Skip to main content

2021 40 Under 40 | Brian Bayani | Texas

Written by American Ambulance Association on . Posted in 40 Under 40.

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 Bayani
Executive Director
Northwest Community Health
29530 Quinn Road, Texas
LinkedIn
Nominated by: Marco Kimassi

Biography

Chief Brian Bayani started his career in 2000 as a municipal EMT in New Jersey. He has since worked as a paramedic, Communications Supervisor, Lead Clinical Educator, and Director of Clinical Services in the Houston, Texas area until 2014 when he joined Northwest Community Health as the Executive Director and EMS Chief. Chief Bayani is credentialed as a Fellow of the American College of Paramedic Executives (FACPE) and serves as the chair of the Lone Star College – Montgomery EMS Professions Advisory Committee. He is also a doctoral candidate in the Gary Cook School of Leadership at Dallas Baptist University.

Reason for Nomination

Since coming to Northwest Community Health, Chief Bayani has committed himself to servant leadership and exemplifying the organization’s core values of integrity, professionalism, compassion, and service. Chief Bayani oversaw the organization’s rebranding from Northwest Rural EMS Association to Northwest Community Health to more effectively communicate the organization’s mission and value proposition to the community. Chief Bayani spearheaded the organization’s first multi-year strategic planning initiative, including the creation of a mission-aligned, ten-year capital plan. He also directed the implementation of a third-party patient experience monitoring program, with five system clinicians recognized among the Top 50 in Texas for patient satisfaction in the first year of implementation.

Chief Bayani currently serves as the Chair of the Lone Star College – Montgomery EMS Professions Advisory Committee and has previously served on the EMS Professions Program Advisory Committee for Lone Star College – North Harris. Additionally, Chief Bayani previously chaired the Multidiscipline Mentoring Committee for the International Public Safety Association, and as President and Vice President for the Emergency Chaplain Group Board of Directors.

Chief Bayani’s leadership philosophy is people-focused. A comment from a recent 360-degree evaluation said Chief Bayani is an “[e]ncouraging leader who obviously cares for his team and the success of the organization. He is articulate and professional and has a depth of understanding regarding his profession that role models for others.” He believes that caring for clinicians and other team members ultimately leads to better care for the community. He is particularly passionate about provider well-being and has presented at conferences and scientific assemblies about well-being in EMS and the role of leadership. He is currently a candidate for a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies in the Cook School of Leadership at Dallas Baptist University, where he is preparing to defend his dissertation, “Exploring the Relationship Between Moral Injury, Supervisor Leadership Style, and Suicidal Behavior in Texas Paramedics.”

2021 40 Under 40 | Justin Kinsey | Maryland

Written by American Ambulance Association on . Posted in 40 Under 40.

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.
____

Justin Kinsey
Vice President of Customer Success
Traumasoft
Hereford, Maryland
LinkedIn
Nominated by: Brian Balow

Biography

Justin Kinsey is the Vice President of Customer Success at Traumasoft, a provider of fully integrated EMS management software. In this role, he uses the combination of his experiences as an EMS provider and former commercial ambulance service manager to anticipate the evolving needs of customers, recommend and implement software enhancements and upgrades, and ensure that Traumasoft customers’ unique configuration requirements are met.

Justin is the former General Manager of Pulse Medical Transportation, a multi-state commercial ambulance service and mobility transportation provider. He previously taught public high school students in an EMT pathway at a magnet school for healthcare careers. Justin has worked and volunteered as a firefighter and EMT for nearly twenty years, including the unique experiences of contract firefighting at FOB Abu Ghraib, Iraq, and at McMurdo Station, Antarctica.

Reason for Nomination

Justin has dedicated his career to serving and improving the EMS industry. He began as a firefighter and EMT at the Hereford Volunteer Fire Company at age 16 and never looked back. Justin’s demonstrated commitment to innovation and advocacy makes him deserving of recognition as a rising star in the field of EMS.

As General Manager at Pulse Medical Transportation, he was responsible for innovations in emergency care including the first emergency telemedicine capability in the state of Maryland. He also oversaw the development of the most advanced, non-hospital-based critical care transport team in the state. Since regional critical care transport resources are sparse, this allowed for better outcomes for Maryland’s most acutely sick and injured patients.

In the absence of a statewide trade association, Justin has advocated proactively as an informal leader within the commercial ambulance industry. He speaks with lawmakers and has testified on proposed legislation during Maryland’s annual legislative sessions. He has served in several state-sponsored regulatory workgroups. In 2019, Justin was appointed by the governor to the Statewide Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council (SEMSAC). In that capacity, he represented Maryland’s commercial ambulance services in SEMSAC’s efforts to improve EMS delivery throughout the state.

Since 2008, Justin has stewarded the EMS profession by teaching emergency services classes to hundreds of students at the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute (a part of the University of Maryland), the state’s premier training and education system for emergency services. He also taught for two years in the Baltimore City Public School System (BCPSS) as an EMT instructor. During that time, he developed the curriculum and materials for the EMT pathway program and successfully obtained an ambulance simulator for his classroom. His hands-on teaching approach included personally precepting dozens of students during their field internship experiences on 911 ambulances.

Justin applies his considerable leadership experience to the benefit of his hometown, currently serving as the Chairman of the Board of the Hereford Volunteer Fire Company. Additionally, he served two years as the Vice President of Administration for the Baltimore County Volunteer Firemen’s Association, an organization that oversees Baltimore County’s volunteer fire/ems/rescue companies.

With his broad knowledge and experience in all facets of EMS, from patient care to transport logistics to education and political advocacy, Justin will continue to be an influential force for improvement in the field of EMS.

40 Under 40: Celia Cuevas (Superior Air-Ground Ambulance Service Inc. – Merrillville, IN)

Written by American Ambulance Association on . Posted in 40 Under 40.

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.
____

Celia Cuevas
Station Manager
Superior Air-Ground Ambulance Service Inc.
Merrillville, IN

____
Nominated by: Jeff Collins
____

Biography:

Celia “Cece” Cuevas was born and raised in East Chicago, Indiana. Cece got into EMS for many reasons but the number one reason has to do with an old co-worker Andre. When Cece was 10 years old, she was shot three times in a drive by shooting as an innocent by stander. Cece was in and out of consciousness before a medic picked her up and carried her to an ambulance. This medic’s name was Andre. Andre took care of Cece on the ambulance and at the hospital, making sure that she was well taken care of. Andre saved Cece’s life and she grew up wanting to be just like him. When Cece was old enough, she went to EMT school and was even able to work side by side Andre. Cece is the skilled medic she is today thanks to Andre’s help and inspiration.
____

Reason for Nomination:

Cece is an amazing person and a major asset to the management team at Superior Air-Ground Ambulance. Cece is very warm and out going. Cece completes each task that is given to her and is constantly striving to be the best health care provider possible. Cece has over come many challenges in her life and is well deserving to be recognized as one of the American Ambulance Association’s 40 Under 40 Honorees.

____

View all of the 2020 Mobile Healthcare 40 Under 40 Honorees

40 Under 40: Amanda Jimeson (EMSA – Oklahoma City, OK)

Written by American Ambulance Association on . Posted in 40 Under 40.

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.
____

Amanda Jimeson
Deputy Chief of Patient Billing Services
EMSA
Oklahoma, OK

____
LinkedIn
Nominated by: Angela McLain
____

Biography:

Amanda Jimeson currently serves as the Deputy Chief of Patient Billing Services and has been a part of the EMSA team for the past seven years. Amanda has more than 15 years of experience in management of patient billing, coding, physician training, compliance, education, and documentation. In addition, Amanda is credentialed as a Certified Professional Coder, Certified Ambulance Coder, Certified Ambulance Documentation Specialist, and has received her Green Belt in Lean Six Sigma.

Amanda holds a Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration from Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, OK. Amanda is a member of AAPC, NAAC, and serves on the Medicare Regulatory Committee for the American Ambulance Association.
____

Reason for Nomination:

Known to the EMSA team as Mandi, she was asked two years ago to step out of her comfort zone and take on Patient Billing Services for EMSA. Mandi had a proven career in coding, documentation and provider training, but not necessarily on the day to day functions of a billing office. Mandi has gone above and beyond what was expected and has help to shape the current EMSA Patient Billing Services office into a more functional hands on department. Mandi does not only manage but takes on the workload to help to keep staff ahead of production as much as possible, often leaving the office and working long nights at home just to help lessen the stress for her team. Mandi has helped to sustain a manageable retention rate for the department and has been instrumental in providing performance improvement processes throughout the department, and recently earned her green belt in Lean Six Sigma, by evaluating and improving the EMSA Patient Billing Services refund processes. It’s exciting to watch Mandi to develop each day as new issues arise. Mandi is a true mentor to her managers, staff, and leadership team.

____

View all of the 2020 Mobile Healthcare 40 Under 40 Honorees

40 Under 40: Alicia Ney-Ludescher (Paramount Ambulance – Peosta, IA)

Written by American Ambulance Association on . Posted in 40 Under 40.

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.
____

Alicia Ney                                                                                           
Business Development & Training Coordinator
Paramount Ambulance
Peosta, Iowa

____
LinkedIn
Nominated by: Kathy Griffin
____

Biography:

Alicia Ney-Ludescher, along with her twin brother Andy Ney, was recognized at last year’s American Ambulance Association (AAA) Conference as one of the youngest leaders in EMS. At the age of 28, Alicia has already been working as an EMS provider for ten years. Of those ten years, Alicia has worked as a member of the management team at Paramount Ambulance for nearly six years. Over that time, Alicia obtained her Paramedic certification, so as to better provide EMS care, bring knowledge to her position, and to better understand the providers she was managing and training. In 2010, when Alicia became an EMT in high school, it was not about the excitement of working in EMS, but rather satisfying her dad by working for his newly established private ambulance service. Alongside her twin brother, Alicia became one of the youngest EMTs in the state of Iowa at the time. Throughout college, Alicia worked part-time for the family business but had no intention of working full-time as an EMT. At the time, Alicia was considering careers in insurance or health and wellness. In a turn of events, three months after graduating from Loras College, Alicia joined the family business full-time in management wearing many hats within the organization. In the course of a day, Alicia can go from posting payments to patient accounts, to coordinating new hire orientation, to jumping in an ambulance to provide EMS care on a busy day. Alicia has never been given a formal position or title at Paramount, but that is most likely because there isn’t one that would encompass all that she does for the employees and the organization. Every day that Alicia comes to work, she has a smile on her face with a natural positivity that affects everyone around her. Alicia has a drive and passion for training, organizing, and providing patient care. In her six years with the management team at Paramount, Alicia has streamlined many processes, organized the management team, developed a training calendar for the year for employees, and developed a formal Field Training program for new employees. Alicia’s contributions to the organization have been profound. As a young member of EMS, Alicia represents the new age of technology and information at state association conferences and AAA conferences. It is the young minds that will push EMS into the future and with her organization, structure, and passion for patient care, Alicia will be one of the individuals to aid in that process. Alicia’s twin brother Andy provides her with inspiration every day. The passion they share together for paving the future of EMS within their organization, their county, and their state will make profound strides in the future and quite likely the industry as a whole.
____

Reason for Nomination:

Alicia Ney-Ludescher wears many hats within her organization, Paramount Ambulance. From field Paramedic to Accounts Receivable to Business Development, training, and education; Alicia does it all. Most who venture into a career in EMS focus their time and energy on specific functions, but Alicia is focused on the overall growth of her agency and the education of her employees.

Dedicating much of her time to the clinical education and field training, Alicia has a true passion for ensuring clinical excellence based on national best practice standards and has made it her mission to bring this passion for personal and professional educational growth to her field crews on a daily basis.

For the majority of people, handling the number of roles that Alicia does would be a burden. However, her family, friends, and colleagues would all agree, for Alicia, her eclectic involvement within Paramount Ambulance energizes her to pursue excellence around every turn and energizes those around her to do the same.

____

View all of the 2020 Mobile Healthcare 40 Under 40 Honorees

40 Under 40: Amanda Shell Jennings (Priority Ambulance – Knoxville, TN)

Written by American Ambulance Association on . Posted in 40 Under 40.

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.
____

Amanda Shell Jennings
Director of Marketing and Communications
Priority Ambulance
Knoxville, Tennessee

____
LinkedIn
Nominated by: Dennis Rowe
____

Biography:

As Director of Marketing and Communications, Amanda Shell Jennings manages internal and external communications throughout the Priority Ambulance family of companies.

Jennings provided marketing and public relations support for the company since its founding in 2014 in her previous role as Senior Account Executive with public relations firm Moxley Carmichael. Prior to joining Priority Ambulance, Jennings was a top performing account executive at premier East Tennessee public relations firm Moxley Carmichael for five years, where she created and executed strategic communications plans for Priority Ambulance, Tennessee Theatre, Knoxville Convention Center, Knoxville Civic Auditorium and Coliseum, US Nitrogen, and Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation, among other clients. Jennings specializes in media relations, event planning, marketing, crisis communications, internal communications, and social media strategy.

Jennings is involved in local professional organizations. Jennings currently serves on the Communications Committee for the American Ambulance Association and as Treasurer of the Volunteer Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. Jennings served as Vice President of collegiate relations for the Knoxville American Marketing Association from 2012 to 2015. Jennings holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism with a minor in Spanish from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
____

Reason for Nomination:

As the Director of Marketing and Communications, Amanda Shell Jennings brings members of the Priority Ambulance family of companies in states across the country closer together through communication strategies and tells the story of Priority Ambulance and its personnel to the industry and the public.

As part of an outside consultant group, Amanda developed and guided the initial brand strategy for the company’s founding in 2013. Joining the company’s marketing and growth department full-time in 2017, Jennings has managed the announcements and brand integrations of eight acquisitions and three cold startups.

Beginning with 150 employees in two locations to a current total of nearly 3,000 employees in 10 states, Amanda has developed communications programs, tools, and strategies to bring the family of companies closer together. In 2018, the company launched a company wide Priority News Network with mounted screens at each Priority location that share company news, employee profiles, clinical updates and alerts, and more in a cloud-based network. Jennings and the corporate marketing team work with subject matter experts throughout the company to develop news items, updates, and recognitions.

Jennings also supports the external marketing and new business development efforts at each Priority company, including leading the proposal development process for hospital and 9-1-1 contracts. Jennings has been sharing the stories of EMS in the media for eight years and finds the most enjoyment from telling the human stories of EMS and sharing the positive impact that the Priority team has on patients and communities.

In addition to her work at Priority Ambulance, Jennings volunteers for the Priority Ambulance Leadership Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit envisioned and founded by former owners of Priority Ambulance’s companies to develop the next generation of EMS industry leaders. The foundation organizes a year-long, accelerated EMS executive course with four week-long in-person class sessions. Jennings assisted in launching the leadership course in 2019 and serves as the chair of the fundraising committee and manages the annual capstone project. The foundation graduated its first class of six in 2019 and has expanded to a class of 12 for 2020.

Jennings also currently serves on the Communications Committee for the American Ambulance Association.

____

View all of the 2020 Mobile Healthcare 40 Under 40 Honorees

40 Under 40: Luke Culleny (Chatham EMS – Savannah, GA)

Written by American Ambulance Association on . Posted in 40 Under 40.

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.
____

Luke Culleny
Paramedic / IT Coordinator
Chatham EMS
Savannah, GA

____
LinkedIn
Nominated by: Phil Koster
____

Biography:

Luke Culleny holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Film and Television as well as many other technology based certifications. Luke was first exposed to EMS during his time as a Associate Producer in film and fell in love with public safety. Luke returned to school and is a four-year veteran of Chatham EMS as an EMT, then Paramedic. Luke frequently works ambulance shifts as his IT schedule allows. Luke’s hobbies include woodworking and filming (including drone use).
____

Reason for Nomination:

Luke Culleny maintains a passion for EMS which combines with his love, experience, and knowledge of IT systems and multi media. This combination has resulted in multiple significant advancements at Chatham EMS. Luke has successfully overseen dispatch CAD and ePCR software launches along with projects to assure ECG transmissions to receiving ERs. Whereas this may be standard for some, Luke pushes IT abilities by developing better interfaces to report frequency of ECG transmissions to help drive improved clinical performance and education. Luke also works to develop CAD to CAD to ePCR interfaces to move information to crews faster and easier by eliminating steps and links. Much of Luke’s work is not seen by field crews, but has had a tremendous impact on service delivery.

____

View all of the 2020 Mobile Healthcare 40 Under 40 Honorees

40 Under 40: Adam Stockton (Maricopa Ambulance – Phoenix, AZ)

Written by American Ambulance Association on . Posted in 40 Under 40.

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.
____

Adam Stockton
Director of EMS Operations, West Valley
Maricopa Ambulance (Member of the Priority Ambulance family of companies)
Phoenix, Arizona

____

Nominated by: Amanda Jennings (Priority Ambulance – Knoxville, TN)
____

Biography:

Adam joined the Maricopa Ambulance team in 2016 when the company started up in Maricopa County, Arizona. As the company grew, Adam quickly advanced from Paramedic Supervisor to EMS Director in less than two years due to his talent and commitment to serving his communities. Adam Stockton currently serves as EMS Director for the 9-1-1 service areas of Glendale and Goodyear where he was instrumental in the implementation and optimization of those systems in 2019.

Adam served as the lead supervisor for the City of Scottsdale during the startup of the city’s 9-1-1 EMS system and was instrumental in the startup of the City of Surprise backup 9-1-1 service.

Adam’s interest and dedication to EMS stems from his father who has been a Paramedic in the Avondale/Goodyear areas in Central Arizona for 25 years.

Adam is an Arizona native who resides in Litchfield Park with his wife and two children.
____

Reason for Nomination:

Adam Stockton’s accelerated growth trajectory within Maricopa Ambulance is evidence of his career potential to be a leader in the EMS industry. From day one, Adam’s dedication and talent was recognized by top leadership and promoted at the organization. Advancing from field employee to senior management in less than two years, Adam has risen to and exceed every challenge presented to him.

Adam Stockton was a member of the original team of employees that started up Maricopa Ambulance, an ambulance service created in 2016 to provide choice to medical facilities in Arizona’s most populous county. Starting as a Paramedic, Adam was promoted to Field Supervisor and them to Director of EMS for the West Valley 9-1-1 operations.

Adam was involved during the implementation and operation of three separate municipal contracts in the West Valley. Adam now oversees a 9-1-1 service area with 15 ambulances and more than 105 employees. Through these West Valley 9-1-1 operations, Maricopa Ambulance now provides 9-1-1 service to more than 460,000 residents.

Priority Ambulance West Regional President says of Adam:

“Adam exemplifies accountable leadership. He is not afraid of making decisions and has grown tremendously across multiple functional areas in the last year.”

Maricopa Ambulance Director of New Business Development says of Adam:

“When a new Director of EMS, West Valley position needed to be filled, it was clear it required an individual who would be diligent, accountable, and demand excellence from the workforce, while representing Maricopa Ambulance in a professional manner. It did not take long to realize Adam was the person best-suited to fill this position. The respect, trust and confidence these fire departments have in Adam speak volumes and are a direct result of his hard work and commitment to delivering the highest level of patient care and customer service.”

Adam was selected for the 2020 class of the Priority Ambulance Leadership Foundation’s EMS Leadership of Tomorrow program, a year-long accelerated EMS executive course.

____

View all of the 2020 Mobile Healthcare 40 Under 40 Honorees

40 Under 40: Rebecca Szeles (Richmond Ambulance Authority – Richmond, VA)

Written by American Ambulance Association on . Posted in 40 Under 40.

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.
____

Rebecca Szeles
Communications Supervisor
Richmond Ambulance Authority
Richmond, Virginia

____

Nominated by: Mark Tenia

Biography

Rebecca Szeles is a Nationally Registered Paramedic and Communications Supervisor at the Richmond Ambulance Authority (RAA). She is a Virginia Commonwealth University graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. She is also a member of RAA’s Critical Incident Stress Management Team (CISM) and Peer Support Program (PSP).

Reason for Nomination

Supervisor Szeles has not only dedicated herself to her position, but has also committed herself to supporting the mental health and well-being of her co-workers. In 2017 Supervisor Szeles invited Jim Marshall from the 911-Training Institute to speak to staff about resiliency. In 2018, she went through training to become a member of our Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) team. CISM helps providers deal with traumatic events such as line of duty or pediatric deaths, and Mass Casualty Incidents (MCI). Supervisor Szeles realized more could be and needed to be done to help RAA’s providers on a day to day basis.

After becoming a member of CISM, Supervisor Szeles spearheaded efforts to create a Peer Support Program at RAA. The program was created as another tool to help paramedics and EMTs deal with the day to day stresses that come with the job. In 2018, Supervisor Szeles invited a leading expert in Peer Support to help train staff members who would become the first members of RAA’s Peer Support Team. She assisted in the creation of an awareness campaign promoting the importance of mental health and using resources like CISM, Peer Support, and external support services. She also assisted the Virginia Office of EMS by appearing in a Public Service Announcement titled “Make the Call.” The video was viewed more than 34,000 times on social media.

Supervisor Szeles has also overseen RAA’s resiliency training aimed at helping our providers bounce back from difficult events and cope with stresses from those events in a healthy way. The program helps Communication Officers, (or System Status Controllers) Paramedics and EMTs effectively manage stress and fosters professional development. Since our Peer Support Team launched in December 2018 the organization has had 122 recorded interactions with staff members. Our number of contacts has steadily risen as awareness of the program has increased. 83.6% of our contacts have been work related and 20.5% have been related to CISM. 16.4% of our contacts have involved non-work related issues. Of the employees that have taken advantage of the programs, we have seen positive outcomes and successful performances in their respective positions. Supervisor Szeles has played a key role in those successes.

RAA is now getting requests from other agencies from within and outside the state to help set up programs of their own. The work Supervisor Szeles has done is helping a wider range of EMS providers outside of RAA.

Last year Supervisor Szeles also took on major responsibilities in addition to her regular duties when our Director of Communications went on leave for surgery. For three months she stepped into the role to fill in gaps, producing daily and monthly performance reports, managing the interview and hiring process for new employees, as well as answering any calls or responding to any issues that needed to be addressed by the Communications Center. Supervisor Szeles has proven to be flexible, hardworking and an invaluable asset that has made her co-workers and our agency stronger.

____

View all of the 2020 Mobile Healthcare 40 Under 40 Honorees

40 Under 40: William Pitt (Puckett EMS – Chattanooga, TN)

Written by American Ambulance Association on . Posted in 40 Under 40.

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.
____

William Pitt
Vice President of Operations, Southeast Tennessee/Northwest Georgia
Puckett EMS (Member of the Priority Ambulance family of companies)
Chattanooga, TN

____
LinkedIn
Nominated by: Amanda Jennings (Priority Ambulance – Knoxville, TN)
____

Biography:

Will Pitt has more than 15 years of experience in the emergency medical service field. As Vice President of Operations, Pitt oversees a 250-person team serving 10 hospitals and five counties with 9-1-1 service in Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia for Puckett EMS.

During Pitt’s time at Puckett EMS, the service has seen a 40 percent increase in service volume in his region. Pitt has also been instrumental in the design and launch of the Puckett EMS Training Academy, the largest initial education program in the region. The academy provides annual opportunities for EMT, EMT-Advanced, and Paramedic certification training to the region.

Prior to his work at Puckett, Pitt spent seven years at Walker County Fire and Emergency Services where he advanced from the field to senior management ultimately serving as the Chief of EMS. During his tenure, Pitt created a quality improvement and education division that included initial education programs from EMTs and paramedics.

Pitt has also been involved in local professional organizations. Pitt has served as the Chairman for the Georgia Region I EMS Council and Treasurer for the Southeast EMS Director’s Association. Additionally, Pitt has been a board member of the Northwest Georgia EMS Systems and the Southeast Tennessee Regional MedComm Committee.

Pitt has received numerous awards, including being named the Georgia Association of EMS Statewide Educator of the Year in 2015.

Pitt holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Columbia Southern University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Biological Anthropology and Anatomy from Duke University.
____

Reason for Nomination:

Throughout every step of his career, Will Pitt has advanced the EMS industry in the region by developing and structuring educational opportunities and recruiting new individuals to EMS.
Recognizing a need for EMS education and training in the region, Will launched a partnership between Puckett EMS and Faithful Guardian Training Center to create the Puckett EMS Training Academy. The Academy provides annual EMT and paramedic level certification courses multiple times a year and is the largest provider of initial certification training in the region.

In the Northwest Georgia and Southeast Tennessee, like many locations in the United States, the pipeline of new professionals entering the EMS industry has been trending downward. In response to this, Pitt launched an accelerated 8-week EMT-Basic class that is completely free to the students and provides a training wage so that students can be in training full-time. By removing some of the financial barriers to beginning a career in EMS, the response to the course has been overwhelming. The academy has already graduated its first class and is currently training its second class. Additionally, Pitt is in the process of developing a program in conjunction with local high schools to provide EMT training to seniors as part of a work-based learning program.

Pitt volunteers his time in regional industry leadership having served as Chairman for the Georgia Region I EMS Council and Treasurer for the Southeast EMS Director’s Association. Pitt is actively involved in fostering collaboration across EMS agencies to improve public health and service in the region.

In 2014, Pitt was part of the group of state officials and leaders that developed the state’s first Disaster Assistance Response Task Force, which provides an organized framework and standardized education for disaster response in North Georgia. This project provides a mechanism by which the EMS leadership in a county experiencing a disaster situation can immediately mobilize dozens of ambulances and hundreds of personnel to address large-scale emergencies.

____

View all of the 2020 Mobile Healthcare 40 Under 40 Honorees

40 Under 40: Remle P. Crowe, PhD (ESO – Austin, TX)

Written by American Ambulance Association on . Posted in 40 Under 40.

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.
____

Remle P. Crowe, PhD
Research Scientist & Performance Improvement Manager
ESO
Austin, TX

____
LinkedIn | Twitter
Nominated by: Amanda Riordan
____

Biography:

Dr. Remle Crowe is an expert in using data to power quality improvement and research initiatives in EMS. Remle’s career in EMS began as a volunteer EMT and instructor in Mexico City with the Red Cross. During that time, Remle also worked as a Power-train Quality Engineer at Ford Motor Company, where she received black belt training in Six Sigma quality improvement methodology. From truck clutches to clinical care, Dr. Crowe has shown how improvement science and sound research methodology work to solve problems across any field. As an EMT with a passion for advancing EMS, Remle earned her PhD in Epidemiology and has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications. Now, as a research scientist and performance improvement manager at ESO, Dr. Crowe routinely uses data to improve community health and safety.
____

Reason for Nomination:

As an EMS researcher, Remle is dedicated to improving the health and safety of communities (and those who serve them) using data. Remle has authored many peer-reviewed studies on topics related to clinical care and safety, such as ketamine in the prehospital environment and pediatric medication dosing errors. Remle’s work on prehospital stroke assessment for large vessel occlusion received the award for Best Scientific Presentation at the annual meeting of the National Association of EMS Physicians in January 2020. Remle has also worked on many research studies related to the health and safety of the EMS workforce. Topics that Remle has studied include violence towards EMS professionals, clinical performance feedback, and diversity in the EMS workforce. Remle’s dissertation work related to factors associated with burnout in EMS was awarded Best Research at the 2018 International EMS Scientific Symposium.

Remle is also dedicated to supporting and mentoring new researchers. Remle is an active participant in the Prehospital Care Research Forum (PCRF) and routinely serves as faculty for the bi-annual PCRF-ESO research workshops. Remle also facilitates the monthly PCRF journal club podcast that helps promote and disseminate the latest prehospital research, while helping EMS professionals learn to read and critique scientific manuscripts.

In addition to helping advance EMS research, Remle has been an important contributor to quality improvement efforts in EMS. EMS is at a pivot point, moving from using data for compliance to leveraging data for improvement. Remle has joined those leading the charge, now in her third year as faculty on the National Association of EMS Physicians’ Quality and Safety Course. In this course, participants embark on a year-long journey to make real, measurable improvement at their EMS organizations following the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Model for Improvement framework. As a self-proclaimed data nerd, Remle is committed to breaking things into their simplest parts and removing the intimidation factor from research and improvement science to help members of the EMS community define and focus on measures that matter.

____

View all of the 2020 Mobile Healthcare 40 Under 40 Honorees

40 Under 40: Catherine Counts (University of Washington & Seattle Medic One – Seattle, WA)

Written by American Ambulance Association on . Posted in 40 Under 40.

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.
____

Catherine Counts
Acting Instructor (UW) & Research and Quality Improvement Manager (SMO)
University of Washington & Seattle Medic One
Seattle, WA

____

LinkedIn | Twitter
Nominated by: Rob Lawrence (AAA Board of Directors)
____

Biography:

Dr. Catherine R. Counts is a second-generation EMS professional who, after taking an ambulance to show and tell in kindergarten, was hooked. Dr. Counts has since transitioned this interest into a career focused on the patients and providers in the pre-hospital setting. Dr. Counts also has research interests in domestic healthcare policy, quality and patient safety, and organizational theory and culture. Given the crossover between her background in public health and her expertise in EMS, Dr. Counts specializes in the mechanisms by which providers are changing the way healthcare is delivered in the pre-hospital setting.

Dr. Counts has worked across the healthcare spectrum from EMS to long term care and is well versed in the systemic issues facing the American healthcare system. In addition to her work at the University of Washington, Dr. Counts serves as a consultant for a variety of quality improvement and EMS related projects, and contributes as a columnist for a number of trade publications.
____

Reason for Nomination:

For EMS to advance into the future the industry must rely on evidence-based research and a scientific approach to the type of pre-hospital medicine delivered on the streets. EMS agencies must also ensure that Public Health partners are fully integrated to ensure prevention becomes as much a part of our ethos as mobile healthcare provides, as response and transport is. Catherine Counts Ph.D. represents this future. Dr. Count’s academic achievement and more importantly, her published work suggests she is already affecting the future direction of mobile healthcare. EMS agencies do not only need operations directors and executives to take the industry into the future, they also need an academic brain trust to steer science and performance. Dr. Counts represents that future and is an excellent candidate for the American Ambulance Association’s inaugural 40 under 40.

____

View all of the 2020 Mobile Healthcare 40 Under 40 Honorees

40 Under 40: Chase Hodges (Superior Air-Ground Ambulance Service – Bolingbrook, IL)

Written by American Ambulance Association on . Posted in 40 Under 40.

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.
____

Chase Hodges
General Manager Illinois
Superior Air-Ground Ambulance Service
Bolingbrook, IL

____

LinkedIn
Nominated by: Kim Godden (AAA Board of Directors, Superior Air-Ground Ambulance Service – Elmhurst, IL)

____

Biography:

As the General Manager, Chase has been instrumental in reshaping the culture of EMS at Superior Ambulance. Chase’s view on safety as not a part time commitment, but a true full time commitment has helped reduced accidents by 40%. Chase sits on Superior’s retention committee, Field Training Officer and training committee, and policy and procedures committee. Chase is also a part of Superior’s Special Event team which provides EMS for events happening all over the Chicago Land area, and is a member of the Ebola transport team.

____

Reason for Nomination:

Chase is being nominated for this honor for many reasons that cannot be fully expressed in such few words. Chase started in EMS with our company as a para-transit driver and also worked as a dispatcher and EMT before being chosen as a General Manager overseeing several stations, including one of our largest stations located in Chicago. Chase oversees 248 employees and through his positive attitude and understanding of every aspect of EMS, he is able to make sure staff is customer focused and patient driven. Chase also assists with our company’s recruitment and retention efforts and is always the first one (even when it involves coming into work while on vacation) to participate with important government relations meetings and ambulance ride-along events which help not only our company but the EMS industry overall.

____

View all of the 2020 Mobile Healthcare 40 Under 40 Honorees

40 Under 40: Brian Walls (Huron Valley Ambulance – Ann Arbor, MI)

Written by American Ambulance Association on . Posted in 40 Under 40.

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 Walls
Paramedic Supervisor
Huron Valley Ambulance
Ann Arbor, MI

____

LinkedIn
Nominated by: Paul Hood (Huron Valley Ambulance – Ann Arbor, MI)
____

Biography:

Brian Walls has worked at Huron Valley Ambulance (HVA) for 15 years working his way up from Wheelchair Van Driver to Paramedic Supervisor. Brian currently serves as a Senior Critical Care Paramedic, part-time Paramedic Supervisor, and holds the roles of Medical Officer and Coordinator for the Washtenaw County Hazmat, Special Pathogens, and Technical Rescue teams at HVA. Through Brian’s responsibilities, he has had both a local and national impact on new protocols and standards for hazmat and special pathogens. Specifically, Brian assists with public health preparedness and acts as an EMS liaison to regional healthcare partners as well as regional and state health departments.

Brian has written hazmat policy, procedures, and the Special Pathogens Response Guidebook for HVA’s special response team that has been adopted by the State of Michigan. Additionally, Brian’s leadership on the Technical Rescue Team has created an invaluable resource to surrounding communities for all aspects of technical rescue response by updating and creating state treatment protocols and medical operations.

A lifelong resident of southern Michigan, Brian graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Public Safety in 2013. Brian is a volunteer firefighter in Milan, Michigan. Brian and his wife recently welcomed their first child, Riley Ann.
____

Reason for Nomination:

Brian is an outgoing and personable individual who is well liked and respected by all. Brian wears many hats at HVA which includes functioning as a Senior Critical Care Paramedic, part-time Road Supervisor, and Medical Officer and Coordinator for the Technical Rescue Team and the Hazmat teams. Brian actively works in his various roles to raise the bar in EMS. Brian puts 110% into everything he does and always maintains a positive demeanor and professional attitude. Despite being so busy, Brian is always very caring, compassionate, and thorough while performing all his duties.

Recently, Brian was tasked to prepare and establish a Special Pathogens Response Team, specifically for Ebola patient transfers. Brian researched, attended multiple trainings out of state at the National Ebola Training Education Center (NETEC) and the Center for Domestic Preparedness for Highly Infectious Diseases, and visited fire departments who transported confirmed Ebola patients in 2014.

Brian continued researching for over two years, training with his team several times a month, while obtaining feedback to develop procedures and guidelines for Washtenaw County. This resulted in Brian writing a copyrighted guidebook called, The Special Pathogens Response Guidebook that guides EMS agencies through an entire patient transfer from start to finish. This includes pre-incident planning, donning and doffing, patient transfer, communications, hand off, waste disposal, disinfection, and emergency procedures. In addition to writing the response guidebook for EMS, Brian worked with his team and the local treatment center to create a custom designed Highly Infectious Disease Unit (ambulance) that improves the safety of his crew while in Hazmat suits. This custom-built ambulance improves ventilation and temperature control, thus increasing the time crew members can be in Hazmat suits. The specially designed ambulance also minimizes the amount of hazardous material waste that needs to be collected by our local treatment center and reduces the amount of time it takes to disinfect and place the ambulance back in service.

Finally, Brian reached out to the NETEC to schedule a site assessment for EMS, which it had never done before. NETEC used HVA’s Special Pathogens Response Team and Guidebook as a pilot to establish their own site assessment algorithm to help EMS programs with a special pathogens transport around the nation.

Through his hard work and dedication, Brian has expanded HVA’s response area from only transporting in a couple counties of Michigan, to becoming the backup agency to assist all EMS agencies for the entire state of Michigan. Brian continues to work with Michigan state and local health departments in special pathogens response and preparedness.

Brian’s attention to detail and dedication to positively impact policy change are what makes him stand out in EMS.

____

View all of the 2020 Mobile Healthcare 40 Under 40 Honorees

40 Under 40: Craig Boschert (St. Charles County Ambulance District – St. Peters, MO)

Written by American Ambulance Association on . Posted in 40 Under 40.

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.
____

Craig Boschert
Deputy Chief of Operations
St. Charles County Ambulance District
St. Peters, MO

____

Nominated by: Kyle Gaines (St. Charles County Ambulance District – St. Peters, MO)

____

Biography:

A lifelong resident of St. Charles County, Craig Boschert has spent more than two decades providing assistance to those in need. Craig’s history of public service started in 1998 when he began volunteering with Orchard Farm Fire Protection District. Three years later, Craig earned his Paramedic certification at St. Louis Community College, and began a career with St. Charles County Ambulance District (SCCAD) shortly thereafter. In 2008, Craig was promoted to Battalion Chief – a role that enabled him to mentor dozens of new Paramedics entering the SCCAD system. Four years ago, a retirement among the District’s leadership team led to Craig’s promotion to Deputy Chief of Operations. In this role, Craig works closely with Platoon and Battalion Chiefs to ensure that each of the Ambulance District’s Paramedics are developing and promoting best practices so that the mobile healthcare provided exceeds expectations.

Craig has been married to his wife, Renee, for more than a decade. The couple resides in Orchard Farm with their sons, Caleb and Curtis.
____

Reason for Nomination:

Craig Boschert began his career with St. Charles County Ambulance District (SCCAD) nearly two decades ago as a volunteer EMT, providing care and comfort to friends and neighbors in the rural communities of the District’s service area. While volunteering, Craig opted to turn his desire of helping others into a career, earning his Paramedic license and joining the SCCAD team full-time in 2002. Through the years, Craig has proved himself as a strong clinician, staunch patient advocate, and capable leader. In 2008, Craig was promoted to Battalion Chief – a role that has enabled him to mentor dozens of Paramedics throughout the years.

Though past achievements as a Paramedic and Battalion Chief are noteworthy, those undertaken since his promotion to Deputy Chief of Operations are what truly showcase Craig as a forward-thinking leader within our industry.

Craig’s ascent to Deputy Chief occurred in 2016 and came at a pivotal time in the District’s history. Call volume was rising steadily with no signs of slowing. In order to keep response times short amid significant projected growth over the next decade, the District would need to add numerous stations and vehicles at planned intervals. Craig was charged with developing a 10-year operation plan for the organization, and with assistance from his team developed a robust capital improvement framework. Craig spared no detail, gathering information from a variety of sources to chart planned neighborhoods, commercial developments, roadways, and population centers that would eventually contribute to call volume. Thanks to his foresight, District leadership was provided with a comprehensive snapshot of the next decade that enabled leadership to clearly communicate the forthcoming needs to our community when asking for their approval to issue bonds for the project.

In addition to capital needs, Craig is also responsible for ensuring that work force needs are addressed. SCCAD’s 48-hour shift staffing model requires that six full-time paramedics be promoted from our part-time non-emergency transfer division when a new 911 truck is added to our fleet. Craig is thoughtful in his timing, working closely with transfer leadership to ensure that an addition will not create trickle-down staffing challenges. Though new emergency division employees have typically been with SCCAD as transfer division paramedics for approximately two years at the time of their promotion to full-time, Craig provides a thorough orientation, clearly conveying the expectations of their new role within our organization.

As a senior leader, Craig never loses sight of the fact that SCCAD must take great care of its team in order to be successful. In recent years, the effects of post-traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, and secondary trauma have been well-documented among first responders. For too long, individuals in our line of work pushed aside troubling experiences, simply moving on to the next call. Craig has been an instrumental part of bringing about a culture change here in St. Charles County. When crews respond to challenging calls, Craig is often at their station within short order to check on them. Craig immediately arranges Critical Incident Stress Debriefing not only for our staff, but for any others involved in the call. Craig has worked together with our human resources team to ensure employees are aware of counseling and other programs available to them, and most recently, championed the development of an employee-led Peer Support Committee.

Since assuming the role of Deputy Chief, SCCAD has faced several significant operational events. Most have been weather-related, and each time, Craig works diligently with others on our team to ensure that our community is protected, no matter how long the hours. Most significantly, our region faced historic flooding in 2019, with access to one rural town completely cut off. Working closely with our Deputy Chief of Special Operations, Craig developed a plan to staff the “island” 24/7 to ensure residents had access to emergency care if the need arose. For over 60 days, SCCAD’s Urban Search and Rescue Task Force staffed the community of Portage Des Sioux, transporting patients out by boat if the necessary. The conditions were less than ideal but strong leadership and teamwork made the operation a success.

Though his workload SCCAD is substantial, Craig makes time to give back to the community he serves. Most notably, Craig has been heavily engaged in the St. Charles County CAPS (Center for Advanced Processional Studies) program, hosting groups of high school students for half-day sessions at our stations. Craig covers a wide array of topics with the students who are leaning towards careers in the health field, providing an exhaustive overview of our industry and organization. Students leave Craig’s sessions with a new outlook on EMS, and several have even enrolled in the District’s EMT training course.

Including his time spent as a volunteer firefighter, Craig Boschert has dedicated more than 20 years to serving St. Charles County. The programs and practices Craig has worked tirelessly to put in place will serve our organization and community well for decades to come, and SCCAD is proud to nominate him for the American Ambulance Association’s 40 Under 40.

____

View all of the 2020 Mobile Healthcare 40 Under 40 Honorees

40 Under 40: David Basnak (EmergyCare – Fairview, PA)

Written by American Ambulance Association on . Posted in 40 Under 40.

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.
____

David Basnak
Operations Manager
EmergyCare
Fairview, PA

____

LinkedIn
Nominated by: Karen Jakiel (EmergyCare – Erie, PA)
____

Biography:

David Basnak started his emergency services career when he was sixteen years old at his local fire department in Jamestown, Pennsylvania. While a Senior in high school, David attended a locally hosted EMT class. After graduating from high school, David worked locally in Greenville, Pennsylvania as an EMT and attended Penn State University (PSU) pursuing a degree in information, science, and technology. As David’s interest in the EMS field continued to grow, he decided to attend a local Paramedic program. For fourteen months, David attended both PSU and the Paramedic program through Butler County Community College, completing both programs. After gaining experience as a Field Paramedic, David worked to continue to pursue his EMS career through various leadership positions. Over his career, David has held the titles of Continuous Quality Improvement Coordinator, Personnel Director, EMS Specialist, Senior Manager of Pre-hospital Care, and most recently Operations Manager. Currently, David oversees all field operations for EmergyCare, one of the largest non-profit EMS organizations in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. EmergyCare, located in Erie, Pennsylvania, provides mobile health care to seven counties in Northwestern Pennsylvania. David holds a master’s degree in Business Administration from American Military University, is a Certified Medical Transport Executive through the Medical Transport Leadership Institute, Board Certified Emergency Manager through The International Association of Emergency Managers, and holds his Flight Paramedic Certification through the International Board of Specialty Certification. David’s current role has him on an Executive leadership track to continue his professional organizational development at EmergyCare.

____

Reason for Nomination:

David Basnak should be recognized as one of the American Ambulance Association’s Forty Under 40 as he has demonstrated excellence and great promise throughout his career in pre-hospital medicine and Emergency Medical Services. David is recognized as a leader throughout Northwestern Pennsylvania and is respected by his colleagues not only in the EMS field but also clinicians in our regional health care facilities.

In his short tenure at EmergyCare, David’s leadership, guidance, and expertise has assisted EmergyCare in recruiting and retaining EMS providers (currently at 95% staffing). David has helped to redesign our new staff orientation and on boarding and he continuously leads by example by regularly jumping on a truck and answering calls with the crews.

David’s constant thirst for learning has made him a great resource for staff and our organization’s leadership. David is always willing to go above and beyond for the mission of EmergyCare. Furthermore, David is a servant leader. David puts the EmergyCare team first, by focusing on the needs of team members, acknowledging their perspectives, and giving them the support they need to be the best they can be. David involves staff in decision making when appropriate and has built a stronger sense of community among the staff.

____

View all of the 2020 Mobile Healthcare 40 Under 40 Honorees

40 Under 40: Hasieb Lemar (Royal Ambulance – Hayward, CA)

Written by American Ambulance Association on . Posted in 40 Under 40.

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.
____

Hasieb Lemar
Chief Operating Officer
Royal Ambulance
Hayward, CA

____

LinkedIn
Nominated by: Steve Grau (Royal Ambulance – San Leandro, CA)
____

Biography:

Hasieb Lemar has been with Royal Ambulance for over 13 years. Hasieb’s experience includes time as a Field EMT, after which he was promoted to Field Training Officer, Operations Supervisor, Director of Operations, Vice President of Operations, and to his current role of Chief Operating Officer. Having risen through the ranks at Royal Ambulance, and being an integral part of the organization’s growth and development, Hasieb has played a critical role in shaping and developing future healthcare leaders with an emphasis on compassionate patient care. Versatile, innovative, and service oriented, Hasieb has a proven track record of successfully driving operational efficiency while maximizing business opportunities and revenue growth. Hasieb earned his degree in Criminal Justice from Cal State Hayward located in Hayward, CA where he grew up and still resides with his wife and daughter.
____

Reason for Nomination:

Hasieb Lemar has risen through the ranks at Royal Ambulance, starting as an EMT in 2007, to becoming the first Chief Operating Officer at Royal Ambulance at the young age of 33 in 2019. Hasieb’s impact can’t be understated or expressed in a few short paragraphs. Driven by being a servant leader, he works tirelessly to mentor our growing team of managers and supervisors, cascading his impact to hundreds of young EMTs who serve the Bay Area communities and who have developed to become Nurses, Physicians Assistants, Firefighters, and Doctors.
Hasieb’s legendary work ethic embodies Royal’s organizational core values of being Adaptable, Driven, Engaging, and Empathetic. Hasieb has led Royal’s progressive growth from just a few ambulances running a dozen transports a day to one of California’s premier mobile health care providers, transporting over 65,000 patients a year and earning multiple recognitions as one of INC Magazine’s fastest-growing companies in the United States.

Among many awards, the one most reflective of Hasieb’s leadership is the designation of Royal Ambulance as Best Company to Work For in the US by Modern Healthcare. Hasieb’s focus on employee engagement and career development alongside process improvements and patient experience have produced superior operational, financial, and clinical results.

Hasieb spearheaded the development of Royal’s partnership with the Organ Donor Network West & San Ramon Medical Center in creating the Donor Recovery Intra-Facility Transport (DRIFT) Program. Building the program from the ground up, the team has been able to improve access to donors across Northern California and most importantly reduced precious time to provide life-saving transplants to hundreds of patients. While working with the Organ Donor Network, Hasieb presented at the University of Wisconsin to help launch a pilot program. Since Royal’s own program-launch three years ago, Royal has traveled over 67,000 miles serving the Organ Donor Network. Due to Hasieb’s efforts, countless patients have been given a new chance at a new life.

When Hasieb is not working, he is a dedicated father and husband, who finds time to serve on various committees in his home city of Hayward, including the Keep Hayward Green Task Force. Hasieb also volunteers his time on the Data and Operations Committee for the California Ambulance Association.

Royal Ambulance and the community we serve would not be the same without Haiseb’s leadership. A trusted advisor, mentor, coach, and friend; everyone and anyone who meets Hasieb and has the privilege to work alongside him, feel supported, encouraged and know he has their back no matter what.

____

View all of the 2020 Mobile Healthcare 40 Under 40 Honorees

2018 AMBY Award Winners Announced

Written by Jessica Marvin on . Posted in AMBY, Annual Conference & Tradeshow, Awards, Events, Press.

The American Ambulance Association is proud to announce the recipients of the 2018 AMBY Awards. The AMBYs highlight excellence in EMS and the ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit that epitomize AAA members. 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 September 7, 2018. Please join us in congratulating our 2018 winners!

Clinical Outcome Program

Medic Ambulance Service, Inc. | Vallejo, CA

Community Impact Program

NorthStar EMS, Inc. | Tuscaloosa, AL

Employee Programs

Hall Ambulance Service, Inc. | Bakersfield, CA

Innovation in EMS

Priority Ambulance | Knoxville, TN

Mercy Ambulance Service, Inc. | Savannah, GA

Public Relations Campaign

MEDIC EMS Agency | Charlotte, NC

Hall Ambulance Service, Inc. | Bakersfield, CA

Quality Improvement Program

Sunstar Paramedics | Largo, FL

Patient and Employee Safety Program

Priority Ambulance | Knoxville, TN

Once again, join us in celebrating the 2018 winners! Learn more about the AMBYs.

 

2016 AMBY Best Quality Improvement Program: Gold Cross Ambulance, Documentation Program

Written by Amanda Riordan on . Posted in AMBY, Awards, Community, News.

Congratulations to the 2016 AMBY Award Winners

Each year, the American Ambulance Association honors best practices, ingenuity, and innovation from EMS providers across the country with our AMBY Awards. 

Gold Cross Ambulance’s Documentation Project Project Awarded a 2016 AMBY for Best Quality Improvement Program

Gold Cross Ambulance | Utah

amby-congrats-gold-crossThe documentation review process at Gold Cross Ambulance had not changed much since the day of paper trip tickets. Retrospective documentation feedback was being given to crews, but they were not fully utilizing the capabilities of their technology to analyze the feedback and make significant improvements. Gold Cross Ambulance hypothesized that improved documentation goals would lead to better patient care and increased reimbursements. They knew they needed to make improvements in the review process and to better utilize the technology that was already in place. In addition to the documentation goals, they identified the opportunity to work some small, but significant, clinical improvements into a documentation project. One initial focus of clinical improvement was making sure the field crews were obtaining at least two sets of vital signs on every patient, and properly documenting these vital signs in the electronic patient care report (ePCR). Of all the performance indicators we measure, trending of vital signs touches every patient contacted. Educators from Utah EMS for Children shared research citing “inadequate recognition of and response to hypotension and hypoxia was associated with higher odds of disability and death” (Hewes H., 2016). This was such a basic thing to measure, but it had potential to impact every contacted patient. Gold Cross know that vital signs were an area in which they could improve, while also meeting their documentation goals. To do so, they implemented the following:

  1. Create a way to measure overall documentation quality.
  2. Establish a formal standard for documentation and educate crews about the documentation expectations.
  3. Improve the overall documentation of the ePCR.
  4. Improve the number of patients with properly collected and documented vital signs.
  5. Improve amount of reimbursement and decrease collection cycle time.

Gold Cross formed a work group to tackle these issues, which consisted of members of the Quality Department, Training Department, Billing Department, and Operations Department. The group meets every other week to evaluate progress and assess the need for adjustments to the system. Mid-year of 2014, the group worked to revise the program for documentation evaluation. A new standard was created based on the ePCR fields. A point system was established for documentation which gave each ePCR field a weighted number of points, equaling 100%. Incomplete or missing fields result in a loss of points for that field, which provided a way to measure documentation performance. The scoring data is tracked in our ePCR quality module, allowing us to analyze and report on the data easily. The feedback on any areas of missed points is sent to the crew via the ePCR messaging system, so it is easily accessible to the crews during regular daily tasks. Feedback is focused on improvement comments instead of punitive comments. Positive feedback is included in each evaluation. The group released an initial version of the General Instructions for the ePCR, which was an internal manual detailing expectations for every field in our ePCR. The focus was to provide clear expectations to all field crews regarding how to properly fill out the ePCR and what content should be included. The training department created an educational program on the online educational software program, detailing the documentation guidelines and testing the crews on the material. The General Instructions for the ePCR were also posted on the company training site, so crews would have easy access at any time. The Quality Department developed a class for the newly hired providers. The class emphasizes the need for quality documentation, outlines the program, and includes actual documentation examples for evaluation and discussion. Patient advocacy through documentation is instilled in the participants of this class. The Billing Department developed a class which is taught at six months after hire. In the class, documentation is reviewed from class participants. The billing department shows how the bill is processed from the documentation, and they discuss common challenges to the billing process. The program has been monitored with continuous PDSA cycles and has been adjusted as needed for continued improvement.

An initial company goal for documentation was set at 90%. From project start to current date, the company-wide documentation averages have increase from 74% at the beginning of the project to 96% currently. Field crews have expressed greater clarity in the company expectations for documentation. The overall average documentation scores by division are posted regularly for the company to view, and this has had the additional benefit of sparking a competitive streak between some of our divisions, further improving the scores. The improvement in collection of vital signs not only improved overall patient care, but resulted in a Performance Improvement Award from the Utah State Bureau of EMS in 2016. The bureau looked at pediatric vital signs and recognized two rural and two urban EMS agencies in the state for their improvements. Gold Cross Eastern Division won the award for a rural agency, and Gold Cross Salt Lake Division won for the urban agency. Their study found our agency improved the collection of pediatric vital signs by 53% in our urban area and 66% in our rural area.

The most important impact of this project is improvement in patient care, which is our primary mission. The goals for complete documentation have encouraged field crews to make sure they complete proper assessments, since they know those areas of the ePCR are evaluated and must be complete. Improvements in assessment result in better differential diagnoses and improved treatment plans and outcomes. The documentation project has positively impacted Gold Cross financially as expected. Reimbursement rates have increased and the time to complete the collection cycle has improved. Due to the documentation improvements, the billing staff spends less time researching information, following up on incomplete documentation, and fighting in appeals.

Congratulations to Gold Cross Ambulance for the Reduced Readmissions Project’s selection as a 2016 AMBY Winner for Best Community Impact Program.

 

2016 AAA Award Winners Announced

Written by Aidan Camas on . Posted in Annual Conference & Tradeshow, Awards, News, Press.

The AAA is proud to announce this year’s award winners. Awards will be presented at the AAA Annual Conference and Tradeshow Awards Reception on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. Please join us in congratulating the winners.

J. Walter Schaefer Award

Randy Strozyk, American Medical Response

The J. Walter Schaefer Award is given annually to an individual whose work in EMS has contributed positively to the advancement of the industry as a whole. Randy has achieved this through his tireless dedication and service to the industry and his role in elevating the association and its members to national prominence.

Robert L. Forbuss Lifetime Achievement Award

Julie Rose, Community Care Ambulance

The Robert L. Forbuss Lifetime Achievement Award is named in honor of the first Executive Director of the American Ambulance Association. It recognizes a volunteer leader who has made a significant long-term impact on the association. Julie has held numerous leadership positions in the AAA including Membership Committee Chair, Region III Director and Alternate Director. Julie has worked tirelessly to get members of her Region to join the AAA, knowing that it is important to participate in the national organization to be part of the team finding solutions to today’s challenges in EMS.

President’s Award

Jon Howell, Huntsville Emergency Medical Services, Inc. (HEMSI)
Asbel Montes, Acadian Ambulance Service
David Tetrault, St. Francois County Ambulance District

These awards are given by the President to volunteer leaders who have shown commitment to the advancement of the AAA above and beyond the call of duty. This year the three outstanding volunteers represent tireless work on behalf of the AAA.

Jon Howell has served as the chair of the AAA’s nominating committee for 4 years and in that time has worked to grown the involvement of our members to participate in the AAA nominating and election process.  Asbel Montes has worked tirelessly as Co-Chair of the Payment Reform Committee, and David Tetrault has served as a Region IV Board or Director as well as an active participant on the Membership and Education Committee.  AAA President Hall was quoted as saying, “this award is given by the sole discretion of the President of the AAA and I cannot think of three more deserving individuals than Jon, Asbel and David.  No matter what I have asked them to do for the AAA, they have taken on the task with determination, commitment and a level of servant leadership rarely seen anymore.”

Distinguished Service Award

Brian Choate, Solutions Group
Kathy Lester, MPH, JD, Lester Health Law & AAA Healthcare Consultant
Scott Moore, Esq., EMS Resource Advisors LLC & AAA Human Resources Consultant
Brian Werfel, Esq., Werfel & Werfel, PLLC & AAA Medicare Consultant

The American Ambulance Association (AAA) is proud to award Brian Choate, Kathy Lester, Scott Moore, and Brian Werfel with 2016 Distinguished Service Awards.

The Regional Workshop team worked countless hours to create the content for the four compliance, billing and reimbursement policy workshops that were presented throughout the country. The workshops were designed to help all types of services structure their billing departments more maximum efficiency and integrity.

It is for this dedication of the team members to the AAA that we are proud to recognize Brian Choate, Kathy Lester, Scott Moore, and Brian Werfel with the 2016 Distinguished Service Award.

Partner of the Year Award

National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT)

The Partner of the Year Award is given to an EMS partner whose collaboration with the AAA enhances educational programs, legislative priorities and/or member benefits. This pas year the NAEMT has partnered with the AAA on numerous projects including Medicare Relief, EMS Compass and most recently issues a joint statement regarding Payment Reform Policies for EMS.

Affiliate of the Year Award

AVESTA

The American Ambulance Association (AAA) is proud to award Avesta with the 2016 Affiliate of the Year Award. The award is given to the vendor whose supports the programs of the association. Avesta is dedicated to solely to the practice of Human Capital Management and the development of solutions that meet the unique human resource challenges of their EMS clients. This year’s Affiliate winner has shown unconditional support of the AAA Stars of Life Program. The Stars of Life event, held annually in Washington, D.C., publically recognized and celebrates the achievements and exceptional work of EMS professionals.

  • 1
  • 2

Stay In Touch!

By signing up, you agree to the AAA Privacy Policy & Terms of Use.