We want to welcome you to the first edition of the EMS Provider Newsletter. We plan to send out a newsletter every other month. The scheduling may be adjusted depending on need. We hope to provide you with the latest information from the Bureau of EMS and Preparedness. We will highlight changes to any processes, share important information from data we gather, share training information, and anything else we think is important for all providers. Please let us know if you have any feedback about the newsletter. If you would like to provide content you'll find a submission link at the bottom of the newsletter. Thank you for all you do!

The annual EMS Awards Ceremony was held on July 11, 2019 at the Loveland Living Aquarium. Every year, the Utah Department of Health (UDOH) Bureau of Emergency Medical Services and Preparedness (BEMSP) pays tribute to the extraordinary service of those who provide day-to-day lifesaving services. It's an excellent opportunity to recognize our state’s EMS professionals and express our support as an emergency medical community. Utah citizens are fortunate to have skilled and knowledgeable EMS providers available to respond at any given moment. The many nominations submitted this year revealed the exceptional skills, ability, and judgment of the emergency medical responders in our state.

Outstanding Performance in an Emergency Medical Incident

Ogden City Fire Department, Plain City Fire Department, Weber Fire District, Northview Fire District, Riverdale Fire Department, Mountainstar AirCare, and Life Flight

Exceptional Performance & Teamwork

Brian Head Public Safety, Utah Department of Transportation, and Cedar Communications Center

Outstanding Community Service

Superior Service Transport

Emergency Physician of the Year

Dr. Hilary Hewes

Distinguished Service Award

Cory Barton

Distinguished EMSC Coordinators

Becky Benson and Sam Yates

Paramedic of the Year

Marty Wilson

EMT of the Year

David Morris

Urban Emergency Medical Dispatcher of the Year

Kamrin Tarantino

Rural Emergency Medical Dispatcher of the Year

Jennifer Mecham

EMS Instructor of the Year

Robert Marriott

By Yukiko Yoneoka, MS

You've been dispatched on a traumatic injury call and, upon arrival, find a critically injured patient. How fast should you get that patient en route to a hospital? In 2016, the Utah Trauma System Advisory Committee (TSAC) created a report to look at EMS scene time and how it relates to the outcome of trauma patients. The performance measure was based on the traditional EMS principle of “scoop and run,” suggesting the longer the patient was on scene, the worse the outcome for the patients.

For the analysis, 2007 to 2016 Utah Trauma Registry (UTR) ground ambulance data was linked with Utah prehospital data. After extreme scene time values were excluded, the final data contained 48,581 trauma patients.

The results showed that the average scene time for Utah's EMS agencies was 18.7 minutes. Forty-seven percent of all critically injured patients were transported from the scene within 10 minutes. An additional 34% were transported within 20 minutes resulting in 81% percent of all critically injured patients being transported in fewer than 20 minutes (Figure 1).

When the mortality rate of the trauma patients was examined by the scene time category, the shortest scene time category (one to 10 minutes) was found to have the highest mortality rate (5.7%). The mortality rate gradually decreased as scene time increased, showing the lowest mortality rate (2.3%) for the longest scene time category (31 to 66 minutes) (Figure 2).

Contrary to the traditional expectation, analysis results seem to indicate the higher mortality rate for the shortest scene times was due to the higher distribution of patients with more serious injuries, and not a result of the scene time. The results seemed to indicate that EMS ground ambulance agencies were correctly evaluating the patient’s conditions and transporting the severely injured patients to the hospital as soon as possible.

By Guy Dansie, MPA

First, new legislation created the designation of non-emergency behavioral health patient transport providers. This concept required updates to the rule language in R426-2 for “Designations” and R426-4 for “Operations.” Essentially the new designation provides for inter-facility transports of patients who do not need an ambulance as defined in the EMS Act (UCA Title 26-8a-303). This designation is not tied to a “geographic service area,” not “exclusive,” and the billing aspects are not regulated. In other words it is a free market designation. Designated providers will be required to apply and be approved through the designation process. Staff must be properly trained and vehicle requirements developed to provide a safe transport, must be met. These services may not provide any “medical” treatments that are legally required to be provided by ambulance services. We also hope to educate hospitals and mental health facilities with regard to when this service is appropriate or inappropriate based on patient need.

Second, the safety of EMS personnel is always a top concern for us! The rule making process developed and approved new language in R426-4 requiring personnel safety policies for severe weather assessment and for fatigue management. The language is not highly specific, but the intent is to have each agency decide what works best in their situation, and document how they plan to address these safety concerns.

Third, updates are being made in R426-5 for terminology. We created “endorsements” in many instances to replace “certifications” for various training-related EMS personnel. The “CCEU” was also replaced to reflect BEMSP and Utah Department of Health re-structuring of duties.

Changes in Utah EMS have been dramatic and far-reaching recently. We hope to implement these changes with patience, understanding, and excitement. Change is always a difficult adjustment, but the efficiencies and processes are heading in a good direction overall.

Since many stakeholders have expressed opinions and input on these changes, we would like to remind everyone that Utah's path is a collaborative effort. We highly encourage participation from anyone who wants to become involved. Please be an active voice to move EMS into the future!

We deeply appreciate the sacrifices you all make to provide the comfort, safety, and life sustaining services. All aspects of the EMS systems have a huge impact on quality of life for all of us!

By Brett Cross, MPA, NRP

If you are NREMT Certified, you will maintain it as it expires. If your NREMT does not expire in 2020 but your state license does, all you need to do is complete the state application.

Once you have submitted your NREMT application for CME verification, you will need to submit your State License Application by your expiration date.

If you are coming off a four-year state only license, this document is helpful for you to use when completing your NREMT application.

https://site.utah.gov/bemsp/wp-content/uploads/sites/34/2018/10/bemsp_traditional_instructions.pdf

Helpful Links:
NREMT: nremt.org

BEMSP Website for Personnel: https://bemsp.utah.gov/ems-personnel-licensure/

Utah License System: emslicense.utah.gov