Legislation and Funding
Legislation and funding issues always affect EMS budgets and operations. Use this topic to find out how the latest economic news is affecting EMS.
Quality writing, demonstrated need and staying within the financial parameters are critical in determining whether or not your EMS agency wins an award
Proposals and bills may not always directly influence EMS, but it’s essential to know the person behind the ballot
Even if PTSD becomes a workers’ compensational eligible occupational disease, EMS leaders need to change the culture for traumatic stress treatment
The bill is in the Senate; proponents say public safety organizations can provide free training, but a group opposed says it will amount to “another unfunded mandate”
The monthly supplement would cost less than what the state is spending on police and firefighters, and would demonstrate recognition and respect
Ambulance Service of Manchester will now be the sole provider after the town manager severed ties with the longtime service over a pending sale to AMR
The committee didn’t vote on the proposal, and simply put it on hold without any action amid concerns about the price tag
Although EMS is never mentioned in the ACA, the law has several revenue and service opportunities for fire-based EMS
A task force found 40 of 54 companies were running on a deficit, and a package of four bills would benefit services across the state
The ambulance service was recently dropped as the primary designation due to issues with slow response times, but the city hopes it won’t have to shut down
Hourly workers received a 25-cent raise, and five salaried employees received a 1.5 percent increase; those in the city of Ironton received slightly more due to income taxes
Medic EMS will take over for Buffalo Ambulance Services, which owes the IRS $35K
The state will start tracking ambulance VIN numbers to stop companies from shutting down to avoid paying back large audits, then reopening under a different name
A Senate bill would give mandatory jail time to anyone convicted of assault, and life in prison without parole for anyone convicted of murdering an EMT or medic
Police and firefighters receive a monthly $500 stipend for the dangers of the jobs; a proposed bill would add EMS professionals to that list
A single department would reduce costs and develop a streamlined approach to fire suppression, paramedic and disaster preparedness in both communities, officials say
It’s alarmingly simple for someone with criminal intent to get into the medical transportation business, which could lead more regulations and less reimbursement
Officials say it explains why a newly released report shows Medicaid paid more to ambulance companies than cancer doctors or orthopedic surgeons
Crews have been down to just one functioning ambulance, but say the town hasn’t responded to a plan to fund new ones
The owner says he’s being treated unfairly by the city after testifying in court that firefighters needed more than a 48-hour training course to become paramedics
Studies are mixed about any link between marijuana and violence, but the highly potent edibles have lawmakers pushing for better regulations
“I’m very truly sorry if I scared or frightened anyone; that was not my intention,” medic Ron Miller said
The mayor’s $8 billion budget outlined plans to unify emergency call centers and gradually replace uniformed firefighters with lower-paid civilian phone operators
For 30 years agencies were illegally getting supplies from a local hospital; now they will have to buy larger quantities through wholesalers, leading to more waste and security concerns
The county may cut funding if there’s no improvements by June; a fire official said the company has “failed to respond to the majority of dispatched calls since December”
The town manager declared a state of emergency, and says the community should have input in the change of service
The chief said the shifting of EMS responsibilities to a different county would reduce their calls by 300 a year
The danger of raw data is that it has to be interpreted and analyzed beyond the superficial first layer before it even begins to make sense
In South Carolina, 17 of the top 30 Medicare payments in 2012 went to ambulance services
The city wants to increase ambulance fees by 14 percent to hire new full-time medics after 107 EMS providers were capped at 29.5 hours per week in response to health care costs
Witnesses said they had not seen the accident but “only saw a male standing next to the female who soon thereafter left”
The county has proposed cutting about $2.3 million over the next three years, freezing payments to 18 fire departments and eventually caping EMS budget increases