Reports

This will be a defining year for EMS, shaped by new care delivery options, legislative mandates and the public spotlight. The 2020 EMS Trend Report, produced in collaboration with EMS1 and the National EMS Management Association, and sponsored by Pulsara, continues a 5-year effort to identify how EMS providers, managers and leaders perceive the challenges...

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How will EMS advance at its current pace of change?

While it is well known that good nutrition plays a significant role in our overall wellbeing, the impact of our diet tends to fall behind issues like exercise, fatigue, and exposure to carcinogens when we discuss the health risks related to performance and safety in Fire and EMS. It is time for a closer look into what...

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How the optimism divide between leaders and providers will shape EMS’ future

In its second year, the EMS Trend Report describes revealing changes in clinical care, finance and the use of technology in EMS

It’s clear there is increasing interest among EMS leaders in using data to improve our ability to monitor our systems—often in real time—and to translate that data into information that can improve systems and ultimately patient care. Powered by Fitch & Associates’ experience in all 50 states over three decades, the series will be an up-to-date overview of how agencies can—and are—using their data.

As the EMS adage goes, "If you’ve seen one EMS system, you’ve seen one EMS system." While that statement reflects the diversity of EMS systems across the United States, it also creates the false sense that every EMS system is entirely different and that EMS leaders can’t learn from each other. Clearly that is not the case. As we see in the premiere edition of the EMS Trend Report, EMS systems across the country share many traits. On the other hand, significant differences do exist in everything from clinical care to salaries to operational benchmarks to hiring requirements.

Our peers in helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) have been catching a lot of flack in the media recently, due to several high-profile incidents and government investigations. Maybe you’ve been thinking, Thank goodness it’s them, not us. But what are you doing to achieve the safest environment for your staff and patients? You may find my opinion harsh or even critical, but I don’t see much activity at the grassroots level in making ground EMS operations safer. There seems to be an intense focus on “the box,” meaning the area behind the ambulance cab, but not much activity out of (and beyond) the box. Where are the vision, the commitment, the tools and the passion to meet our guiding mission, “First do no harm”?

This report is part of a continuing leadership series developed for Best Practices in Emergency Services. It shows leaders of emergency medical services (EMS) and fire departments how the concept of organizational agility can be applied in their agencies. Organizational agility originated in the context of flexible manufacturing and later emerged as a business model in service industries and healthcare. Researchers from diverse disciplines approach organizational agility from a variety of perspectives. Most agree that when organizations are not agile, they become less effective and “fragile,” or susceptible to factors that can impair their ability to survive.

Despite a tremendous diversity in how emergency medical services (EMS) are provided in municipalities around the country, most U.S. EMS systems share one commonality: They remain primarily focused on responding quickly to serious accidents and critical emergencies even though patients increasingly call 911 for less severe or chronic health problems.