|NASEMSO News

NASEMSO Releases State Model Rules for Regulation of Air Medical Services

(09/21/16) At its recent Fall Meeting, NASEMSO on Sept. 21 announced the release of “State Model Rules for the Regulation of Air Medical Services” to assist states with regulatory language intended to avoid conflict with the Airlines Deregulation Act (ADA) and the possibility of Federal preemption. These model rules are intended to be applied in a manner that would confine their scope to matters solely related to medical care, and not construed in a way that could constitute regulation of aviation safety or economic matters.

• Download State Model Rules for the Regulation of Air Medical Services
• Download press release

NASEMSO is the lead national organization for emergency medical services (EMS) and a respected voice for national EMS policy. Air ambulances are medical resources that are used and integrated within EMS systems to provide patient care. In response to “Guidelines for the Use and Availability of Helicopter Emergency Medical Transport (HEMS)” published by the United States Department of Transportation in April 2015, NASEMSO sought to identify opportunities for state regulations that address outcomes related to:

• Quality of emergency medical care provided to patients
• Requirements related to the qualifications and training of air ambulance medical personnel
• Scope of practice and credentialing
• Maintenance of medical records, data collection, and reporting
• Medically related equipment standards
• Patient care environments
• EMS radio communications
• Medically related dispatch requirements
• Medical transport plans including transport to appropriate facilities
• Other medical licensing requirements

NACOSH Subcommittee Meets to Finalize Their Discussion of an Emergency Preparedness and Response Proposed Rule

(09/08/16) The Emergency Response and Preparedness Subcommittee of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health (NACOSH) met this week with U.S. Department of Labor Assistant Secretary, Dr. David Michaels, in Washington, D.C. The subcommittee is finalizing their discussion of potential elements of an emergency response and preparedness proposed rule and preparing its recommendation to NACOSH. NACOSH was established by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to advise and make recommendations to the secretaries of labor, and health and human services on occupational safety and health programs, and policies and matters relating to the administration of the OSH Act.

NASEMSO Program Manager, Kathy Robinson, RN, serves as the NASEMSO representative to the NACOSH subcommittee, shown above at its September meeting. Click to see full-sized photo.
 

|EMS News & Resources

NGA Releases Issue Brief on Public Health Emergencies

(10/11/16) The National Governors Association (NGA) has developed a new issue brief, Improving State Efforts to Prepare and Respond to Public Health Emergencies, highlighting steps that states can take to improve preparedness when dealing with public health emergencies. The report also provides action items that governors can take back to their states to improve preparedness for public health emergencies.

NASEMSO Announces Resolutions Supporting CARES and FirstNet

(10/10/16) At its recent Fall Meeting, the National Association of State Emergency Medical Services Officials (NASEMSO) passed resolutions on two important issues: (1) supporting the data elements in CARES as the national standard prehospital data set for cardiac arrests, and (2) championing the First Responder Network Authority as the nationwide broadband network for EMS.

• Download press release
• Resolution 2016-01: CARES – Supporting a National Standard Prehospital Data Set for Cardiac Arrest
• Resolution 2016-02: Support of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet)

NASEMSO Announces New Trauma Monograph at 2016 Fall Meeting

(09/21/16) At its recent Fall Meeting, NASEMSO on Sept. 21 announced the release of a new monograph, “Status of State Trauma System Planning and Development: Utilization of the HRSA Model Trauma System Planning and Evaluation Document,” at the NASEMSO 2016 Fall Meeting.

• Download monograph and related charts and figures
• Download press release

In this monograph, NASEMSO examined the general status of formal trauma system development in the states, and particularly the utilization of system development tools produced by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA.)

Key data included: 82% of respondents indicated their state has enabling legislation or rules to designate trauma centers; 23% of respondents, only 16 percent of all states, have legislative authority to limit the number of trauma centers; 46% of respondents did not receive federal or outside funding for state trauma program administration; In spite of a 16% net loss in the Level I category, there has been a 27 percent increase in trauma centers overall since 2010; and the largest increase in trauma center recognition is occurring at the level III (12%), IV (63%), and V (117%) levels.

The 4-1-1 on NASEMSO Projects and Activities

• Fatigue in EMS: As a result of the expert panel meeting in April, PICO questions have been finalized and registered. The systematic reviews have been initiated.
• EMS Compass: The comment period for the second batch of measures (STEMI and SCA) closed on June 3. An educational webinar on “Data Analysis and Visualization” is planned for June 17.
• Ground Ambulance Vehicle Standards and EMS Safety Resources: SafeAmbulances.org has posted a guide on state ambulance regulations. View ambulance crash test videos. The link to Doug Wolfberg’s editorial on red lights and sirens at EMS1 is a “must read.”
• National Model EMS Clinical Guidelines: Fifteen potential new client guidelines are being considered by the work team. The “Resuscitation” chapter is being revised to reflect current ECC guidelines.