series, learn more about the EMS legal and ethical responsibility to patients at the ED, from patient handoffs and signatures, to EMTALA, diversionary status; as well as strategies EMS agencies can deploy unilaterally to reduce ED wait times.
Current challenges, issues and solutions common to both U.S. and Australia EMS, including hospital handovers and lights and siren responses
“We have to stop allowing the ED to be the triage point for all patients reaching out to the EMS system”
Keeping the strain on EMS providers front of mind
Albany will charge over 30% more for ambulance transports in 2025 as well as bill facilities for extended ED wait times
Dr. Devin Keefe said the Plaistow hospital helps EMS personnel get back in service in three to five minutes
Northwest Hospital in Randallstown completed a major upgrade to its emergency department to improve the flow of patients transported by EMS
In a five-month period, patients spent 65,000 more days than needed in hospital inpatient beds
UM Upper Chesapeake Medical Center CEO refutes Harford County residents’ claims that more beds are needed
What patient abandonment isn’t, and why it’s time to confront this EMS boogeyman
Legislation requires hospitals to develop ambulance bed delay protocols by Sept. 1, 2024
News investigation finds that Syracuse hospital emergency departments have wait times high above the national average
Advocacy, public health and medical specialty organizations signed a nine-page joint letter describing the ambulance bed crisis in a series of stories
3,213 EMS providers speak up about job satisfaction, effective leadership, safety and innovation in the EMS Trend Survey
Strategies to unilaterally reduce ED wait times and get back into service
There is a lot to learn from the Page, Wolfberg and Wirth examination of hospital bed delays and the rights of EMS to return to service
Steve Wirth and Doug Wolfberg join host Rob Lawrence to discuss strategies for overcoming hospital bed delays
The rights of EMS agencies and remedies if hospital bed delays cannot be satisfactorily resolved through collaboration with hospital counterparts
How to decide when to leave patients at hospitals with bed delays and 3 considerations for if you stay
Leveling the playing field on hospital bed delays
Lessons from Pinellas County and an AIMHI EMTALA webinar that may help us all out
