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Author: AAA Staff
2024 Ambulance Ride-Along Toolkit
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Savvik | Ambulance Remounts AND Stretchers and Power Cots!
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Savvik’s biggest giveaway ever is still going!We’re giving away ONE LifePak 35Model 70335-000045 |
Check out the newest publicly bid contracts from Savvik! |
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NREMT Launches New Certification Examinations for Paramedics and AEMTs
From the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians
National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians Launches New Certification Examinations for Paramedics and AEMTs
The examinations align the National Registry with other health-based professions while retaining the rigor needed for advanced-level Emergency Medical Services (EMS) clinicians.
(Columbus, Ohio) – Today, the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians launched new certification examinations for Paramedics and Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians (AEMTs), integrating new advancements in clinical practice, science, research, and technologies. These updates ensure that Paramedics and AEMTs are knowledgeable and prepared to manage emergency medical events.
“As the national certifying organization for emergency medical clinicians, it’s imperative that our examinations stay current with changes to our profession and evaluate candidates based on the best research and science available,” said Bill Seifarth, Executive Director at the National Registry. “Whenever someone calls 911, no matter where they are in the country, they trust that whoever arrives with the ambulance has the knowledge and skills to care for them. At the National Registry, we’re responsible for validating that trust by keeping our examinations up to date and ensuring all clinicians are competent to successfully respond to an emergency.”
To ensure the National Registry’s certification examinations measure current practice, the most recent National EMS Practice Analysis and its subsequent Addendum were conducted to identify the knowledge, skills, abilities, and clinical judgment required for entry-level clinician competency. This information, coupled with the feedback from the EMS community and continuous collaboration with the National Registry’s accreditor, the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), formed the foundation for these new examinations.
“The new Paramedic and AEMT certification examinations incorporate current EMS practices and use innovative item types that leverage interactive technology to evaluate candidates’ knowledge and clinical judgment in diverse ways beyond traditional multiple-choice or multiple-response formats,” explained Dr. Mihaiela Gugiu, Chief Assessment Officer at the National Registry. “These enhancements ensure a unified and thorough assessment process for all certification seekers.”
The new examinations allow candidates to take a single comprehensive examination on one date, reducing logistical challenges while preserving the examinations’ rigor, consistent with standards in other health-based professions.
Additional information about the examinations can be found online at https://nremt.org/Document/Get-Ready-For-The-New-Examinations or by listening to or watching the National Registry’s recently launched podcast, Registry Insider.
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HELPFUL LINKS
Online Press Release: nremt.org/News/National-Registry-of-Emergency-Medical-Technicians
New AEMT and Paramedic Certification Examination Information Page: nremt.org/Document/Get-Ready-For-The-New-Examinations
Registry Insider Vodcast (video); Episode 1 is all about the new examinations: nremt.org/Document/Registry-Insider
Registry Insider Podcast (audio); Episode 1 is all about the new examinations: registryinsider.buzzsprout.com
PPRP | Make Sure You’re Ready for Children – Complete the Assessment!
While the majority of EMS and fire-rescue agencies provide emergency care to children, pediatric calls are rare. In fact, because most agencies see fewer than eight pediatric patients per month, many EMS clinicians don’t feel capable or confident when caring for children.
Being pediatric ready, or ensuring agencies are trained, equipped, and prepared for children in accordance with national recommendations, can reduce anxiety and increase confidence. Research suggests it may also improve outcomes.
But how do you know if your agency is really ready for its next pediatric call? The Prehospital Pediatric Readiness Project Assessment, which launched May 1, can help. The online assessment tool is open to EMS and fire-rescue agencies that respond to public 911
calls. It takes an average of 30 minutes to complete.
Once you’ve completed the assessment you will receive a detailed report that will identify specific gaps in your EMS agency’s pediatric readiness. Your agency then can use the report to identify resources in the Prehospital Pediatric Readiness Toolkit to help you make
improvements. As part of your report, you’ll also receive benchmarking information comparing your score with the national average score of all agencies, as well as the average score of agencies with similar pediatric volume.
You can be more comfortable, capable, and confident about caring for children by taking the steps to make sure your agency is truly “peds ready” – complete the Prehospital Pediatric Readiness Assessment!
To find out more about the Prehospital Pediatric Readiness Assessment, visit https://emspedsready.org/. You may also reach out to your state’s EMSC Program Manager with any questions
HealthAffairs | Health Insurance Coverage Projections
Health Insurance Coverage Projections For The US Population And Sources Of Coverage, By Age, 2024–34
Abstract
In the Congressional Budget Office’s projections of health insurance coverage, 92.3 percent of the US population, or 316 million people, have coverage in 2024, and 7.7 percent, or 26 million, are uninsured. The uninsured share of the population will rise over the course of the next decade, before settling at 8.9 percent in 2034, largely as a result of the end of COVID-19 pandemic–related Medicaid policies, the expiration of enhanced subsidies available through the Affordable Care Act health insurance Marketplaces, and a surge in immigration that began in 2022. The largest increase in the uninsured population will be among adults ages 19–44. Employment-based coverage will be the predominant source of health insurance, and as the population ages, Medicare enrollment will grow significantly. After greater-than-expected enrollment in 2023, Marketplace enrollment is projected to reach an all-time high of twenty-three million people in 2025.
CMS GADCS: Labor Costs Webinar Recording
CMS recently posted an updated Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System (GADCS) webinar on Labor Costs on their Ambulance Events webpage.
EMS.gov | State EMS Bill Tracking Database Updated with Key Enacted Legislation
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Share Your Message of Support for Families of Fallen EMS Heroes
The all-volunteer National EMS Memorial Service honors EMS professionals who have died in the line of duty. Write your message of sympathy for the families of the 2024 honorees below, and they will be shared with them at the NEMSMS Weekend of Honor. Even just a sentence or two means the world to those left behind.
National EMS Memorial Service | Messages to Families
The American Ambulance Association is collecting messages on behalf of the National EMS Memorial Service for the families of EMS professionals who passed away in the line of duty. Please use this form to share your message with the loved ones left behind. View a list of the 2024 honorees at https://ems.zone/24nemsmshonorees
Rest in Peace, Richard Zuschlag
It is with profound sorrow that the American Ambulance Association extends our heartfelt condolences to the Acadian family on the passing of Richard Zuschlag. As a cherished friend and esteemed colleague, Richard’s impact on the EMS community and beyond is immeasurable. His vision, generosity, and unwavering dedication have left an indelible mark on all who knew him.
Randy Strozyk, President of the American Ambulance Association, aptly said, “Richard was a giant in our field, whose passion for service and commitment to excellence set a standard that will inspire future generations. His legacy of compassion and leadership will forever guide us.”
Richard’s life was a testament to the power of faith, resilience, and servant leadership. He was a beacon of hope and a force for good, and his memory will continue to inspire and uplift us.
The Passing of Richard Emery Zuschlag
March 28, 1948 – June 5, 2024
It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share with you the passing of our friend, mentor, and leader Richard Emery Zuschlag. Richard fought the hard fight that so many with cancer and its complications have endured. While we mourn our extraordinary loss, we are comforted in knowing that he is no longer suffering. He is now in the loving arms of his Lord, in whom he had unwavering faith.
Richard was a much loved and admired agent of change, not only in the state of Louisiana but across the nation. The lives he affected through his vision, generosity, inspiration, and leadership are countless. Whether a friend, employee, peer or patient, all of our lives were changed due to his undeniable determination to make a difference.
His legacy endures through his beautiful family, and in every life saved, every patient helped, and in every battle he waged to ensure that all people had access to high-quality medical care. He never backed down when fighting for the things he loved most: his family, his employees, and the communities he served.
His legacy also lives on in the company he tirelessly worked 53 years to grow and nurture. Acadian Companies is not just a successful organization but also serves as an example of how servant leadership, high integrity and unwavering determination create success, not for one, but for all.
We will forever be changed, forever be grateful, and forever be better because of who Richard was and the lessons and legacy he has left us. He treated everyone with respect and was constantly striving to bring people together for the greater good. It is up to all of us to honor this legacy by living and leading by his example and his faith. Because of Richard, Acadian is stronger than ever, and in his honor, we will carry on his life’s work.
Special thanks go out to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Dr. Charles Burnell, Dr. Jason Breaux, Paul Hamilton and the many friends and healthcare providers who attended to him.
Please continue to pray for Richard, his family, friends and all those whose lives have been forever changed by this loss.
Information regarding services will be provided when available. We humbly ask you to please respect the privacy of the family while arrangements are being made.
OSHA Emergency Response Rule Comment Period Extended Again
From the OSHA Website on June 4, 2024
NEW Update: The deadline for comment submission has been extended a second time to July 22, 2024.
The Emergency Response proposed rule is here!
OSHA is happy to announce that the Emergency Response proposed rule has been published in the Federal Register and is now available for viewing.
OSHA welcomes and encourages the submission of public comments in response to this proposed rule. To allow additional time for those individuals interested in creating and submitting a comment, OSHA will be further extending the window for comment submission. The comment period now ends on July 22, 2024.
Comments can be submitted to the Emergency Response Docket at https://www.regulations.gov/docket/OSHA-2007-0073.
OSHA will also be hosting a public hearing, the date of which has yet to be determined. To ensure access to the hearing for all interested members of the public, remote access will be provided.
Additional information on OSHA’s rulemaking process and how stakeholders can participate is available at https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/rulemakingprocess.
EMS.gov | On-Demand: EMS Harm Reduction and SUD Treatment
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EMS.gov | Commemorate National EMS Week
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POTUS | A Proclamation on National EMS Week 2024
Whitehouse.gov Post | Share on Facebook | Retweet on X
A Proclamation on National Emergency Medical Services Week, 2024
During National Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week, we honor our Nation’s courageous EMS providers, who put it all on the line to deliver urgent, life-saving care to people across our country in times of great need.
Whether paramedics, emergency medical technicians, 911 and 988 dispatchers, or other first responders, EMS providers routinely work long hours away from loved ones to keep other families whole. They risk their own lives and health, staring down storms, floods, or fires and rushing to rescue people in need. For many Americans, they are a beacon of hope in some of life’s toughest moments and let us know we are going to be okay. We have a duty to show up for them the way they show up for us.
That is why my Administration is working to get every EMS department in America the equipment and support they deserve. During my first months in office, we passed the American Rescue Plan, investing billions of dollars to support EMS roles. Today, we are working with State, local, Tribal, and territorial governments to keep EMTs on the job and to help them handle trauma and burn out. We are working to get departments the resources they need to provide better training and equipment for EMS providers. To help ease staffing shortages, we are also helping communities recruit and train more firefighters, who often provide emergency medical services as well. We are fighting to ease the burden of student loans. In all, we have cancelled debt for 4.6 million student borrowers, including for nearly 900,000 public service workers by fixing the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, which many non-profit or government EMS provider employees could be eligible for.
I have often said that courage lies in every heart, and the expectation is that it will one day be summoned. It is summoned every day for America’s EMS providers. They embody the best of our Nation — bravery, honor, and respect, never failing to answer the call to help others. This week, we thank them and the unions that protect so many of our EMS providers and promise to always have their backs.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 19 through May 25, 2024, as National Emergency Medical Services Week. I call upon public officials, doctors, nurses, paramedics, EMS providers, and all the people of the United States to observe this week with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities to honor our brave EMS workers and to pay tribute to the EMS providers who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this seventeenth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-eighth.
JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.
ACE Cost Data Collection Newsletter | May 2024
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EMS.gov | EMS Day at the Museum and National Mall Event
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Life-Assist Unlocks Grant Opportunities for First Responders
The Life-Assist Grant Assistance Program helps First Responders navigate the over 1400 grants available nationwide to pinpoint those tailored to meet their specific needs. Life-Assist offers unlimited and customized grants at no cost, powered by Lexipol.
The process is easy and increases the likelihood of success in securing grants. With the Life-Assist Grant Assistance Program, first responders have access to a comprehensive grant database to easily identify the grant that will support them with their EMS needs. To help navigate this vast landscape, unlimited and personalized grant research assistance specific to each agency’s project is provided. First Responders can also set up alerts for projects when using this program.
Getting started with the Life-Assist Grant Assistance Program is as simple as visiting our dedicated Grant webpage and filling out a 2-page form powered by Lexipol. The agency will hear from a Grant consultation expert soon after, who will help throughout the entire process to maximize the chances of successfully securing the funding sought.
Andy Selby, Vice-President of Sales at Life-Assist, explains why we started the Grant Assistance Program. “At Life-Assist, our primary purpose is to provide the best resources and tools available to First Responders. OurGrants Program will give access to unlimited funding opportunities to support critical patient care programs to our First Responders in local communities across the country,” Andy Selby, VP of Sales, Life-Assist.
To apply for a Grant through the Life-Assist Grant Assistance Program free of cost, visit: https://www.life-assist.com/info/grants
NHTSA | What Are the Potential Applications for AI in EMS?
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NAEMSP Survey on Drug Shortages: Impact on Fire Departments and EMS Agencies
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