Carefully coordinated efforts between all of the EMS provider organizations and hospitals in the community are necessary to consistently achieve the best possible outcomes.
The various elements of the local EMS system come at a significant public funding cost to the communities they serve. It stands to reason that with that significant investment, there should be some level of accountability on these entities to report on the quality of their care.
Thoughts on how to hold pre-hospital emergency medical services (EMS) providers accountable for the community health impact they have.
It’s generally not fair to hold EMS accountable for most aspects of patient outcomes because the majority of care takes place in hospitals and other settings. However, it is entirely reasonable to hold EMS accountable for the proper and timely completion of the processes that research has shown directly impacts patient outcomes.
Here are five questions that senior officials in local government should ask to assess the current status of systems of care for common high-risk, time-sensitive emergency conditions.