EMS_FINAL_RULE_07242020r.pdf

On October 28, 2024, updates were made to Arkansas’s Rules for Emergency Medical Services under the authority of Act 435 of 1975. Key changes include those related to EMS operations, licensing, and mutual aid. Here are some of the highlights:

• Licensing Requirements

• Ambulance services must ensure all fees and documentation are submitted to Arkansas DOH prior to licenses being issued or renewed. Licenses are contingent on meeting operational standards, personnel requirements, and equipment requirements.

• Patient Transport

• Patients with life-threatening conditions may request transport to facilities beyond the nearest medical center for specialized care.

• Communications

• Changes in efforts to enhance mutual aid responses during mass casualty incidents, including mandatory reporting procedures, radio frequencies, and coordination with the ECC and local responders have been made.

• Documentation & Reporting

• Ambulance services are required to notify receiving facilities in advance and provide patient encounter forms within 24 hours of patient transfer.

• Specialized Care & Air Ambulance Services

• Standards for air ambulance services have been clarified noting personnel and equipment requirements along with medical oversight for non-specialty care air transport.

The recent November 2024 meeting of the National EMS Advisory Council (NEMSAC) held November 6-7 in Washington, D.C. highlighted updates and discussions on critical topics in EMS. The meeting provided insights into broader EMS trends, such as pandemic response, workforce challenges, and evolving patient care models. Key topics included:

• Adaptability in EMS practices
• Equitable patient care 
• Integration of Advanced Technology
• Behavioral health in EMS
• Federal initiatives such as those from the NHTSA
• Emerging challenges 

Subcommittee Report Summaries

OSHA Emergency Response Rulemaking

The proposed rule by OSHA released this year with the intention of being finalized in 2025 is part of an effort to update the Emergency Response Standard and aims to improve safety protections for emergency responders, including EMS personnel, firefighters, and search and rescue teams. This rule would revise the existing Fire Brigades Standard (29 C.F.R. 1910.156) to extend its coverage to additional groups of emergency responders, such as those in EMS and technical rescue roles.

Highlights of the proposed rule include:

• Expanded Coverage to include EMS, search, and rescue functions
• Alignment with current safety and operations standards such as those in the National Fire Protection Association
• Enhanced health and safety measures against wildfire and hazardous material exposures
•  Volunteer fire department exemptions and extension of implementation timelines

OSHA Proposed Rule Insights

"How will Trump’s campaign promises impact EMS funding, call volume and service quality?"

On November 6, Greg Friese, MS, NRP, penned an article for EMS1 specific to Trump policies potential impact on EMS. Friese writes, "Based on Trump’s previous term and the campaign trail promises from Trump and his surrogates, it is worth considering what a second Trump presidency means for EMS. The centerpieces of Trump’s campaign were tariffs, immigration, taxes and crime, issues that touch every aspect of daily life, in and out of the workplace." 

Full Article Here

2025 Session Important Dates.pdf

Click the link above to learn more.

Mayo Clinic Ambulance Service paramedics in Rochester, Minnesota responded to a patient experiencing a heart attack only to discover their former teacher in need.

Read & watch more about this story.

https://www.podbean.com/ep/pb-xnhty-172fe5e

Watch the full podcast by clicking on the link above.

"Highlighting the significance of qualitative research, Dr. Barr remarks, 'Numbers work well for testing theories, but when it comes to generating new ones, the hard work of interviews, coding and theming is essential.'"

Learn more about how Professor Bram Buffee, PhD, EMT-P & Dr. Nigel Barr, PhD, RN, RP discuss the impact of COVID-19 and the importance of capturing qualitative research for greater insights on healthcare practices and challenges: EMS Research Podcast: Paramedic Perspectives on COVID Through Qualitative Research - JEMS: EMS, Emergency Medical Services - Training, Paramedic, EMT News. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory to inform clinicians and health departments about the Republic of Rwanda’s first confirmed outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD) with 36 laboratory confirmed cases and 11 deaths reported as of October 2, 2024, including at least 19 cases in healthcare workers. 

CDC Health Alert Network Communications

Background

Marburg Virus Disease is a rare but highly fatal viral hemorrhagic fever caused by infection with either Marburg virus or Ravn virus. Both Marburg virus and Ravn virus are within the family which also includes Ebola viruses. A person infected with the Marburg virus is not contagious before symptoms appear. Symptoms may include fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, fatigue, loss of appetite, gastrointestinal symptoms, or unexplained bleeding. The virus is spread through direct contact with broken skin or mucous membranes with the body fluids of someone who is sick with MVD, or who recently died from their infection. These body fluids include blood, urine, saliva, sweat, feces, vomit, breast milk, amniotic fluid, or semen. People can also contract MVD if they have contact with infected animals, or with needles, or with other objects or surfaces contaminated with the virus. Marburg virus is not spread through airborne transmission.

Access revised guidelines here: https://netec.org/2023/03/09/ems-guidelines-for-marburg-virus-disease/

The following corrections were made to the 2024 NEMSQA Measures Report on 10/16/2024.  

1. Airway-01: Successful First Endotracheal Intubation Attempt without Hypotension and without Hypoxia
2. Airway-05: Adequate Oxygen Saturation Achieved Before Endotracheal Intubation Attempts
3. Airway-18: Waveform Capnography Confirmation of Invasive Airway

A Wake-up Call on Airway Management

The National EMS Quality Alliance (NEMSQA) has provided evidence-based quality measures designed to improve EMS performance and patient care. These measures areas like clinical effectiveness, patient safety, and patient experience. Using standardized definitions that map directly to NEMSIS fields, these measures provide individual EMS agencies, regions, and states a way to measure and enhance their performance. On a national scale, these measures identify variations in care and highlight best practices to improve the EMS industry.

"Improving airway management isn’t about accepting low performance – it’s about taking the information we have and using it to drive change. By focusing on standardized processes, embedding essential checkpoints into our workflow and leaning on quality measures, we can make real strides. And with the lessons learned from the NEMSQA EQUIP Airway Collaborative, we’ll have the insights we need to close the gaps. The goal is straightforward: keep pushing EMS forward to a higher standard of care, one airway measure at a time."

Read the full article here!