2022 AAA Board of Director Nominations Open

Written by AAA Staff on . Posted in Elections.

Nominations Now Open for AAA Board, More!
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Nominations Due 6/17 for
Board Candidates, Ethics Committee, and Honorary Members

Board Nominations

Nominations are open for AAA members in good standing who wish to serve the association in one of the following positions:

  • President-Elect
  • Treasurer
  • Secretary
  • Region I Director
    (CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, RI, VT & PR)
  • Region II Director
    (AL, DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, MS, NC, PA, SC, VA, WV)
  • Region III Director 
    (IL, IN, KY, MI, OH, TN, WI)
  • Region IV Director
    (AR, IA, KS, LA, MN, MO, OK, ND, NE, SD, TX)
  • Region V Director
    (AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NM, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY)

The nomination form must be completed by June 17th to be included in the election.
Individuals who wish to be considered for an elected position as President-Elect, Treasurer-at-Large, or Secretary must meet the following criteria:

1. Be an employee of and the designated representative of an Active member of the AAA, in good standing;

2. Be ready to devote time and effort to matters which concern the Board of Directors and to actively participate in all Board activities;

3. Be prepared to assist other AAA members with concerns and problems which relate to the ambulance industry and the workings of the AAA; and,

4. Understand that these positions provide no compensation for time or reimbursement for expenses. All travel-related expenses, including transportation, lodging and food are the responsibility of the individual and/or the sponsoring organization.

5. Be willing to comply with all governance policies of the association including, Conflict of Interest, Standards of Conduct, and Board Confidentiality, Public Comment and Lobbying Agreement (PDF).

6. Have served on the AAA Board within the past five (5) years prior to his or her declaration as a candidate for election as a President-Elect, Treasurer-at-Large, or Secretary.
Individuals who wish to be considered for an elected position as Regional Director must:

1. Be the designated representative of an Active member of the AAA, in good standing;

2. Be ready to devote time and effort to matters which concern the Board of Directors and to actively participate in all Board activities;

3. Be prepared to assist other AAA members with concerns and problems which relate to the ambulance industry and the workings of the AAA; and,

4. Understand that these positions provide no compensation for time or reimbursement for expenses. All travel-related expenses, including transportation, lodging and food are the responsibility of the individual and/or the sponsoring organization.

5. Be willing to comply with all governance policies of the association including, Conflict of Interest, Standards of Conduct, and Board Confidentiality, Public Comment and Lobbying Agreement (PDF).
There are no restrictions against an individual running for more than one position in the same election cycle, though no person shall hold more than one position simultaneously.All those who wish to stand for election and believe they are qualified are requested to complete a Nomination Form. Please note that we do not have two separate forms this year- just one form including the nominee info & candidate questionnaire! The form must be completed by June 17, 2022 to be included in the candidate ratification. 

Candidates’ statements and pictures, as well as the position(s) for which they are running for will be listed on the AAA website.

2022 Election Timeline

6/17 | Nominations Close
6/24  | Approval of Candidates by AAA Nominating Committee
6/28  | Approval of Candidates by AAA Board of Directors
8/1 | Voting Opens
Election will be paperless. Ballots will be delivered to AAA Active Member primary contacts via email.
9/1 | Voting Closes 11:59pm
9/18 | Election results announced at the Annual Membership Meeting at the AAA Annual Conference in Nashville, TN.
Get Involved!
(Nominations Due 6/17)

About Honorary Membership
AAA accepts written nominations for worthy individuals who have significantly contributed to the accomplishments of the AAA and should therefore be recognized through the granting of Honorary Membership. Honorary Member Form►

About the Ethics Committee
It is the mission of the Ethics Committee to define and distribute guidelines that promote self-imposed high ethical standards for providers of ambulance services. The committee is responsible for hearing complaints and making appropriate recommendations regarding violations of the AAA Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct. Ethics Committee Form►
Complete Board Candidate Form

Complete Honorary Member Form

Complete Ethics Committee Form

Please contact Meghan Winesett at mwinesett@ambulance.org or
(703) 203-9885 with any questions. 

US DOL | Building Mental Health-Friendly Workplaces

Written by Amanda Riordan on . Posted in Employee Wellness.

The U.S. Department of Labor cordially invites you to a virtual event in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month.

Date: Wednesday, May 25, 2022

Time: 2:00 p.m. ET

Location: Streaming online

Register: Click here to register to receive the accessible event link.

Tune in to learn about the U.S. Department of Labor’s commitment to promoting mental health-friendly workplaces and ensuring America’s workers can access the equitable and inclusive mental health services they need. Featuring insightful dialogues and knowledge sharing, the event will explore mental health parity, the role of the workplace in addressing the nation’s mental health crisis and strategies for fostering work environments that support workers with mental health conditions.

Featured guests will include:

  • Marty Walsh, U.S. Secretary of Labor
  • Julie Su, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Labor
  • Ali Khawar, Acting Assistant Secretary, Employee Benefits Security Administration
  • Taryn Williams, Assistant Secretary, Office of Disability Employment Policy

Please join us for this special event!

Click here to register to receive the accessible event link.
U.S. Department of Labor
Employee Benefits Security Administration

DRIVING CHANGE • CREATING OPPORTUNITY

Women Lead the Charge at Booming Healthcare Software Company

Written by AAA Staff on . Posted in News.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Contact: Rhonda Stitman 

Phone: 888-364-9995 ext. 450  

Email: Rhonda@ninthbrain.com 

Website: www.ninthbrain.com 

 

Women Lead the Charge at Booming Healthcare Software Company 

Ninth Brain, a software company that streamlines compliance, training, and 

communication in the healthcare sector, celebrates twenty years of success this Spring. 

FRANKENMUTH, Mich., April 28, 2022 – With a modest history begun as notes on a napkin by two nurses, the company now known as Ninth Brain sought a simple 

yet rigorous solution for the complicated compliance requirements faced by healthcare and first responder  organizations. This spring, Ninth Brain will celebrate its 20th anniversary. Lisa Tedford, uniquely titled  “Captain Grey Matter,” and Holly Taylor, “Chief Hat Holder,” run Ninth Brain with a passion for helping  clients and having a little fun along the way. Tedford says, “I was the first developer to bring the napkin  idea to life over 20 years ago. The best part of this journey has been hearing the feedback from the users  of our system and how it has helped them with their day-to-day. I enjoy seeing where the next big ideas  from our team and clients will take us.” 

When asked about their overall business philosophy, Taylor says, “We focus on caring about our  employees and our clients, the rest just falls into place. Focusing our efforts on being consultative  partners to our clients, in turn, creates advocates in the industry which naturally grows our business. We  look forward to celebrating continued success with our amazing team of devoted brainiacs and loyal  clients.” 

Using crowdsourced suggestions from clients and industry partners alike, Ninth Brain has grown from  Employee Health tracking into an expansive platform known for consultative training and onboarding,  workforce scheduling, risk assessments, and quality improvement. These tools have become especially  important during this time when Healthcare and First Responder industries are experiencing  unprecedented change, staffing turnover, compliance demands, and vaccine-mandate management. 

“Ninth Brain has changed how we provide education within our organization, taking us to the digital era by  reducing the amount of time used to track and document competencies, required education and  credentials,” said Lindsey Castle, Director of Education & Clinical Services at MedFlight.  

ee“PatientCare EMS Solutions has been using many of the features provided by NBS to enhance our  performance and maintain CAAS and CAMTS accreditations for several years. They listen to our “bright  ideas” for improvement and adopt many in their evolving version releases. They are truly customer  focused which is not something you get with every vendor. We know our customer support team by  name, and we can count on them to be available when we need them.” Stated Debbie Vass, Corporate  VP of Quality at PatientCare EMS Solutions.  

In the spirit of collaboration Ninth Brain is known for, Ninth Brain will celebrate its 20th birthday with nine  birthday parties with select clients, provide opportunities to sign up for birthday box surprises and  celebrate nominated Ninth Brain super users. You can check out what they are up to here https://www.ninthbrain.com. 

### 

About Ninth Brain Suite, LLC: Ninth Brain is a team of diverse, talented, energetic collection of brains,  skill sets, and hearts. Our system started with an idea to design a better, quicker, safer, and more  accurate way to manage compliance and meet regulatory requirements for the healthcare industry. Ninth  Brain Suite is recognized as one of the premier solutions for managing data, providing continuing  education, and tracking regulatory requirements. Our healthcare knowledge, friendliness and superb  support is how we build long lasting relationships with our clients.

 

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NHTSA’s Office of EMS Thanks You for Your Service

Written by AAA Staff on . Posted in News, Uncategorized.

The Office of EMS (OEMS) at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is celebrating our nation’s dedicated EMS clinicians during National EMS Week, May 15-21, 2022. We would like to thank you for your commitment to providing high-quality care and compassion to your patients. Your work makes your communities safer and healthier every day.

Please take a moment to watch this video to hear a special message from OEMS Director, Gam Wijetunge, expressing his heartfelt gratitude for EMS clinicians nationwide.

EMS Week Thank You Video

This year’s EMS Week theme is “Rising to the Challenge,” addressing the courage and perseverance EMS clinicians demonstrate every day. Despite the obstacles, EMS clinicians remain dedicated to treating patients in the face of a continued pandemic response while handling the typical challenges of working in EMS.

Take advantage of this opportunity to educate others about all that you and your fellow clinicians do, like Office of EMS EMS Specialist, Kate Elkins, featured on an episode of the Everything is Public Health podcast, scheduled for release on May 19, 2022.

From all of us here at the Office of EMS, NHTSA, and the Department of Transportation: Thank you.

Deadline Approaches for Public Safety Input on Annual Grant Program

Written by AAA Staff on . Posted in News.

EMS & 911 Can Comment on
Funding Needs & Impact on Highway Safety
The Office of EMS and the National 911 Program—housed within the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at the U.S. DOT—encourage 911 and EMS professionals to provide input about their annual Highway Safety Grant Program. The DOT’s National Roadway Safety Strategy describes the major actions the DOT will take to significantly reduce fatalities and serious injuries on our roadways, including specific references to the role that EMS and 911 systems play in this effort.

How to Participate: NHTSA seeks feedback on its formula grant program which awards more than $630 million annually to carry out highway safety programs nationwide. EMS and 911 systems play an important role in efforts that are funded through this grant program.

NHTSA published a Request for Comment (RFC) in the Federal Register to solicit feedback on the upcoming changes to the Highway Safety Grant Program. The RFC will be open for comment until May 23, 2022.

Submit Written Comment

For more information, please visit the Federal Register website and email questions to nhtsaropdprogramquestions@dot.gov.

NHTSA Names New 911 Program Coordinator

Written by AAA Staff on . Posted in News, Press, Uncategorized.

Please see the following statement from NHTSA announcing their newly named 911 Program Coordinator
911 program coordinator

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Office of Emergency Medical Services announced today that Brian Tegtmeyer, ENP (Emergency Number Professional) will assume the role of National 911 Program Coordinator effective May 9, 2022. 

Mr. Tegtmeyer brings more than 26 years of experience in the field of public safety communications to the position.

“NHTSA’s long-term commitment to supporting 911 systems continues with the selection of Brian as the new coordinator for the National 911 Program,” said Gam Wijetunge, Director of the Office of EMS. “His deep knowledge of 911 systems and history of working within the 911 community, at a state, regional and national level is the experience needed to collaborate on updating and improving 911 across the nation.”

Brian began his career as a dispatcher at Hazel Crest Illinois Police Department and continued serving in various leadership roles in 911 systems before assuming his most recent position as Executive Director of DuPage Public Safety Communications in 2007. There he managed a 911 center with 44 agencies that serves a population of over 850,000 citizens.

“Next Generation 911 is the future of public safety communications. This evolution will impact every aspect of a communications center from the technology to operations to our most valuable resource—our telecommunicators,” said Tegtmeyer. “I am excited to join the National 911 Program’s efforts to help state and local 911 systems provide optimal 911 services to their communities.”

Brian has spent over a decade as a national educator teaching Public Safety Telecommunicator courses. He has also been an active member of multiple public safety organizations, including the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) and has been active in Telecommunicator Emergency Response Taskforces (TERT) on a state and national level.

Brian earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice and Sociology at Western Michigan University and also served as a firefighter-EMT at the start of his career.

NEMSAC | Webcast May 11-12

Written by AAA Staff on . Posted in Regulatory.

The National EMS Advisory Council (NEMSAC) will host a virtual meeting on Wednesday and Thursday, May 11-12, 2022. Members of the public can register for the webcast here.

The NEMSAC meets several times each year to discuss issues facing the EMS community. Members of NEMSAC provide counsel and recommendations regarding EMS to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Interagency Committee on EMS (FICEMS).

Daily agendas include time for NEMSAC subcommittee deliberations in the morning and the publicly webcasted portion of the meetings begin at 1:00 pm ET, Wednesday, May 11, 2022, and 12:00 pm ET on Thursday, May 12, 2022. Items on the agenda include:

  • Updates from Federal Emergency Services Liaisons
  • Discussion about FICEMS & NHTSA Initiatives
  • Subcommittee Reports
  • Public comment

Individuals registered for the meeting who wish to address the council during the public comment periods can review the current draft and interim advisories and submit comments in writing to NHTSA.NEMSAC@dot.gov by 5:00 pm ET on May 3, 2022.

Draft advisories:

Interim advisory:

This meeting will be open to the public. NHTSA is committed to providing equal access to this meeting for all program participants. Persons with disabilities in need of accommodation should send their request to Clary Mole by phone at (202) 868-3275 or by email at Clary.Mole@dot.gov no later than May 3, 2022. A sign language interpreter will be provided and closed captioning services will be provided for this meeting through the WebEx virtual meeting platform.

Register Now

Notice of Public Meeting: This notice announces a meeting of the National Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council (NEMSAC).

www.federalregister.gov

CMS | Ambulance Ground Transport: Comparative Billing Report in April

Written by AAA Staff on . Posted in Cost Data Collection, Cost Survey, Regulatory.

From CMS on April 21, 2022

In late April, CMS will issue a Comparative Billing Report (CBR) on Medicare Part B claims for ambulance ground transport. Use the data-driven report to compare your billing practices with those of peers in your state and across the nation.

CBRs aren’t publicly available. Look for an email from cbrpepper.noreply@religroupinc.com to access your report. Update your email address in the Provider Enrollment, Chain, and Ownership System to ensure delivery.

For More Information:

AMERICAN AMBULANCE ASSOCIATION
PO Box 96503 #72319
Washington, DC 20090-6503
hello@ambulance.org
NEW! Submit a Support Ticket

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Email hello@ambulance.org to open a support ticket for friendly assistance!

MEDIA INQUIRIES

media@ambulance.org
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