AAA President Shawn Baird shared with @foxandfriends how the #EMS workforce shortage is impacting our communities. Congress must act to provide #heropay and training, and to cut red tape keeping military medics from serving at home! @NAEMT_ @NEMSMAnews https://t.co/sfHOLx3W7c
— AmericanAmbulanceAsc (@amerambassoc) October 12, 2021
STONE, Lawrence W. “Larry” Founder and President of PRO EMS Ambulance of Cambridge Passed away at Massachusetts General Hospital on October 9th. He was 75. Raised in Somerville, he was the son of the late John and Frances (Nichols) Stone. Larry served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War. Upon his return from the war, Larry embarked on a long career in public safety and medical service, founding Professional Ambulance & Oxygen Service in 1969. Today, PRO EMS continues to proudly service the City of Cambridge and surrounding areas. During his years as President of the company he oversaw its steady expansion and navigated the increasing scope of services that emergency medicine provided. He was a leader in the development of inter-agency response to mass casualty events and could always be relied upon in the public safety community for rendering sound advice, born from the breath and length of his experience. Known as “225” to his colleagues and friends, Larry continued to be the driving force and conscience of his company. He has been featured in articles of the Journal of Emergency Medical Services and the Boston Globe. Larry was active in professional associations and civic affairs. He was a long time member and Past Commander of Cambridge VFW Post 299. The beloved husband of Catherine A. “Cathy” (Leonard) Stone, Larry was a devoted father to Teresa Cruz and her husband Edwin of Burlington, Danielle Santiago and her husband Javier of Billerica, and Kelly Stone-Pantojas and her husband Alex “Big Al” of Burlington. He was a loving Papa to Anthony, Ariana, Victoria, Xavier and Sofia. He was the brother of Francis, Jean, John, Sandra and Norman. He also leaves many nieces and nephews. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to visit at the Dello Russo Funeral Home on Thursday, October 14th from 4 through 8 PM and again on Friday at 10 AM followed by a funeral Mass celebrated in St. John the Evangelist Church, 2270 Mass. Ave., Cambridge at 11 AM. As an expression of sympathy, memorial contributions may be sent in Larry’s name to the Vietnam Veterans of America, 8719 Colesville Road, Suite 100, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910. To leave a message of condolence, visit www.dellorusso.net
Oct. 8, 2021, 12:53 PM EDT
By Phil McCausland
“Companies have had to close, consolidate or come up with new strategies to answer calls, said American Ambulance Association President Shawn Baird, who added that there is simply not enough EMS personnel to cover calls in many parts of the country, especially during the pandemic.”
Recorded October 8, 2021 | Free to All | Speaker: Asbel Montes
The deadline for Provider Relief Fund (PRF) applications is 11:59 PM October 26, 2021. If your EMS agency has not yet applied for funds, the American Ambulance Association strongly encourages you to do so! We are happy to answer member questions, just email hello@ambulance.org. Remember, Amber cost data collection software (www.emsamber.com) access is included with your AAA membership and has a PRF module to help you with your application. If you are an AAA member and need help accessing Amber, email shilker@ambulance.org. HRSA is also hosting a technical assistance webinar for PRF applications on October 13, 2021.
From EMS.gov on October 6
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October 1, 2021
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the House
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Kevin McCarthy
Minority Leader
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Charles Schumer
Majority Leader
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Mitch McConnell
Minority Leader
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Schumer, Minority Leader McConnell & Minority Leader McCarthy,
Our paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMTs), as well as the organizations that they serve, take on substantial risk every day to treat and transport patients that call 9-1-1. But our nation’s EMS system is facing a crippling workforce shortage, a long-term problem that has been building for more than a decade. It threatens to undermine our emergency 9-1-1 infrastructure and deserves urgent attention by the Congress.
The most sweeping survey of its kind — involving nearly 20,000 employees working at 258 EMS organizations — found that overall turnover among paramedics and EMTs ranges from 20 to 30 percent annually. With percentages that high, ambulance services face 100% turnover over a four- year period. Staffing shortages compromise our ability to respond to healthcare emergencies, especially in rural and underserved parts of the country.
The pandemic exacerbated this shortage and highlighted our need to better understand the drivers of workforce turnover. There are many factors. Our ambulance crews are suffering under the grind of surging demand, burnout, fear of getting sick and stresses on their families. In addition, with COVID-19 halting clinical and in-person trainings for a long period of time, our pipeline for staff is stretched even more.
The challenge is to make sure that the paramedics and EMTs of the future know that EMS is a rewarding destination. Many healthcare providers have extensive professional development resources, but that simply does not exist for EMS. COVID-19 has put additional pressures on the health care system and added another layer of complexity to the emergency response infrastructure.
Fortunately, there are immediate and long-term solutions. Although the provider relief funds are essential and helpful to address the challenges of the pandemic, we need funding for EMS that addresses paramedic and EMT training, recruitment, and advancement more directly. The Congress can provide specific direction and funds to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to help solve this workforce crisis. Those funds can be used to pay for critical training and professional development programs. Some of our members have already begun offering programs and would benefit from additional funding support from HRSA. Funding public-private partnerships between community colleges and private employers to increase the applicant pool and training and employment numbers through grants could overcome the staffing deficit we face.
In addition, more immediately targeting funds for EMS retention could address the shortage we are experiencing day to day. To help ambulance services retain paramedics and EMTs, we request funds through HRSA to be paid directly to paramedics and EMTs. These earmarked funds could be distributed to each state with specific guidance that the State Offices of EMS distribute the funds to all ground ambulance services using a proportional formula (per field medic).
With capitated payments by federal payors, there are limited funds to transfer into workforce initiatives. Increasing Medicare payments temporarily would be meaningful to compete with other employers and other jobs. This could help infuse additional funds into the workforce and create innovative staffing models that take into account hospital bed shortages and overflow.
The workforce shortage crisis facing EMS spans several potential Committees of jurisdiction. This critical shortage is particularly felt in many of our rural and underserved communities. As Congress moves on the steps we have outlined above, we also urge you to organize hearings in the appropriate Committees to develop long-term solutions and focus the country’s attention on these urgent issues.
Thank you in advance for continuing to ensure that our frontline responders have the resources necessary to continue caring for our patients in their greatest moment of need, while maintaining the long-term viability of our nation’s EMS system.
Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely,
Shawn Baird
President
American Ambulance Association
Bruce Evans
President
National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians
From CMS on October 4, 2021
Dear Ground Ambulance Providers and Suppliers,
Please attend our October 7 webinar and October 12 Q&A session to learn about the Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System. Both events will use Zoom. Starting January 1, 2023, selected ground ambulance organizations are required to report cost, utilization, revenue, and other information to CMS. Organizations that fail to report may be subject to a 10% payment reduction.
Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System Webinar: Labor Costs – October 7
Thursday, October 7 from 2-3pm ET
Register for this Zoom webinar.
During this webinar, CMS will walk through the Labor Cost section of the Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection Instrument (section 7). The presentation includes examples to help different types of ground ambulance organizations understand how to collect and report data for their paid and volunteer staff.
A Q&A session will follow this presentation. You may also send your questions in advance to AmbulanceDataCollection@cms.hhs.gov with “October 7 Labor Cost Webinar” in the subject line.
More information:
Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System: Q&A Session – October 12
Tuesday, October 12 from 2-3pm ET
Do you have questions about the Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System? Join this live Q&A session. You may also send your questions in advance to AmbulanceDataCollection@cms.hhs.gov with “October 12 Q&A” in the subject line. We’ll update documents on our Ambulances Services Center webpage with answers to common questions from this session.
More Information:
From HHS on September 29, 2021
From CMS on September 24, 2021
CMS Will Pay for COVID-19 Booster Shots, Eligible Consumers Can Receive at No Cost
Coverage without cost-sharing available for eligible people with Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, and Most Commercial Health Insurance Coverage
Following the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recent action that authorized a booster dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for certain high-risk populations and a recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will continue to provide coverage for this critical protection from the virus, including booster doses, without cost sharing.
Beneficiaries with Medicare pay nothing for COVID-19 vaccines or their administration, and there is no applicable copayment, coinsurance or deductible. In addition, thanks to the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP), nearly all Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries must receive coverage of COVID-19 vaccines and their administration, without cost-sharing. COVID-19 vaccines and their administration, including boosters, will also be covered without cost-sharing for eligible consumers of most issuers of health insurance in the commercial market. People can visit vaccines.gov (English) or vacunas.gov (Spanish) to search for vaccines nearby.
“The Biden-Harris Administration has made the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines accessible and free to people across the country. CMS is ensuring that cost is not a barrier to access, including for boosters,” said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “CMS will pay Medicare vaccine providers who administer approved COVID-19 boosters, enabling people to access these vaccines at no cost.”
CMS continues to explore ways to ensure maximum access to COVID-19 vaccinations. More information regarding the CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Program Provider Requirements and how the COVID-19 vaccine is provided through that program at no cost to recipients is available at https://www.cdc.gov/
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EMS and 911 Physician Medical Directors Invited to Participate in Workforce Assessment Survey
National Association of EMS Physicians conducting a national, anonymous survey of EMS, 911, fire and law enforcement medical directors
The National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP) is conducting the first national EMS Physician Medical Directors Workforce Assessment in the United States. All physician medical directors for EMS and air medical services, 911/Emergency Medical Dispatch centers, fire services, and law enforcement departments are encouraged to complete this anonymous survey to help create a comprehensive picture of pre-hospital physician medical leadership. The survey will take approximately 10 minutes to complete and will close on October 4, 2021.
The results, which will be shared by NAEMSP, will help national, state and local EMS and 911 organizations identify physician employment trends, address training and professional needs, and inform policy and advocacy efforts in support of all prehospital medical directors.
“Thousands of physician EMS Medical Directors currently provide EMS system oversight to ensure high-quality, safe and effective patient care across the country,” says NAEMSP President Michael Levy, MD, FAEMS, FACEP, FACP. “It’s important that we get an accurate picture of physician medical directors’ professional needs so we can do our best to address them.”
“The role of the medical director is key in ensuring effective pre-hospital patient care,” says Jon Krohmer, MD, FACEP, FAEMS, director of the NHTSA Office of EMS. “More data about the many aspects of medical direction will help NAEMSP, the NHTSA Office of EMS, and our Federal partner agencies better engage with the physicians who guide first responder and EMS clinician patient interactions by ground, air medical, law enforcement, and 911 professionals.”
You are invited to join the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS), Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, and her leadership team, to hear key updates from her first 100 days in office. The Administrator’s vision is for CMS to serve the public as a trusted partner and steward, dedicated to advancing health equity, expanding coverage, and improving health outcomes. We invite you to join us for this first national stakeholder call to learn more about how you can partner with us as we implement our vision.
When: September 17, 2021 from 12:30 PM ET – 1:00 PM ET
Speakers:
Who should attend: National and local stakeholders and partners
To Join the Call Click Here: https://cms.zoomgov.com/j/
Questions: We want to hear from you. Questions can be submitted in advance of the webinar by emailing Partnership@cms.hhs.gov
Tuesday, September 14 from 2-3 pm ET
CMS is hosting a Q&A session about the Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System tomorrow at 2:00pm Eastern.
Do you have questions about the Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System? Join this live Q&A session. You may also send questions in advance to AmbulanceDataCollection@
More Information:
This week marks the 20th anniversary of 9/11. Now, and always, #EMS honors the memory of the lives lost in the #September11 attacks. We will never forget the ultimate sacrifice offered by our fellow #firstresponders. #911memorial #NeverForget #SupportEMS #AlwaysOpen #heroes pic.twitter.com/oVhgnL1sqj
— AmericanAmbulanceAsc (@amerambassoc) September 10, 2021
From HHS/ASPR – Project ECHO COVID Clinical Rounds
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From CMS
Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System: Question and Answer Session on September 14, 2021 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM ET.
To participate in the Q&A session, you must register for the session at: https://cms.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_tuyiGdvORRiTXbmPaTQ1zg.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Do you have questions about the Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System? We are holding a live Q&A session on September 14, 2021 at 2:00 pm. Please send questions in advance to AmbulanceDataCollection@cms.hhs.gov with “September 14 Q&A” in the subject line. We will answer your questions that you submitted in advance during the call or participants may also submit live questions in the “chat” box. In addition, we will update documents on our Ambulances Services Center webpage with answers to common questions from this session. For more information, including the lists of ground ambulance organizations selected to collect and report information starting in 2022, see the Ambulances Services Center webpage, the CY 2022 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) Proposed Rule: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2021-07-23/pdf/2021-14973.pdf, and the CY 2020 Physician Fee Schedule final rule.
National Partner Release, September 1, 2021
From the Interstate Commission for EMS Personnel Practice
For Additional Information, Contact: Dan Manz, Educator, dmanz@emscompact.gov
Interstate Commission for EMS Personnel Practice selects Ray Mollers as its Executive Director
The Interstate Commission for EMS Personnel Practice (ICEMSPP) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Ray Mollers as its first Executive Director. Mr. Mollers will be Commission’s principal administrator and responsible for the day-to-day management of the EMS Compact while leading growth, strengthening operations, and increasing collaboration with state and federal EMS officials, partner organizations, and stakeholders.
Ray joins the EMS Compact team after serving as the Director of Stakeholder Partnerships with the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT). During his time at the National Registry, he managed stakeholder relationships and led the creation of a team responsible for enhancing partnerships, improving collaboration amongst EMS professionals, and increasing communication with stakeholders and State EMS Offices. Prior to the National Registry, he served our nation with 32 years of combined Federal service with the US Army Special Forces and Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Health Affairs.
“Today, over 300,000 EMS personnel in the United States have a multi-state privilege to practice”, said Joseph Schmider, Chairperson of the ICEMSPP Executive Committee. “With over 20 participating states, it was evident that the EMS Compact needed a full time Executive Director. Ray is an accomplished, humble professional. He was involved with the initial conceptual discussions of an EMS Compact a decade ago and has remained a key advocate since. Ray understands the EMS Compact – its purpose and history – and has established relationships with State EMS Offices and other key national partners.”
“I am so honored and excited to carry forward all the hard work done to date and shepherd the EMS Compact into its next chapter,” says Mr. Mollers.
Ray will start his service as the EMS Compact’s Executive Director on September 20, 2021. Dan Manz, the EMS Compact’s Educator is retiring, but will continue working in that position through the end of 2021 to assure a smooth transition.
For more information visit EMSCompact.gov.
From the Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians
Emergency medical services education research priorities during COVID-19: A modified Delphi study
Rebecca E. Cash PhD, MPH, William J. Leggio EdD, Jonathan R. Powell MPA, Kim D. McKenna PhD, Paul Rosenberger EdD, Elliot Carhart EdD, Adrienne Kramer PhD, Juan A. March MD, Ashish R. Panchal MD, PhD, for the Pandemic Educational Effects Task Force
Our objective was to identify research priorities to understand the impact of COVID-19 on initial emergency medical services (EMS) education.
We used a modified Delphi method with an expert panel (n = 15) of EMS stakeholders to develop consensus on the research priorities that are most important and feasible to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on initial EMS education. Data were collected from August 2020 to February 2021 over 5 rounds (3 electronic surveys and 2 live virtual meetings). In Round 1, participants submitted research priorities over 9 specific areas. Responses were thematically analyzed to develop a list of research priorities reviewed in Round 2. In Round 3, participants rated the priorities by importance and feasibility, with a weighted score (2/3*importance+1/3*feasibility) used for preliminary prioritization. In Round 4, participants ranked the priorities. In Round 5, participants provided their agreement or disagreement with the group’s consensus of the top 8 research priorities.
During Rounds 1 and 2, 135 ideas were submitted by the panel, leading to a preliminary list of 27 research priorities after thematic analysis. The top 4 research priorities identified by the expert panel were prehospital internship access, impact of lack of field and clinical experience, student health and safety, and EMS education program availability and accessibility. Consensus was reached with 10/11 (91%) participants in Round 5 agreeing.
The identified research priorities are an important first step to begin evaluating the EMS educational infrastructure, processes, and outcomes that were affected or threatened through the pandemic.
From EMS.gov on August 27, 2021
To assist EMS agencies in planning, the NHTSA Office of EMS and HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response have developed a template protocol for state EMS offices and EMS Medical Directors to use to assist in these programs. Some states have created blanket state-level authorizations for EMS administration; some states will still require provider authorization prior to administration. Please follow local protocols and regulations. This template is only designed to facilitate the development of those local protocols as needed. Please contact the NHTSA Office of EMS with any questions.
From CMS on August 25, 2021
Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released two new resources with information on Medicare beneficiaries on whose behalf at least one fee-for-service (FFS) claim for the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine has been submitted to the Medicare program.
First, we released a paper titled Assessing the Completeness of Medicare Claims Data for Measuring COVID-19 Vaccine Administration. This paper presents preliminary findings on the count of individuals ages 65 and older with at least one COVID-19 vaccine administration claim in the Medicare data compared to the count of people 65+ with at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose in the data reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Using data as of June 4th, 2021, we estimate that CMS received a claim for COVID-19 vaccine administration for roughly half of Medicare beneficiaries who have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose as compared to the estimated counts based on adjusted CDC figures (17.5 million out of 36.6 million). As a result, we recommend that the public apply significant caution when analyzing COVID-19 vaccine administration trends using Medicare claims data.
Second, we released the Medicare COVID-19 Vaccine Public Use File (PUF) which presents a high-level and preliminary overview of Medicare utilization and spending information from Medicare FFS claims for the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine. The PUF shows that between December 11, 2020 and June 30, 2021, Medicare payments for administration of the COVID-19 vaccine were over $1.1 billion. The PUF is based on Medicare FFS claims CMS received by August 6, 2021.
[Note: The Medicare FFS program is paying for COVID-19 vaccine administration on behalf of MA beneficiaries as well as for FFS beneficiaries receiving COVID-19 vaccinations in 2020 and 2021.]
From CMS
Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System Webinar: Instrument Walkthrough
Thursday, August 26, 2021 from 2:00 PM-3:30 PM ET.
To register for this webinar: https://cms.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_S0aGs_TWTpWRBWF5hDAf3Q.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
The slide presentation is available here. (PDF)
During this call, CMS will walk through the Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection Instrument section-by-section, focusing on select instructions, data collection guidelines, and common questions and answers. The webinar will also highlight proposed changes to the instrument in the CY 2022 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) Proposed Rule: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2021-07-23/pdf/2021-14973.pdf.
A question-and-answer session will follow this presentation. You may send questions in advance to AmbulanceDataCollection@cms.hhs.gov with “August 26 Instrument Webinar” in the subject line. We will answer your questions that you submitted in advance during the call or participants may also submit live questions in the “chat” box.
For more information, including ground ambulance organizations that must report, see the Ambulances Services Center webpage, CY 2020 Physician Fee Schedule final rule, and Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018.
