The Road to Accreditation

Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services Founded in 1990 ◦To promote quality standards for ambulance services Commission Member Agencies: ◦American Ambulance Association ◦International Association of Fire Chiefs ◦National Association of EMS Physicians ◦American College of Emergency Physicians ◦National Association of EMTs ◦National Association of State EMS Directors ◦National Highway Transportation Safety Administration

What Accreditation Means… MedStar has met the most stringent standards in the EMS Industry ◦131 separate standards – for example:  Clinical Indicator Exceptions “The agency's Clinical Performance Improvement Program shall have a process for identifying and addressing instances where measurable indicators are not in compliance with established thresholds. This process shall include individual exceptions, as well as trends.”  Medical Direction “The agency shall have a duly licensed physician, or physicians, responsible for medical oversight. Responsibilities shall include, at a minimum, development and authorization of clinical dispatch, patient care, and transport protocols; advisory and approval role in training/education of medical employees; advisory and approval role in clinical Performance Improvement initiatives; and advisory and approval role in EMS system design.”

What Accreditation Means… That YOUR EMS provider has achieved elite status ◦22,000 ambulance providers in the U.S.  134 (0.6%) are accredited ◦1,100 ambulance providers in Texas  4 (0.4%) are accredited

The Process… 18 months ◦Extreme preparation  Employee education  Refining processes Submission ◦Four, 4” binders (5 copies by the way!) ◦Documentation of compliance with CAAS standards Preliminary CAAS review (off-site) ◦Requests for supplemental documentation

The Process… On-site review ◦3 person panel  EMS Expert  H/R Professional  Emergency Physician ◦Proof of compliance with submission  “Do we REALLY do what we said we do?” ◦Review documents, facility ◦Interview employees ◦Inspect ambulances ◦Interview emergency room staff and 1 st responders ◦Interview doctors

They Inspected EVERYTHING!

Site Review Results… 3 levels of compliance ◦1 = Non-compliance ◦2 = Partial compliance ◦3 = Full compliance MedStar: ◦Level 3 for all 131 standards  Only service in 2009 to achieve that standard!

Official Notification 12/15/2009

Special Commendation…

Next Steps… Texas State Quality Awards! ◦Based on Baldrige Standards for Service Excellence