EMS: What ’s Our Mission?

What's the mission? This is a simple question, but one that's quite challenging to answer for EMS systems across the world. In the 1970s through the 1990s, the answer was relatively clear: We sent crews to the location of the emergency whenever called. We provided on-scene care, and then transported the patient to the hospital to be seen by a physician. This was the expectation from the community as well. We developed this buy-in through public service announcements after the development of an easy three-digit calling system. "If you have an emergency, dial 9–1–1." This was our slogan. We sold it in the media and at community gatherings. We sold it through popular TV shows such as Emergency! and Rescue 9–1–1. The result has been a staggering increase in the volume of calls for service across the United States. Difficult Refusals In 2017, the answer to the question of the mission is much more complicated. Communities across the country are starting to become increasingly concerned about the cost of service, which is contributing to "healthcare bankruptcy." In my 25 years in EMS, I've witnessed the transition of what started out as free transports from not-for-profit and donation-supported ambulance systems, to charges in the range of $300–$500 in the 1990s, to bills of $1,000–$2,000 for ALS transports today. It's a regular occurrence to receive phone calls from paramedics about "difficult refusals," where the issue isn't that the patient ...
Source: JEMS Patient Care - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Patient Care Columns Source Type: news