Legal Issues
The legal issues topic contains news and information about legal issues affecting EMS personnel, agencies or departments. Find the latest news from personnel misconduct, to disciplinary and harassment cases, to malpractice lawsuits, as well as advice to prevent legal action with EMS training, documentation and management.
4 tips to get the message across in non-face-to-face communications
5 actions EMS leaders should take to ensure ketamine is appropriately administered when indicated and documented correctly
Calls involving celebrities, chemical restraint, protests and mass shootings are just some of the scenarios that will put you in the public eye
The DC Fire and EMS paramedic was caught on camera sleeping while a patient was being transported to the hospital
The two-year project aims to address regulatory, financial and technological barriers to improving EMS
Responders working for private ambulance crews or rescue squads can’t get benefit because they weren’t employed by the FDNY
Nonprofit rescue squads, private ambulance provider and hospital begin talks as county prepares to hire an EMS consultant to analyze the system
What makes these recent cases even more worrisome is the fact that to satisfy their addiction, these medics put patients’ safety at risk
Paramedics must be afforded the opportunity to exercise a degree of autonomy in situations where the law and righteousness don’t always agree
Investigation found the program mired in delays for more than a decade, despite millions of dollars spent on audits and efforts to hire legal help to speed processing claims
Video captured by patient’s mother and shared on Facebook shows the Philly firefighter using his smartphone while transporting the boy; the Fire Commissioner promises discipline
The expectations of EMS volunteers often don’t match the reality of being an EMT or assure long-term survival for the organization
The sheriff’s department said the woman, 32, had been on the force for two years; her husband may have used his Los Angeles County Fire Department radio to report the shooting
A co-worker alerted management that the medic was administering dilaudid to patients that didn’t need it
Conference presentation to define tenants of professionalism and its need in the dynamic world of EMS
Narcotic theft, often by the people entrusted to secure and administer those drugs, is damaging to providers, agencies and communities
The child ingested a lethal dose of heroin and fentanyl after the mother brought her with her to a drug house
The pregnant woman was being transported to the hospital after a car crash when the ambulance collided with a deputy’s vehicle
Randy Lengyel accepted an illegal loan from his board and had two taxpayer-funded positions
A high salary might attract medics, but it is workplace satisfaction and culture that keeps them for the long term
Use these challenges to improve communication skills and trust in groups of EMS personnel or students
Brian LaCroix, Allina Health EMS, and Dr. Ed Racht, AMR, were recognized for their leadership and commitment to advancing EMS
The paramedic was charged with seven counts each of grand theft and possession of a controlled substance
The medics couldn’t reach the visually impaired man’s contact person after he was discharged from the hospital so they left him at another hospital
Progressive discipline, mandatory reporting and regular performance evaluations can improve the quality of patient care
Conducting appropriate background checks on applicants and personnel is part of how EMS agencies protect patients from harm
The county writes off millions owed for ambulance calls and other EMS services every year
An unknown man reportedly jumped into the vehicle and drove off while two EMTs assisted a patient
The woman didn’t receive any help for about an hour because she was pronounced dead by the first paramedic on scene
An ambulance crew had a duty to get out of the ambulance, thoroughly inspect the scene for the patient, look for evidence that a patient fled, and document their response
The paramedic used the patient’s record to find the woman’s phone number and later repeatedly texted her
