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.
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
The decision to treat on scene or transport should depend on the training and abilities of the responders, not on the equipment at hand
Take action to implement efficiency models and grow the shrinking workforce
St. Charles County Ambulance District has armed medics with screening tools and additional EMS training to get patients to appropriate definitive care
The Massena Volunteer Emergency Unit’s post was criticized by both the public and town officials
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reported that the Prior Authorization Model for Repetitive, Scheduled Non-Emergent Ambulance Transport (RSNAT) saved Medicare $650 million over 4 years
The bill would assign license points and double fines for failing to slow down or move over for first responders and other workers
The West Virginia EMS Coalition asked the state’s health department secretary to rescind the rule, saying it is unnecessary and is unfairly targets one group
The city’s healthcare authority plans to have a new ambulance service up and running to ensure continued coverage after Sept. 30
The HERO Act will develop peer mental health training programs and create a system to collect information about first responder suicides
Cumberland Goodwill EMS Assistant Chief Nathan Harig says a lack of interested candidates is only a part of larger problems with the state’s EMS system
Fire officials said departments had been permitted to render basic life support treatment through affiliate agreements for years
Our co-hosts discuss a variety of current events in the news impacting providers and the overall industry
First responders will be presumed to have contracted COVID-19 on-duty if there is an outbreak at their workplace
Decatur officials voted to extend First Response Ambulance Service’s current license for 6 months as opposed to granting immediate renewal
Health officials are considering an “all hands on deck” effort that includes paramedics helping to administer the COVID-19 vaccine
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced that the first performance period will begin Jan. 1, 2021
Vallejo officials are working to better clarify that the “bills” received by patients are actually information copies showing fees to be paid by insurance carriers
The Aurora City Council voted unanimously to temporarily ban paramedics from using ketamine to sedate patients pending a review of the practice
Volunteer and combination departments have a second opportunity to secure COVID-19 PPE-related funding
California’s dispatchers will now be classified as first responders instead of administrative or clerical workers
The new rule also requires EMS providers to maintain a distance of six feet from any member of the public who is not a patient
The bill signed by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on the 19th anniversary of the attacks also expands the scope of the 9/11 Worker Protection Task Force’s work
The Treasury Department acknowledges defunding the program between August 2016 and May 2020 to cover “delinquent Medicare Secondary Payer debt” owed by various entities within NYC
Share your tips for how you are continuing to interact with your community and members while social distancing
The nonprofit Tunnel to Towers Foundation plans to host the independent memorial after the National September 11 Memorial & Museum canceled its in-person name-reading ceremony
The bill seeks to update the state’s 2001 “steer clear” law with stiffer penalties and clearer rules about driving near emergency scenes and vehicles
Portsmouth fire and police department officials said their protocols call for masks to be worn in most circumstances
Cypress Creek EMS called the termination “disappointing and shocking” while county officials cited numerous “systemic problems and failures” leading to their decision
The International Association of Fire Chiefs also said EMS personnel should have a role in administering the vaccine
Planning documents sent to health departments ask officials to work out which groups should receive the vaccine first
Learn more about how often to conduct driver training and the biggest exposures in your agency
U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, who was wounded in the shooting at a Congressional baseball practice, spoke during Acadian Ambulance’s virtual Medic of the Year Celebration