Amanda

AAA Seeks Perspectives on EMS Diversity & Inclusion

Posted on by Amanda Riordan

As the demographics of our nation change, it becomes ever more essential  for  emergency medical services to foster a  diverse and inclusive workplace more representative of the communities that we serve. To support this mission, the American Ambulance Association seeks tips, ideas, and perspectives from our membership on best practices for attracting, recruiting, and retaining the EMS workforce of tomorrow. For this project, we are using the word “diversity” to refer to characteristics including—but not limited to—race, sex, gender identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic class, disability, and/or age. While we are truly appreciative of all responses, AAA especially welcomes the perspectives of those who are themselves members of groups historically less represented in the EMS  workforce. If you would like to contribute your thoughts to this project, please complete our short form below.  You do not need to disclose your identity if you do not wish to do so.  

Amanda

Massachusetts | Convoy of Champions

Posted on by Amanda Riordan

A parade of more than 50 ambulances, representing more than 20,000 paramedics, EMTs, and 911 dispatchers, traveled from UMass Medical Center in Worcester, Massachusetts to the warning track inside Fenway Park on Wednesday, May 20. The Boston Red Sox, Mayor Marty Walsh, state officials, and healthcare professionals joined the Massachusetts Ambulance Association, the Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts, and municipal ambulance providers in celebrating these front line heroes during National EMS Week. Once inside the park, the EMS professionals were greeted by video tributes from dignitaries and celebrities and a select number of live speakers following safe social distancing guidelines. The event takes on even greater significance this year because of the unprecedented response to the COVID-19 crisis from EMS professionals and their colleagues across the state’s medical community. The Commonwealth’s EMS professionals have been crucial in responding to the current COVID-19 pandemic. Massachusetts has been among the nation’s hardest-hit states, experiencing the third most deaths and fourth-most cases of the novel coronavirus. During the current public health crisis, EMS professionals have helped manage testing and treatment for homebound patients and provided supplemental support for hospitals and neighborhood health centers, in addition to its duties in responding to daily emergencies. (more…)

Amanda

Seeking EMS Grantwriters!

Posted on by Amanda Riordan

The American  Ambulance Association seeks member organization employees and consultants with grant-writing expertise who may be interested in writing or presenting to ambulance services. Ideally, we would like to develop a one-hour webinar for members that includes tips for finding and winning grants of all kinds ( Assistance to Firefighter Grants, SAMHSA/ SIREN Act, local, non-profit, etc). If you may be interested, please contact ariordan@ambulance.org! Thank you for your support and participation.

Amanda

HHS Provider Relief Tranche 2 Calculator

Posted on by Amanda Riordan

Use the American Ambulance Association’s simple form to estimate relief you may receive from the second tranche of HHS COVID-19 funding. Please note that not all providers will receive funds. More information about this program as well as access to the form you must complete in the General Allocation Portal can be found on the HHS website. For-profit and non-profit non-governmental providers,  to determine your Net Patient Revenue for the portal, use the following information from your most recently filed tax return. (2019 if filed, otherwise use 2018 numbers). Governmental providers,  enter your revenue generated for the last audited financial year. When completing the form in the portal,  select Tax Exempt Organization. When asked to upload a return at the end, upload your most recent audited financials. Please do not enter commas or dollar signs. A negative number or zero in the Tranche 2 box indicates that you WILL NOT receive funding in tranche  2....

This content is available only to AAA members.
Log In or Register
Amanda

EMS Granted Access to the Amazon COVID-19 Store!

Posted on by Amanda Riordan

Thank you to the thousands of EMS and fire professionals who joined our social media campaign to encourage Amazon Business to admit mobile healthcare providers into their new COVID-19 Store. In response to the collective voices of our profession, Amazon has updated their policy! Effective April 6, EMS and Fire will begin to be onboarded into the limited-access marketplace. To participate: Ensure your agency has established an Amazon Business account.  Request access to the COVID-19 Store. When you complete the form, select “OTHER” as organization type until/unless EMS becomes available as an option. When entering your company name, please make it clear that you are an ambulance service or fire department (no abbreviations). Wait patiently for up to 10 days to receive confirmation of access as each enrollment request is individually reviewed by Amazon staff. If you have questions, experience excessive delay, or need assistance, please contact Amazon support. The store is a new venture, and the virtual shelves are in the process of being stocked. However, Amazon has assured us that they have tens of millions of units of PPE and supplies on rush order. We encourage you to set up your agency account and check back frequently for (more…)

Amanda

Send AAA Your COVID-19 Photos!

Posted on by Amanda Riordan

We are living through challenging and historic times. Please help the American Ambulance Association share YOUR story, the true impact of EMS on the front lines of the global COVID-19 pandemic. We need your service’s photos and videos! Please send us pictures and videos of your medics in action. (Of course no HIPAA violations, please.) Pictures in the field, in PPE, caring for patients, interacting with the community, taking off a mask after a long shift, etc are all essential for communicating visually with the legislators and regulators who impact our ability to operate effectively. A mix of closeups and broader shots would be great, and candid is typically (although not always) better than posed—use your best judgment! There are a few ways to share: Tag the American Ambulance Association on Facebook (@americanambulanceassoc) or Twitter ( @amerambassoc)  when you post your own photos that you don’t mind us borrowing for media, PR, etc. Text or email photos to Amanda Riordan at ariordan@ambulance.org or 703-615-4492 Share your photos with your local news media! Need a photo or video release waiver for patients and medics? Borrow ours! Thank you for taking time away to help with this project when your services are (more…)

Amanda

Wisconsin Office of Rural Health Interview

Posted on by Amanda Riordan

In honor of today’s National Rural Health Day, the American Ambulance Association interviewed John Eich, Director of the Wisconsin Office of Rural Health. The transcript below was lightly edited for clarity. Amanda Riordan: Thank you for joining us today. My name is Amanda Riordan, and I am the vice president of member services for the American Ambulance Association. I’m also the administrator for the Professional Ambulance Association of Wisconsin. I’m so happy to have the opportunity to interview John Eich, the director of the Wisconsin Office of Rural Health. John is an exceptional contributor to rural health in Wisconsin. He’s also a sterling advocate for the power of EMS to assist with public health in the least accessible areas of Wisconsin. I’ll ask John a couple of questions today about the recent Rural EMS Listening Sessions that he conducted in a number of areas across the state. John, thanks again for joining us. Would you mind telling me a little bit about your background and how you became the director of the Wisconsin Office of Rural Health? John Eich: I appreciate your inviting me to talk about some of our programs, so thank you. I took a bit of a wandering (more…)

Amanda

Release: Midwest EMS Expo Announced!

Posted on by Amanda Riordan

State and National Ambulance Associations Unite to Bring Key Education to Midwestern EMS Providers Midwest EMS Expo | May 2–3, 2018 | La Crosse Center La Crosse, WI– The American Ambulance Association (AAA), Minnesota Ambulance Association (MAA), and Professional Ambulance Association of Wisconsin (PAAW) today officially announced the launch of the Midwest EMS Expo conference and trade show. This event will take place annually in La Crosse, Wisconsin beginning in May 2018, and will feature content from national- and state-level ambulance experts. “AAA is proud to partner with PAAW and MAA in the development of the Midwest EMS Expo. We look forward to bringing together the best in ambulance expertise to deliver a powerful educational experience for EMS leaders,” said American Ambulance Association President Mark Postma. The program will open on Wednesday, May 2, with key updates from the American Ambulance Association’s renowned experts on EMS reimbursement and advocacy. Highlights include a federal legislative overview by AAA President Mark Postma, as well as strategies for maximizing revenue from reimbursement gurus Asbel Montes, Brian Werfel, Brian Choate, and Scott Moore. Thursday, May 3rd’s programming was developed collaboratively by the Minnesota Ambulance Association and Professional Ambulance Association of Wisconsin. The day will (more…)

Amanda

New Membership Referral Program!

Posted on by Amanda Riordan

No one knows better than an AAA members the incredible value of membership. Consider sharing your AAA membership experience, and get rewarded for doing so! Through our new Membership Referral Program, receive a free webinar registration for each new member organization you refer that successfully joins the association. Successfully sign up 6 new member organizations, and you’ll receive a free registration to the AAA Annual Conference & Trade Show! To participate, simply copy ariordan@ambulance.org on emails you send to colleagues inviting them to join. AAA staff will answer questions and help with follow up. Not quite sure what to write? Here’s a sample email to get you started! Dear Colleague’s Name, I hope your year is off to a great start. I wanted to send a quick note to ask if Colleague’s Ambulance Servicemight be interested in membership to the American Ambulance Association? My service is a proud member of AAA, and the advocacy work they do on behalf of our industry is more important now than ever. In addition to working toward fair reimbursement, AAA now offers free counseling and CISM for your staff, access to experts on operations and Medicare, and much more. I especially enjoy the sessions (more…)

Amanda

2016 AMBY Best Quality Improvement Program: Gold Cross Ambulance, Documentation Program

Posted on by Amanda Riordan

Gold Cross Ambulance’s Documentation Project Project Awarded a 2016 AMBY for Best Quality Improvement Program Gold Cross Ambulance | Utah The documentation review process at Gold Cross Ambulance had not changed much since the day of paper trip tickets. Retrospective documentation feedback was being given to crews, but they were not fully utilizing the capabilities of their technology to analyze the feedback and make significant improvements. Gold Cross Ambulance hypothesized that improved documentation goals would lead to better patient care and increased reimbursements. They knew they needed to make improvements in the review process and to better utilize the technology that was already in place. In addition to the documentation goals, they identified the opportunity to work some small, but significant, clinical improvements into a documentation project. One initial focus of clinical improvement was making sure the field crews were obtaining at least two sets of vital signs on every patient, and properly documenting these vital signs in the electronic patient care report (ePCR). Of all the performance indicators we measure, trending of vital signs touches every patient contacted. Educators from Utah EMS for Children shared research citing “inadequate recognition of and response to hypotension and hypoxia was associated with higher odds of disability and death” (Hewes (more…)

Amanda

What is Reddit? (And Why EMS Leaders Should Care)

Posted on by Amanda Riordan

If you were asked to name the top 10 most popular websites in the United States today, I’m willing to bet that you could guess most of them: they are, in descending order of Alexa page view rankings, Google, YouTube, Facebook, Amazon, Yahoo, Wikipedia, Twitter, Reddit, Ebay, and LinkedIn. “Wait,” you may be asking, “what is ‘Reddit,’ and how can it be in the top 10 most popular American websites if I’ve never even heard of it?” As a self-appointed cultural ambassador for the millennial-heavy EMS workforce, I’d love to give you a basic introduction. Seasoned Redditors, feel free to skip this post. But those new to Reddit, or even social media in general, please hang in there—it is increasingly important for ambulance executives of all age groups and technology skill levels to “get” what is going on in influential online communities. What is Reddit? Reddit describes itself as “the front page of the internet.” What does that mean? Reddit (usually styled lowercase as “reddit,” but I’m capping for clarity) is an online community platform allowing users to anonymously share, comment, and vote on links, images, personal stories and more in topic-specific “subreddits.” A user’s self-selected subreddits are merged into a personalized feed, which is often very (more…)

Amanda

In Memory of Barry M. Mogil

Posted on by Amanda Riordan

The American Ambulance Association is sad to report that Barry M. Mogil, former CAAS reviewer and director of communications for Pinellas County, Florida EMS, passed away. Our thoughts are with his family. Barry’s contributions to Florida EMS will not be forgotten. David C Gross Funeral Home Obituary Tampa Bay Times Obituary

Amanda

In Memory of Allan S. Reichle (1934–2016)

Posted on by Amanda Riordan

The American Ambulance Association is saddened to report  that f Allan S. (“Al”) Reichle passed away on July 20. In addition to owning Springs Ambulance and other successful business ventures, Al served on AAA’s Government Affairs and AMBUPAC Committees. Our thoughts are with his family. Service Information Wiefels and Sons Mortuary 690 S. Vella Road Palm Springs, CA  92264 (760) 327-1257 Saturday 8/20/16 @ 10AM

Amanda

Save big on ZOLL with Savvik!

Posted on by Amanda Riordan

Use the Savvik Buying Group discount included with your AAA membership to save on the ZOLL products you are already buying. Simply ask your ZOLL sales representative to apply the Savvik contract rates to your next purchase. That’s it! AAA’s ZOLL discount program through Savvik Buying Group can save you BIG! Automated External Defibrillators, Related Equipment, Accessories & Product Upgrades 32% discount on AED Plus defibrillators 32% discount on AED Pro defibrillators 25% discount on all accessories and disposables 25% discount on product upgrades Multiple Unit Sales: Additional discounts available for 2 or more units in a single purchase order ALS Monitors / Defibrillators and Automated CPR Devices Related Equipment, Accessories & Product Upgrades 2% discount on AutoPulse 18% discount on X Series defibrillators and related accessories 18% discount on Propaq MD defibrillators and related accessories 25% discount on M Series & E Series related accessories and disposables Multiple Unit Sales: Additional discounts available for 2 or more units in a single purchase order Ask your ZOLL rep to use the AAA’s Savvik Buying Group contract to receive these savings. It’s that easy! Questions? Contact office@savvik.org to learn more, or for full pricing information.

Amanda

Savvik Discount on Physio-Control

Posted on by Amanda Riordan

The American Ambulance Association is pleased to announce that AAA members can now save significantly on Physio-Control products through the Savvik Buying Group. Through Savvik’s partnership with Vizient (formally Novation), the largest acute care GPO in the United States, AAA members now have access to this discounted contract on AED’s, Monitors, and Lucas devices and accessories. Visit the Savvik site today or contact office@savvik.org for details!

Amanda

Staff Visit to Richmond Ambulance Authority

Posted on by Amanda Riordan

Last week, American Ambulance Association staff took a road trip south to tour the Richmond Ambulance Authority. Known across the country and around the world for their innovative approach to EMS, RAA certainly did not disappoint. Thank you to Chip Decker, Rob Lawrence, Dan Fellows, Elizabeth Papelino, Danny Garrison, Dempsey Whit, Jason Roach, and the whole RAA team for the hospitality and generosity with their time!