Podcast | EMS One-Stop | Resuscitating EMS through trend analysis
43 min
Tag: Podcast
The road ahead: Resuscitating EMS through trend analysisEMS One-Stop
-
- Government
Collecting and communicating the big EMS news of 2023
The American Ambulance Association and the Academy of Mobile Healthcare Integration (AIMHI) collect, collate, categorize and share weekly EMS-based news stories widely with many national organizations and associations, including NHTSA, USFA and NAEMT.
The information contained in the news tracker allows officials and EMS leaders to brief and educate journalists and elected officials, as well as the public as to the current plight of EMS. EMS is delivered on a local level and those experiencing issues with their service can believe it is just them suffering funding shortages, staffing challenges, hospital delays or general poor performance. The tracker can be used to demonstrate that the issues are occurring on a wider regional, state, national and, in some cases, international level.
In this episode of the EMS One-Stop podcast, host Rob Lawrence, who also heads up the AAA-AIMHI news collation effort, welcomes fellow news collator, Rodney Dyche of Patient Care EMS; and AIMHI Education Committee Chair, Matt Zavadsky, chief transformation officer at MedStar Mobile Healthcare. Rob, Rodney and Matt examine EMS news and current trends, and discuss how these themes can be used to inform, influence and educate.
Top quotes from this episode
“There’s a perverse ‘incentive’ about response time … if you have the target of 8:59, you arrive on time and the patient dies; that’s a success. If you arrive in 9:01 and the patient lives; that’s a failure. That’s absolute garbage” — Rob Lawrence
“There was a quote from Dr. Clawson in a news story that was done in Minneapolis, and I love his quote. He says, ‘there is no evidence that using red lights and sirens have saved more lives than they’ve taken.’” — Matt Zavadsky
“Every week in this great country, an ambulance is stolen either from hospital or from scene – that’s avoidable.” — Rob Lawrence
“Stop being timid. Stop licking your wounds. Get out in your community, talk to your elected officials. Talk to your city managers or county administrators – very factually, not emotionally. There will be time for emotions, but give them the facts and let them know what it’s gonna take to resuscitate their EMS delivery system.” — Matt Zavadsky
Episode contents
00:23 – Guest introduction
02:06 – AAA/AIMHI News Tracker and story categories
04:22 – A resource to brief the press and elected officials
04:30 – Operational challenges across many states
05:50 – Massive sign-on bonuses – robbing Peter to pay Paul
06:30 – Staffing and funding issues
08:40 – Communities/local governing bodies facing the fact that they are running out of money, and their EMS isn’t free
09:40 – Transitioning from a volunteer to a paid system
11:00 – Explaining EMS economics to your elected officials
11:50 – Has anyone died? Bring data
13:30 – EMS systems closing
15:30 – “Elected officials get nervous deciding to allocate funding to a service that they haven’t had to fund or haven’t, haven’t had to fund to this certain level in the past.”
18:40 – Response time
19:25 – Increase in low acuity calls
20:30 – Service design
22:50 – Single- versus double-paramedic crewed trucks
25:04 – MEDIC Charlotte – Taking bold steps within categories of response
27:00 – The rate of ambulance crashes across the county at intersections
27:47 – If you are not the ambulance driver … who is?
29:49 – There is no evidence that using red lights and siren have saved more lives than they’ve taken!
30:30 – Stolen ambulances
32:59 – Supply chain and vehicle availability
34:00 – Rurality and ambulance deserts
35:00 – Violence against providers
37:00 – Responding to patients in crisis/agitated patients
38:00 – How to use the media log in your locality to good effect
40:00 – Final thoughts
About our guests
Matt Zavadsky is the chief transformation officer at MedStar Mobile Healthcare, the exclusive emergency an
NCSL Podcast | Emergency Medicine in Rural America
Emergency Medicine in Rural America | OAS Episode 198
NOVEMBER 19TH, 2023 | 36:56 | E198
EPISODE SUMMARY
Two experts in emergency medical services joined the podcast to discuss a variety of challenges to providing care in rural areas, including long waits for ambulances and a serious workforce shortage. They also talked about the role of legislatures in addressing EMS needs.
EPISODE NOTES
Emergency medical services face significant challenges in rural America. Just one is the time it takes to summon an ambulance. While most people living in urban and suburban areas expect an ambulance to show up within minutes of making a 911 call, the situation is very different for about 4.5 million Americans who live in ambulance deserts, according to a nation study conducted by Maine Rural Health Research Center and the Rural Health Research & Policy Centers. Those folks can expect to wait 25 minutes or more for emergency services to arrive.
We sat down with two experts on the subject — Dia Gainor, executive director of National Association of State EMS Officials, and Davis Patterson, director of the WWAMI Rural Health Research Center at University of Washington—to discuss that and other challenges to EMS in rural areas. Other issues they discussed included the severe workforce challenges in staffing rural EMS services, the role of legislatures in addressing rural EMS needs and the promise of community paramedicine in addressing both emergency and nonemergency care in rural areas.
RESOURCES
- Ambulance Deserts: Addressing Geographic Disparities in the Provision of Ambulance Services, Rural Health Research Gateway (May 2023)
- Beyond 911: Expanding the Primary Care Role of First Responders through Community Paramedicine
- Community Paramedicine: Connecting Patients to Care and Reducing Costs
- EMS Legislative Database
- The EMS and Community Paramedic Workforces Respond to COVID-19, WWAMI Rural Health Research Center (June 2023)
- The National Association of State Emergency Medical Services Officials
- State Actions To Address EMS Workforce Shortages
- You might need an ambulance, but your state may not see it as ‘essential,’ Stateline (September 2023)
- WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Podcast | EMS One-Stop on Rural EMS Funding
In this episode of EMS One-Stop With Rob Lawrence, Rob is joined by Justin Grohs, general manager at Great Falls Emergency Services, Montana. Grohs also serves the American Ambulance Association as chair of the Rural Task Force.
Together, they discuss the realities, challenges, and funding of rural EMS, where staffing and financial stressors have been further exacerbated by the pandemic.
EMS1 | COVID-19 Vaccination Podcast
From Rob Lawrence’s EMS One Stop Podcast at EMS1
Scott Moore on COVID-19 Vaccination: EMS One-Stop With Rob Lawrence
The American Ambulance Association HR Consultant discusses options open to EMS managers to ensure providers are vaccinated
The word of the week is vaccine, but is it giving EMS leaders a headache already? Host Rob Lawrence discusses the issues with American Ambulance Association HR Consultant, Scott Moore. Rob and Scott discuss the options open to managers to ensure all are vaccinated, while acknowledging the hope that science and understanding will prevail. They also discuss the other major news item of the week, EMS funding and the lack of it as reduced incomes put the very viability of service delivery at risk.
Scott Moore is a Massachusetts licensed attorney and possesses certifications as both a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and the Society for Human Resources Management Certified Professional (SHRM-CP). He is a member of the American Bar Association (ABA), the Massachusetts Bar Association (MBA), the Northeast Human Resource Association (NEHRA), and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).
In addition, Scott is an active member of the American Ambulance Association and has been a site reviewer for the Commission for the Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS) for many years.
Read Rob’s article, “The word of the week is vaccine,” and listen to the podcast below.
EMS1 | Developing our political EMS response plan: EMS One-Stop With Rob Lawrence
This content is for AAA members only.
Please either or Join!
EMS1 | Inside EMS Podcast: Elephants In the Room
From EMS1 featuring AAA Communications Chair Rob Lawrence
What to do about the EMS elephants in the roomOur hosts discuss industry hot topics that will need to be addressed in the future, including the debate about responding with lights and sirensNov 6, 2020
This episode of Inside EMS is sponsored by ImageTrend, the creators of the free mobile app for first responders, CrewCare. It’s time to thrive.In this episode, host Chris Cebollero speaks with guest host Rob Lawrence about his recent keynote address at the American Ambulance Association’s Annual Conference. Lawrence shares his thoughts on his EMS “elephants in the room.” Where should EMS stand on the issue of responding with lights and sirens? Do EMS practitioners need college degrees? Listen to the discussion and join the debate in the comments below.
Podcast | Comms Chair Rob Lawrence on Inside EMS
On May 29’s Inside EMS podcast, AAA Communications Chair Rob Lawrence spoke with hosts Chris Cebollero and Kelly Grayson about national EMS issues including reimbursement, ET3, and more.
5 Can’t-Miss EMS Podcasts
Podcasts are a great way to gain information and insight on a variety of topics. With the intimidating number of podcasts on the topic of EMS and leadership available, it can take a bit of time to find the one that’s right for you. I have been a fan of podcasts for several years now, and while some of my favorites have dropped off over the years, I am certain there are many new favorites out there waiting to be discovered.
If you’re not yet listening to podcasts, I encourage you to start exploring – here is a quick list of some of my current favorites in EMS and leadership to get you started. (* We’ve included links are iTunes, but these podcasts can be found on just about any podcast service.)
- Prehospital Emergency Care Podcast
This is a newer podcast, and quickly landed on my subscribed list for the obvious reason; it is the official podcast for the NAEMSP. The first few episodes were recorded during the most recent NAEMSP annual meeting, in the most recent the hosts spend time interviewing authors of studies published in the PEC journal, discussing results questioning when, and how, changes should be implemented based on those results. I’ve been able to make the NAEMSP conference a few times, and it is truly enjoyable. This podcast is a nice way to keep up on the research and recommendations coming from the NAEMSP. - EMJ Podcast
This podcast discusses the research published in the Emergency Medicine Journal (EMJ) and is a great listen, in my opinion. The hosts are easy to listen to and the way they discuss the research and potential application is thought provoking, particularly given the international perspective. - CPR Podcast
This podcast is a little bit of everything in EMS. While most of the episodes seem to have a clinical education spin, others delve into some standard practice, leadership, and provider health and safety topics as well. The conversations are well planned without seeming overly rehearsed which ads a measure of sincerity to the commentary. - Dear HBR
This is a newer podcast and is produced by the Harvard Business Review. While not directly related to EMS, there is value for EMS listeners. Individuals write to the show and ask questions – many of which are about how to handle conflicts or difficult situations in the workplace – and the hosts discuss the question at hand and the advice they might give the individual based on personal experience and available research. There is so much we can learn through the experience of others, and this is a good way to compare our own experience with the experience of others, and perhaps walk away with some good advice. - EM Weekly
This focus of this podcast is emergency management (EM), but the discussion topics span everything from tactical planning to leadership and future possibilities. The host and guests mix in a bit of the history of EM throughout the episodes which helps provide perspective and understanding of the evolution of emergency management over time, and ideas for the future.
Editor’s Note
Samantha Hilker, author of this article, is the host of the excellent EMS in Wisconsin podcast created by the Professional Ambulance Association of Wisconsin. Don’t miss it!