The question of whether to contract with insurers has been a long-standing point of debate in EMS. Historically, there was little incentive for EMS organizations, particularly 911 agencies, to actively seek out agreements with insurers. However, the passage of the Federal No Surprises Act and various state balance billing laws has changed the equation somewhat. In this panel discussion, a group of EMS lawyers will discuss the potential benefits and pitfalls of insurance contracting.
Join NAEMT President and Kootenai Fire Chief Chris Way as he takes you on a deeply personal and transformative journey through his recent experience with a life-changing cancer diagnosis. Known for his humor and humility, Chief Way will share what it’s like to transition from being a leader in EMS to becoming a patient reliant on the very healthcare providers and systems he once worked alongside.
Through this candid and inspiring session, attendees will gain unique insights into the profound impact of relationships, attitude, and resilience on patient care. Chief Way will discuss how the connections we foster as healthcare professionals shape the care experience, how a positive mindset can influence outcomes, and why relinquishing control is sometimes necessary—and okay.
This session is a heartfelt reminder of the humanity behind the uniforms and a powerful exploration of how resilience can fuel recovery.
Returning for their third year, Aussie Justin Back (President, Acadian Ambulance) and Brit Rob Lawrence (Director ProEMS) reunite for the concluding part of their Trilogy of leadership talks. This year, Rob and Justin will discuss leadership in the fast paced, high-octane environment that EMS has become / is becoming. Rob will identify the challenges and issues that have confronted us all in the last 12 months while Justin will offer the direct, robust C-Suite advice to challenge, overcome, succeed and survive.
The National Quality Forum has a list of “Never Events” that should simply never happen in healthcare – actions that are clearly identifiable, serious, and preventable. This list of 29 serious preventable events has some application to the EMS profession, but because of our unique environment of care, some of these do not apply while others require some modification.
We will review the definition of a “Never Event” in the EMS profession and contrast these events with “best practices.” We will then discuss a series of EMS-specific Never Events in the clinical, operational, and administrative segments of our system, and for each one we will clearly define the event and the mandatory preventative measures that can help prevent them from occurring.
This lecture is a unique look at a major safety aspect of EMS as part of healthcare that we do not typically focus on. Attendees will take home real-world tools to put into action in their systems to help improve patient care and reduce these preventable major safety events.
Join us for an overview of the EMS disaster response for hurricanes Helene and Milton, facilitated through two large national ambulance contracts, federal and healthcare partnerships. Attendees will learn about disaster planning and preparedness, how to join the network program for future deployments, and the critical role of EMS in disaster response and recovery, including real-life case studies and best practices.
In this session, Mr. Nagorka will combine his 45 years of legal experience along with his 41 years of Paramedic experience to inform the audience about the real—not imagined—risks in EMS. Participants will also gain practical insights into the sometimes-confusing world of insurance.
This session will explore the transformative power of data platforms in enhancing EMS operational workflows. Attendees will learn how these platforms can streamline daily operations, ensure accountability, and deliver quick results across various operational tasks. The session will cover the essentials of building and customizing data platforms to foster creativity and efficiency in everyday activities. It will also delve into how these technologies can support growth among team members and leaders, and improve remote access to critical information. Discover the tools and strategies necessary to leverage data platforms for optimal operational efficiency in EMS environments.
In this session, Chuck Kearns, American Ambulance Association Region 2 Director, will explore cost-efficient strategies to enhance the security and reliability of ambulance fleets. Participants will learn innovative methods to protect ambulances and their supplies from theft, including best practices for securing vehicles and equipment. The discussion will also cover advanced solutions to keep ambulances reliably in service with minimal downtime, such as self-jump-starting mechanisms and the integration of solar panels to reduce dependency on shorelines. Additionally, we will delve into ways to make the ambulance a more comfortable workspace for EMS crews, ensuring that the vehicle not only serves as a means of transport but also as a conducive work environment. This session is designed for EMS leaders looking to improve operational efficiency and crew satisfaction.
If you had a magic wand, what would you change about your 911 system?
In April of 2023, Mecklenburg EMS Agency (MEDIC) completely overhauled the way it responds to 911 calls, aiming to preserve ALS resources for patients experiencing time sensitive medical emergencies while mitigating ever-increasing low acuity call responses. The panel will talk through the data, experience gained, and lessons learned after one year in the new response configuration. Strategies to discuss include; enhanced use of MPDS in the 911 call center, increasing response times to low acuity calls, reducing lights and sirens usage, expansion of BLS resources, and revising the allocation of first responders. This session will also cover patient safety, predictions versus outcomes, community education, as well as how MEDIC leadership navigated the political landscape to get this major system change off the ground.
2023 saw the most active year in union organizing, strikes and work stoppages in decades, including a nursing strike at a major health system. Organized labor has renewed its efforts to impact the healthcare workplace more than ever before. Is your ambulance service or EMS agency vulnerable to a union organizing campaign? What are the legal rules leadership must follow if employees engage in union activity? Why is it that today’s EMS workforce may find union representation more attractive now? What steps can leadership take to reduce the likelihood of union activity in the first place? These and other issues will be discussed in a fast-paced interactive workshop session.
In the lecture titled “Retention, Revenue, and Realizations in Mobile Integrated Health,” industry leaders will explore the intersection between Mobile Integrated Health (MIH), Community Paramedicine (CP), and critical issues in the EMS sector. Topics discussed will include well-being and professional development of personnel, innovation of service delivery, and optimizing resource allocation as they relate to revenue, partnerships with healthcare providers and payers, and other realizations of MIH. This session aims to empower decision-makers in the EMS industry to navigate the evolving landscape of mobile integrated healthcare while ensuring sustainable growth and improved operations.
Hospital delay, “holding the wall,” “ambulance patient offload time”—call it what you will, this is a major challenge to current EMS operations. It causes frustration, jams up systems, and may lead to patients having to wait to receive an EMS response.
Mike Taigman will lead a panel of international guests who will identify how they have addressed this issue through data, liaisons, and understanding. All will discuss approaches taken and how issues have been measured and managed and system flows restored.
5 Critical Leadership Lessons from the EMS Criminal Cases
The EMS community and the nation were captivated by the trial that resulted in the conviction of two Colorado paramedics for criminally negligent homicide in the death of Elijah McClain. And the murder charges against two Illinois EMTs in the death of Earl Moore, Jr. was yet another tragedy. These “first-of-their-kind” criminal actions against EMS practitioners exposed a myriad of issues that strike at the core of how we handle the typical – and not so typical – response to difficult patients and persons in police custody. In this eye-opening session, Doug and Steve will discuss the key themes that emerged in these cases that led to these tragic results. They will layout the top five leadership actions that must be put into practice now to reduce risk as we move into a new world of greater scrutiny and accountability for the actions of our EMS practitioners.
On May 24, 2022, a gunman walked into the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX and committed one of the most horrific acts of violence in our country’s history. The media has extensively covered what happened in the minutes, hours, days, and months following that terrible event. However, there were many valuable lessons learned by the leaders of this primary responding EMS agency. Uvalde EMS is a relatively small EMS organization serving slightly over fifteen thousand residents of that community. There were no number of drills that could have prepared those EMS professionals for what happened on that day and the flurry of events that followed. Join us for an interactive discussion with Uvalde EMS Chief, Stephen Stephens as we discuss the volume of unexpected and unfortunate lessons learned by Stephens and his team. Including, how they managed the flood of requested and unrequested resources, the mental health and wellness of their team, the local and national media, and many other challenges that cannot be anticipated until something of this nature and magnitude strikes.
Constantly worried about the state of employee communications at your agency?
Disappointed and confused by the team member response of “But, I didn’t know, how can you hold me accountable?
Or simply looking to hear from two of the industry’s most straight-talking COOs?
Then come join Danielle Thomas and Meredith Lambroff-Brown as they spill the beans on their many wins and losses in communications over the years; no filters applied.
We’ll be covering everything from the cardinal sins of communications strategies to the often daunting idea of opening up two-way communications between all employees, and everything in between.
So grab a box of popcorn, pour yourself a tall drink, and come join us…see you there!
Many rural areas in the United States struggle with access to healthcare, and Maine is no different. Faced with the loss of access to healthcare after normal clinic hours, residents of the Jackman/Moose River, Maine area opted to support an innovative pilot program utilizing Advanced Practice Paramedics and telehealth to continue access to acute care. In addition to the after-hours care, the paramedics provide ALS support to the local BLS ambulance service, Community Paramedicine, and Health Care Technician services during normal clinic hours. During the session, participants will:
Understand the process to develop and implement a rural health care program utilizing Paramedics
Identify the key components of the educational requirements for AP paramedics.
Recognize the key elements of sustaining a Community Access Physician Extender Program.
Constant, honest, productive communication, willingness to work through difficulties, validation, shared goals, trust, fun, admitting when you’re wrong, and showing affection – these foundational elements are important to establishing or growing a well-rounded, long-lasting (public) relationship (program). PR pros and operations leaders alike will learn how personal relationship principles can be authentically applied to shape and frame the public perception of your organization and how the many functions of public relations can help build lasting connections.
You’re good! Are you? Really? What measures are you using? How do you compare to other agencies? How do you compare to yourself over time? Proving the value of the services you deliver has never been more important than it is today. If you want to remain the provider, or if you need funding for your services from payers, including taxpayers, you need to show that the service you provide makes a difference and is valuable. This session will provide key metrics your agency should be measuring, reporting, and improving to show that you bring value to the community you serve.
Last year, the American Ambulance Association’s Workforce Committee released the Mentorship Guide for EMS. This guide is intended to serve as a framework for organizational leaders who see the critical role that mentor programs play in the development of the future leaders of EMS organizations. Mentorship programs are associated with higher retention for both the mentees and mentors. The panel discussion will explore the experiences of both mentors and mentees as they implement and participate in mentor/mentee relationships. The panel will share the unexpected hurdles they encountered and common challenges they experience with establishing and nurturing a mentor/mentee relationship. Our panel members will provide insight on what qualities they believe a successful mentor possess, the best way to identify and set mentor program goals, and how they define a successful mentor/mentee relationship. Lastly, the panel will offer the best practices associated with successful mentorship programs.
This session will assist you in collaborating with Labor to problem solve and build a relationship between management and the workforce, assisting you in building effective labor management programs that can avoid unnecessary issues early with open communications, avoiding costly lawsuits, grievances, and find common goals to resolve issues of mutual concern.
It does not matter if you or your workforce is represented by a recognized labor organization or at-will employees, collaboration between labor and management can build effective strategies to overcome challenges.