40 Under 40: Charles Schwalbe (Northwell Health EMS – Northport, NY)

Posted on by AAA Staff

40 Under 40 nominees were selected based on their contributions to the American Ambulance Association, their employer, state ambulance association, other professional associations, and/or the EMS profession. ____ Charles Schwalbe Operations Manger – Support Services Northwell Health Center for Emergency Medical Services Northport, NY ____ LinkedIn Nominated by: Abdo Nahmod (Northwell Health Center for EMS – New Hyde Park, NY) ____ Biography: Charles Schwalbe started his EMS journey in 1998 with the Commack Volunteer Ambulance Corps as a Youth Squad Member. Charles received his EMT certification in 2000 and the EMT of the Year award in 2001. Charles quickly took a liking to the EMS field and rose quickly through the ranks of the department. Charles worked as Crew Chief from 2003-2004 and a Chief from 2005-2012. Charles currently holds the titles of Ex-Chief, Captain, and Chairman of the Board of Directors. Charles’s professional career with North Shore-LIJ began in October of 2002 as an EMT. Charles began work in the Core and 911 Division for a few years before obtaining his Paramedic certification. Charles continued to work both the Core and 911 division, and was then asked to work on our Islip 911 response program. Later, Charles became the (more…)

40 Under 40: Brian Levinsky (Northwell Health EMS – Staten Island, NY)

Posted on by AAA Staff

40 Under 40 nominees were selected based on their contributions to the American Ambulance Association, their employer, state ambulance association, other professional associations, and/or the EMS profession. ____ Brian Levinsky Manager of Training & Preformance Improvement Northwell Health Center for Emergency Medical Services Staten Island, NY ____ LinkedIn Nominated by: Abdo Nahmod (Northwell Health Center for EMS – New Hyde Park, NY) ____ Biography: Brian Levinsky is presently the Manager of Training and Performance Improvement for the Northwell Health Center for Emergency Medical Services (CEMS). As an Eagle Scout, Brian felt the need “to help other people at all times” and in 2001 began his career in EMS as an EMT. In 2004, Brian graduated paramedic school and was recognized with an award for academic excellence. Brian continued to further his professional education, completing the University of Maryland, Baltimore County’s Critical Care Emergency Medical Transport Program in 2006, in 2011 completing a Bachelor of Science in Health Administration and is presently pursuing a Master of Arts in Health Law and Policy. In 2012, Brian was promoted to Paramedic Supervisor and in 2018 was promoted to his current manager role. In June 2018, Brian was elected to a four-year term as (more…)

Scott

January Law Changes– OR, NJ, NY, NV

Posted on by Scott Moore

Oregon Pregnancy Accommodations Law   Following many other states, the new law prohibits employers from deny employment opportunities to applicants or employees who need reasonable accommodations due to or related to their pregnancy or childbirth.  New Jersey Pay Inquiry Restrictions   This law prohibits screening candidates based upon an applicant’s prior wage history. It is also illegal to establish a job candidate’s salary or benefits compensation based upon their prior salary or wage history. New York Pay Inquiry Restrictions   This law prohibits all employers from inquiring about a job candidate’s wage history or relying on prior wage levels in establishing compensation or benefits. Nevada Pre-Employment Marijuana Testing Restrictions   This law exempts employees who are firefighters, EMTs or who operate motor vehicles during the course of their duties.  While this would eliminate many positions within an EMS agency.  EMS employers who are not Federal Contractors or Grantees, need to heed these restrictions for those positions within their organization that do not fit into one of the exempt positions below....

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2019 AMBY Award Winners Announced

Posted on by AAA Staff

The American Ambulance Association is proud to announce the recipients of the 2019 AMBY Awards. The AMBYs highlight excellence in EMS and the ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit that epitomize  mobile healthcare. The mission of the awards is to showcase creativity and innovation in the ambulance industry by fostering a culture of collaboration, cooperation, and a passion for excellence in patient care. This year’s awards will be presented at the Annual Conference & Trade Show Awards Reception on November 5 in Nashville. Please join us in congratulating our 2019 winners! Clinical Outcome Program Medic Ambulance Service Inc. CPR Initiative Community Impact Program Advanced Medical Transport CPR Race to the Top American Medical Response (Manchester/Nashua, NH) Safe Station Project Sunstar Paramedics Health & Safety Fair Employee Programs American Medical Response (Buffalo, NY) Recruitment/Training Program Northstar EMS, Inc Medical Director Engagement Through Technology Public Relations Campaign Acadian Ambulance Service Hometown Hero Initiative Mecklenburg EMS Agency Bystander CPR Initiative With Pulsepoint Once again, join us in celebrating the 2019 winners! Learn more about the AMBYs.

Senator Chuck Schumer Receives AAA Legislative Honor

Posted on by AAA Staff

Senator Chuck Schumer Receives 2017 AAA Legislative Recognition Award For Immediate Release Contact: Amanda Riordan ariordan@ambulance.org 703-610-0264 Washington, DC– The American Ambulance Association (AAA) will honor Senator Chuck Schumer of New York with a Legislative Recognition Award in appreciation of his advocacy for emergency medical services. Senator Schumer will be presented this award in June in Washington, DC by AAA’s New York Stars of Life—EMS personnel selected for their excellence and dedication. This year’s Stars from the Empire State are William Bailey, Danielle Cohen, Benjamin Cohen and Robert Mazzo of Northwell Health EMS, and Jason Billington of Mohawk Ambulance. Senator Schumer was selected for the Legislative Recognition Award for championing the Medicare Ambulance Access, Fraud Prevention and Reform Act, which would make permanent the current temporary Medicare ambulance add-on increases and the super rural bonus payment. The legislation, S. 377 from the 114th Congress, would treat ambulance services more like providers of health care services. It would also require CMS to ambulance collect cost data utilizing a survey methodology that would likely result in usable information and not present an unnecessary burden on rural ambulance services. AAA President Mark Postma notes, “Senator Schumer has been a trusted advocate for health (more…)

2017 AAA Legislative Awards

Posted on by AAA Staff

The American Ambulance Association is proud to announce the winners of the 2017 AAA Legislative Awards, in recognition of their strong advocacy for emergency medical services. Each legislator was chosen for their ongoing service to the ambulance services of the United States. 2017 AAA Legislator of the Year Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) – Press Release, Facebook Post, Twitter Post 2017 AAA Legislative Recognition Award Recipients Senators Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) – Press Release Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) – Press Release Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) – Press Release Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) – Press Release Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS) – Press Release Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) – Press Release Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) – Press Release Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) – Press Release Representatives Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) – Press Release Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO) – Press Release Rep. Gregg Harper (R-MS) Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC) – Press Release Rep. Kenny Marchant (R-TX) Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA) Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) – Press Release Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-MN) Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL) – Press Release Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA) Rep. Pat Tiberi (R-OH) – Press Release Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR) Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT)...

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Time to Automate

Posted on by Wendy Becofsky

Founded in 1964, now nationally recognized, Mohawk Ambulance Service is the largest privately owned ambulance service in upstate New York. Our organization services six emergency centers, makes 56,000 trips annually and employs a team of more than 250 staff members. Eighty percent of our trips are for emergency transports where patients are unknown, in critical condition or have no identifying information. Finding fast, efficient ways to verify demographics and discover insurance coverage for these patients is imperative for our revenue cycle and our bottom line. We’ve always worked closely with our local hospitals and nursing homes to obtain information. Many standard processes have been refined over the years with checks and balances to verify coverage, screen deductibles and reduce eligibility-related rejections before claims are submitted to a payor. But our billing team knew we could do more to eliminate duplicate data entry and processing lag time. This article describes our journey to a more streamlined billing process. It includes lessons learned and best-practice recommendations for other EMS providers looking to improve staff efficiency and reduce receivables. First Stop: Real-Time Insurance Discovery The first area we tackled was insurance discovery where we had three employees stationed. We focused on our self-pay...

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In Memory of Walter L. Reisner

Posted on by AAA Staff

The American Ambulance Association was deeply saddened to hear of the death of Walter L. Reisner, longtime owner of Trans Am Ambulance Services. Walter was a pillar of the EMS community, and will be sorely missed. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and former colleagues. November 2016 article about Walter’s receipt of a community service award. Brief obituary and service details.