EDITOR'S NOTE: Earlier this month, EMS1, Fitch & Associates, and the National EMS Management Association released their fourth annual EMS Trend Report, proudly sponsored by Pulsara. Read, ponder, and share the following information brought to you by the most prestigious thought leaders in EMS.
Field providers, managers, chiefs and medical directors share insights into the challenges and opportunities in EMS in the U.S.
By Roxanne Shanks, MBA, and Jay Fitch, PhD
This year began with reasons to feel hopeful about the future of EMS. In February, the Secretary of Health and Human Services announced a pilot program to reimburse ambulance providers for transport to alternative destinations and for treating but not transporting – a trial run of what would be the most significant change in decades in how Medicare pays for EMS care. While the details have yet to be revealed, the Emergency Triage, Treat and Transport model (ET3) has energized many in the profession who hope it is a significant step toward recognizing the true value paramedics and EMTs can bring to individuals and communities.