NAEMT Radio

Ep.13 NAEMT Radio - Sepsis with Dr. Karin Molander and Rommie Duckworth

In this edition of NAEMT Radio we welcome Dr. Karin Molander, emergency medicine physician and member Sepsis Alliance board and Rommie Duckworth, MPA, LP, EFO, captain, shift commander, and EMS coordinator for the Ridgefield Fire Department in Connecticut.  Sepsis is the body’s overwhelming and life-threatening response to infection that can lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death. In other words, it’s your body’s overactive and toxic response to an infection. Like strokes or heart attacks, sepsis is a medical emergency that requires rapid diagnosis and treatment. Sepsis can lead to severe sepsis and septic shock.  Our guests discuss all things Sepsis with resident host Rob Lawrence, NAEMT Member and Lighthouse Leadership Mentor.
In a wide-ranging discussion, Dr. Molander and Rom particularly highlight the principle of TIME:
T – Temperature higher or lower.
Your body’s temperature should stay fairly constant, around 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius), moving up or down a bit depending on your activity, the environment, and time of day. A temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7 degrees Celsius) is considered to be hyperthermia, a fever. When you have an infection, your body’s temperature usually rises as it tries to fight off the bug causing the infection. Interestingly, some people see their body temperature go down (hypothermia) instead of up. This is why any change, high or low, can be a sign of sepsis.
I – Infection – may have signs and symptoms of an infection.
If you have a local infection, like a urinary tract infection, pneumonia, or an infected cut, the signs and symptoms are localized according to the area affected (needing to urinate or burning on urination for a UTI, coughing and chest pain for pneumonia, redness and pus for an infected cut, for example). If the infection has spread or you have a generalized infection, you may develop other signs and symptoms, such as fever, fatigue, pain, etc. Sometimes however, you may have an infection and not know it, and not have any symptoms. Keep this in mind especially if you have recently had surgery or an invasive medical procedure, a break in your skin, or you have been exposed to someone who is ill.
M – Mental decline – confused, sleepy, difficult to rouse.
Sepsis can affect your mental status. Some people, especially the elderly, may not show typical signs of infection. Instead, they may show a sudden change in mental status, becoming confused, or a worsening of dementia and confusion. Sleepiness, often severe, is also a common complaint.
E – Extremely ill – severe pain or discomfort, shortness of breath.
Many sepsis survivors have said that when they were ill, it was the worst they ever felt. It was the worst sore throat, worst abdominal pain, or they felt that they were going to die.
Resources:
https://www.sepsis.org/
Prehospital Sepsis Care Research Update, 2023 https://learn.sepsis.org/products/prehospital-sepsis-care-research-update-2023
About Rom Duckworth
Rommie L. Duckworth, MPA, LP, EFO, is a captain, shift commander, and EMS coordinator for the Ridgefield Fire Department in Connecticut. He is also founder and director of the New England Center for Rescue and Emergency Medicine. Duckworth is a dedicated emergency responder, author, and educator with more than 30 years of experience working in career and volunteer fire departments, hospital healthcare systems, and private emergency medical services.
Duckworth has contributed to the NAEMT AMLS and PHTLS textbooks. He is a 2021 recipient of the NAEMT Presidential Leadership Award for his work on the Lighthouse Leadership Committee, for which he also serves as a mentor. Duckworth is also the recipient of the American Red Cross Hero Award, Sepsis Alliance Hero Award, the EMS10 Innovators Award, and the Western Connecticut Health Network Lifetime Achievement Award.
He is the NAEMT representative to the American College of Surgeons Rural Trauma Advisory Committee, the CT-EMS for Children representative for the Ridgefield Fire Department, and an instructor for EMS, fire, rescue, law enforcement, and dispatch education programs.
He’s the author of "Duckworth on Education," as well as chapters in more than a dozen EMS, fire, rescue, and medical textbooks and over 100 published articles in fire and EMS magazines. He holds positions on other national and international advocacy and advisory boards, where he continues to work for the advancement of emergency services professions.
About Dr Karin Molander
Dr. Molander is an emergency medicine physician with greater than 25 years in clinical care.  She analyzes quality of care and is passionate about patient education. Dr. Molander became involved in the world of sepsis in 2007, initially training intensivists in Early Goal Directed Therapy.  She served on her hospital Sepsis committee from 2009 to 2015.  As chair from 2011 until 2015 she collaborated with fellow Sutter hospitals as they navigated through a new electronic health record and a sepsis initiative serving the critical access hospital to the quaternary care center.   She has served on the Sepsis Alliance board since 2018 and was recently their Chair of the Board of Directors. She co-authored a chapter on Sepsis for the American Medical Life Support textbook for Emergency Medical Services and has an updated edition coming out later this year.  She is currently participating in a yearlong Digital Health Fellowship with the goal of optimizing communication amongst patients and providers.  She has co-launched a website DecipherYourHealth.com and joined the social media bandwagon with educational videos on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.  A book is in the works.
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Ep 12 NAEMT Radio – NAEMT Update with President Susan Bailey

In this edition of NAEMT Radio we welcome back NAEMT President, Susan Bailey, to provide a comprehensive association wide update covering Advocacy Efforts, Position Statements, Surveys, Workforce Development, Member Benefits and Education as well as our upcoming meetings and the World Trauma Symposium at EMS World Expo (September 18-22 New Orleans Convention Center).
About our Guest
Susan Bailey, MSEM, NRP, is the Director of the Louisiana Bureau of Emergency Medical Services and part-time faculty at Columbia Southern University where she teaches courses such as EMS Operations and Personnel Management, Risk Management Practices in EMS, and Finance of EMS Systems. She has been active in the EMS Industry since 1990 with experience in both the rural and urban setting. She has served as the NAEMT representative on the Commission on Accreditation of Prehospital Continuing Education (CAPCE) Board of Directors and was chair from 2018-2022.
A lifetime NAEMT member, Susan served as Vice-Chair of NAEMT’s Advocacy Committee, Chair of the Disaster Preparedness Committee, Chair of the Affiliate Advisory Committee. She also served on the Education Committee and the Finance Committee. In 2014, she was awarded the NASCO/NAEMT Paramedic of the Year Award, and in 2016 she was awarded an NAEMT Education Service Award for innovation in delivering NAEMT education programs to rural areas. Susan is a lifetime member of the Louisiana Association of National Registered EMTs (LANREMT). LANREMT awarded her the Instructor of the Year Award in 1999, a Presidential Meritorious Award in 2013, and an Outstanding Achievement award in 2018. In July 2022 she received a Raising the Bar Recognition from Columbia Southern University.
Passionate about the EMS Industry, Susan strives to bring positive attention to the work that EMS Practitioners do. She encourages EMS practitioners to expand their knowledge to grow with an ever-changing scope of practice within the EMS industry. A Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Susan has a bachelor’s degree in management from Southeastern Louisiana University where she graduated magna cum laude, and earned her master’s degree in emergency management from Millersville University in Pennsylvania.
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Ep 11 NAEMT Radio – Running for a position as a Director on the NAEMT Board. – with Bruce Evans, Shannon Watson and Dennis Wilham

In this edition of NAEMT Radio we identify how to run for and serve on the NAEMT Board of Directors. Host, Rob Lawrence welcomes NAEMT Immediate Past President, Bruce Evans, Current Board Member Shannon Watson and Dennis Wilham,Candidacy and Elections Committee Chair to discuss the topic. Bruce shares his perspectives as a long-time Board member and officer, and the rewards of helping the association grow and support the profession, while Shannon shares her experiences in running for the Board and her experiences to date on the Board.  Veteran NAEMT member, Dennis Wilham explains qualifications and requirements for running for a board position.
About our Guests
Bruce Evans
Bruce Evans, MPA, CFO, NRP, is the Fire Chief at the Upper Pine River Fire Protection District. He arrived in La Plata County after serving as the EMS Chief and as an Assistant Chief at the North Las Vegas Fire Department in Southern Nevada. He had served at the Henderson (NV) Fire Department for 18 years as a fire and EMS captain.
Chief Evans is an NFPA Fire Instructor III and served as a college faculty member at the College of Southern Nevada's Fire Technology program teaching various fire and EMS topics for 21 years. He has over 38 years' experience in a variety of EMS settings and is the 2010 recipient of the International Association of Fire Chiefs James O Page award for Leadership in EMS. He was awarded the 2014 NAEMT Presidential Leadership Award. Chief Evans is NAEMT's representative to the NFPA(r) 2400, Standard for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Used for Public Safety Operations. He holds a master’s degree in public administration, bachelor’s degree in education, and Associates in Fire Management.
Chief Evans has an appointment to the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Medicine's Preparedness Committee. He is completed a six-year appointment on the Colorado Governor's State EMS and Trauma Advisory Committee. He is a certified faculty for the International Public Safety Leadership and Ethics training program and instructor at the National Emergency Training Center authoring several courses in emergency response and incident management. Evans co-authored several textbooks, Crew Resource Management with Jones & Bartlett Learning, Management of EMS and EMS Research and Quality Management with Prentice Hall, IFSTA's Structural Series High-Rise Firefighting. He is one of the authors of the NAEMT EMS Safety Course and the NAEMT Principles of Ethics and Personal Leadership (PEPL) Course. Chief Evans is a contributor to the EMS Column in Firehouse Magazine and cases in the Journal of EMS (JEMS). Chief Evans is part of the LaPlata County Suicide Prevention Coalition and served on the SW Colorado Child Fatality Review Team.
Shannon Watson
Shannon Watson, MHA, NRP, CC-EMTP, CP, began her EMS career in North Carolina, where she attained her paramedic and associate degree in emergency medical science. She came to Christian Hospital EMS in 2008 and worked full-time as a paramedic serving north St. Louis County. She was promoted through the ranks of educator, clinical supervisor, mobile integrated health supervisor, and is currently assistant chief of EMS.
Watson is an EMS educator and teaches nationally at EMS conferences. She is secretary for the East Central Region EMS Committee for St. Louis. In 2012, Watson became a contributing author of the resuscitation chapter in the Pediatric Education for Prehospital Professionals book. She also serves as region 3 director for the NAEMT.  Watson is passionate about leadership and mentoring others.
During her EMS tenure, Watson assisted in growing and developing the Christian Hospital EMS Academy and developing and implementing a mobile integrated health program for Christian Hospital. She has continued her education as a critical care paramedic, community paramedic, and she completed her bachelor’s in business and master’s in healthcare administration. She is married to a firefighter-paramedic, and they have three children. She enjoys spending her free time with friends and family engaging in outdoor activities.
Dennis Wilham
Dennis spent 17 years in the Planning Department within Caterpillar where he focused on N/C programming and Processing for the Primary Fabrication Manufacturing lines. During this same time, he was also the EMS Emergency Response Director responsible for all EMS Medical Direction and training of the Industrial Advanced Life Support Team. This led him to become the full time Medical Administrator and Supervisor of the Decatur Medical Department and EMS Medical Director of the Industrial Advanced Life Support Team.
Later, Dennis became the US Operations EMS Director over EMS, the Liaison Manager over Medical, Security, Food Service and HR Budget coordinator for the Aurora, Decatur, and Peoria facilities. For his final 5 years at Caterpillar, Dennis worked in the Visitor Services Center focused on providing factory & facility tours highlighting manufacturing processes and procedures of the Off-Road Heavy Equipment within Caterpillar to Customers and Dealers from around the world. During this same time, he continued to provide ALS services at the Decatur Caterpillar facility as the lead Caterpillar Medic. Dennis retired with 37-1/2 years from Caterpillar in December 2015.
Dennis currently serves as Human Resource Officer at Logan County Paramedic Association in Lincoln, Illinois where he also held the positions of board member, Vice President and President. He is also the chair of the NAEMT Candidacy and Elections Committee.
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Ep 10 NAEMT Radio – A Gathering of Eagles with Dr Jeff Jarvis

Ep 10 NAEMT Radio – A Gathering of Eagles with Dr Jeff Jarvis
In this edition of NAEMT Radio, Rob Lawrence and NAEMT’s Associate Medical Director, Dr Jeff Jarvis travelled to Florida to the 2023 Metropolitan Medical Directors, EMS State of the Science XXIV Conference, more popularly known as the ‘Gathering of Eagles’.
The Eagles have evolved into a cohesive global consortium, known for cutting-edge education and intrepid operational advances in out-of-hospital emergency care. The group is comprised of the accountable jurisdictional Medical Directors of the 60 to 70 largest municipalities in the U.S., Europe and other global regions as well as several key counterparts from U.S. federal agencies. Despite minimal advertising of their meetings, Eagles’ audiences are often comprised of more than 1000 attendees, all by word of mouth.
In this edition, Rob and Dr Jarvis discuss the highlights of the conference and cover topics including Traumatic Cardiac Arrest, Whole Blood usage, Heads Up CPR, Call Volume and triaging life threatening from non-life-threatening calls, ECMO and much more.
For total coverage of the event, please read the amazing blog from Lee Turpen here:  http://leeturpenffff.blogspot.com/2023/06/eagles-xxiv-notes-from-2023-ems-state.html
About Dr Jeff Jarvis
Dr. Jarvis is the Medical Director for Metropolitan Area EMS Authority, MedStar Mobile Healthcare, Fort Worth Texas. He was previously the EMS medical director for the Williamson County EMS system in Texas. He is board-certified in emergency medicine and EMS. He began his career as a paramedic with Williamson County EMS in 1988 and continues to maintain his paramedic license. Dr. Jarvis received his paramedic license in 1988, bachelor’s degree in psychology from Texas A&M University in 1990, master’s degree from New York Medical College in 1991 and Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch in 2005. He completed his residency at the Texas A&M College of Medicine/Scott & White Hospital in Texas. Dr. Jarvis is an educator, accomplished researcher, author, speaker and blogger. He serves on the boards and committees of several state and national organizations and has received several awards
About NAEMT
About NAEMT Formed in 1975 and more than 72,000 members strong, the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians is the only national association representing the professional interests of all emergency and mobile healthcare practitioners, including emergency medical technicians, advanced emergency medical technicians, emergency medical responders, paramedics, advanced practice paramedics, critical care paramedics, flight paramedics, community paramedics, and mobile integrated healthcare practitioners. NAEMT members work in all sectors of EMS, including government agencies, fire departments, hospital-based ambulance services, private companies, industrial and special operations settings, and in the military.
Join the NAEMT
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Ep 9. NAEMT Radio PHTLS 10th Edition - Shock with Samuel M. Galvagno Jr., D.O., Ph.D., M.S., F.C.C.M

In this edition of NAEMT Radio we discuss the Prehospital Management of Shock with Samuel M. Galvagno Jr., D.O., Ph.D., M.S., F.C.C.M., Professor and Executive Vice Chair University of Maryland School of Medicine Department of Anesthesiology in Baltimore. Dr Galvagno is also the author for the PHTLS 10th edition chapter on Shock.  Our host, Rob Lawrence and Dr Galvagno discusses best practices in prehospital management of Shock including hemorrhage control,  resuscitation, recognition and complications of shock as well as blood and fluid products in current use.  NAEMT Radio is hosted by NAEMT Member and Lighthouse Leadership Mentor - Rob Lawrence.
Dr. Galvagno is a Tenured Professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology. Dr. Galvagno graduated from the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2000. After an internship at St. Clare’s / St. Vincent’s Midtown Hospital in New York, New York, Dr. Galvagno entered active duty as a general medical officer and emergency physician.  Following his active duty tour, he received residency training at Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Woman’s Hospital, where he was elected Chief Resident during his final residency year.  He pursued a fellowship in Critical Care Medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine after residency, and also completed a research fellowship and extensive training in epidemiology and biostatistics at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.  He defended his Ph.D. in 2012 with a thesis focused on helicopter emergency medical services for adults with major trauma. Dr. Galvagno also attained Lean Six Sigma Black Belt training from Villanova University and is a graduate of the United States Air Force Air Command and Staff College and Air War College.
Dr. Galvagno's research goal is to coordinate, develop, and lead efforts to advance the science of critical care, combining regional applications with a global perspective, through the cultivation of a versatile and robust research methodology. He has secondar interests in patient monitoring, resuscitation, safety & quality improvement in the intensive care unit, and medical education. He has authored over 120 peer-reviewed papers and has authored several textbooks and textbook chapters. He has received funding from the NIH and DoD.
He is board-certified in anesthesiology (ABA), critical care medicine (ABA), neurocritical care (UCNS and ABMS), emergency medical services (ABEM) and public health (NBPHE). Dr. Galvagno presents serves as the Medical Director for the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center Multi Trauma Critical Care Unit and is the Deputy Director for the Shock Trauma "Go-Team." In addition to appointments within the Society of Critical Care Medicine's Anesthesiology Section, he serves on the ABA Critical Care Exam Committee, the ABPN Neurocritical Care Exam Committee and was elected as a fellow to the Academy of Critical Care Medicine in 2016.

NAEMT Radio - EMS for Children (A EMS Week Special Edition)

NAEMT Radio - EMS for Children (A EMS Week Special Edition)
Within EMS Week 2023, Wednesday, May 24: EMS for Children Day and in this EMS Week special episode, Rob Lawrence talks to Mark Cicero, MD, associate professor in the section of pediatric emergency medicine at the Yale School of Medicine and an attending physician at the Yale-New Haven's Children's Hospital Emergency Department.
Dr. Cicero discusses pediatric disaster medicine and its application in the prehospital environment as well as Improving prehospital care and specific tips for providers managing pediatric emergencies. Dr Cicero also highlights his work with the EMS for Children Innovation and Improvement Center’s Disaster Preparedness Working Group. Rob and Dr Cicero discuss the EMS handover of sick children and the development of Pediatric Emergency Care Coordinators within EMS agencies.
Links:
Emergency Medical Services for Children Innovation & Improvement Center (EIIC) - https://emscimprovement.center/
The Pediatric Pandemic Network - https://pedspandemicnetwork.org/
SimBox EMS - https://www.emergencysimbox.com/emstelesimbox
About Dr Cicero
Mark X. Cicero MD, FAAP is an associate professor in the section of pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) at the Yale School of Medicine. Prior to this appointment, he completed medical school at State University of New York at Buffalo, pediatrics residency and chief residency at the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters, and PEM fellowship at Yale. He has designed experiential and didactic curricula in pediatric disaster medicine, and has published original research about disaster medicine educational strategies. His research is sponsored by Emergency Medical Services for Children and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. He has served nationally as a consultant for prehospital and hospital pediatric disaster preparedness. Firsthand disaster experience includes hurricane Isabel in Norfolk VA, as well as an epidemic. He serves as the chair of the pediatrics committee of the National Association of EMS Physicians, and on the National Biodefense Science Board.
 
 

Ep 8 NAEMT Radio Research with David Page, MS, NRP

In this edition of NAEMT Radio we welcome David Page, director of the Prehospital Care Research Forum at the University of California, and man about the international EMS Town!. Dave discusses why and how to get into research and highlights opportunities to research and present research.  Rob and Dave also discuss what constitutes good research as well as what doesn’t! David highlights some of his favorite recent research papers and identifies how to get involved and submit research abstracts.  Rob and Dave also discuss the brand new cohort of the NAEMT Lighthouse leadership program and the importance of data and research to them as emerging leaders. NAEMT Radio is hosted by NAEMT Member and Lighthouse Leadership Mentor - Rob Lawrence.
Resources:
Prehospital  Care Research Forum: https://www.cpc.mednet.ucla.edu/pcrf/
Submit Abstracts
Each year the Call for Abstracts highlights the Prehospital Care Research Forum at UCLA activities. Abstracts are received from EMS providers, clinicians, educators,  administrators, and students from all over the nation and abroad. A peer-review process determines which authors are invited to present their study at a national conference. Authors frame their studies in the literature, which provides dynamic, interesting and provocative presentations. Conference participants are immersed in a collegial environment where the demystification of research takes place, and its application begins. Follow the link here: https://www.cpc.mednet.ucla.edu/pcrf/callforabstracts   Deadline for  Education, Clinical & Systems abstracts is June 30, 2023
About David Page
Dave is the director of the Prehospital Care Research Forum at the University of California, Los Angeles. He has over thirty years of active service in Emergency Medical Services and continues to work as a field paramedic for Allina Health EMS in Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Minnesota.
He is on the national faculty for the National Association of EMS Educator Instructor course, state faculty for Prehospital Trauma Life Support and a site visitor - team captain for the Committee on Accreditation of EMS Programs. Mr. Page serves on several national committees, including the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians’ Paramedic Psychomotor Competency Portfolio.  This project is revising the United States Paramedic practical exam.  He is a research committee member and past chair for the National Association of EMS Educators.
Dave helped to create of the associate and bachelor degrees in Emergency Health Services with the University of Minnesota and Inver Hills Community College. Where he served as tenured faculty for the past 24 years.  During that tenure he helped create an EMS academy for low-income inner-city youth and later the Basic Life Support unit of the Saint Paul Fire Department that would employ them.  He also served as a member of the Abbott Northwestern Hospital Hypothermia Research and care steering committee; and the Chest Pain Accreditation review committee.  He is also the co-creator of Fisdap® an international web-based tracking and evaluation system for paramedic students.
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Ep 7. NAEMT Radio – Exemplifying Outstanding Professionalism

In this edition of NAEMT Radio we examine the careers of two NAEMT Members, Karen L. Larsen,  a Nurse Practitioner for both St. Luke Hospital & Living Center and StatCare of Kansas and Brian Stennett, Firefighter/Paramedic for the Village of Palatine Fire Department (Palatine, IL). Both Karen and Brian both exemplify outstanding professionalism in our profession and their share their thoughts about professionalism and leadership. NAEMT Radio is hosted by NAEMT Member and Lighthouse Leadership Mentor - Rob Lawrence.
About our Guests:
Karen Larsen, Director, Region IV (2022-2023)
Karen L. Larsen, DNP, MSN, APRN, ENP-C, NP-C, CFRN, CEN, CPEN, FP-C, NRP, has more than three decades of healthcare experience with an extensive background in prehospital medical care and emergency nursing. She is a Nurse Practitioner for both St. Luke Hospital & Living Center and StatCare of Kansas, and has over 15 years of experience as a Flight Nurse/Education Specialist for LifeSave Transport, all in Kansas. She also volunteers as a paramedic for Marion County EMS and is a reserve paramedic and education specialist for Concordia Fire/EMS.
Karen holds numerous certifications, is Board Certified with the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and is a Kansas Certified Paramedic. She is a member of several professional associations including ASTNA, ENA, KEMTA, KEMSA, and is an Affiliate Faculty member for NAEMT and AHA. Karen serves on the education committee for NAEMT as well as representing NAEMT on the IBSC Board.
Karen has received many awards, including a KEMTA’s Advanced Life Support (ALS) Attendant of the Year award and Lyle Eckert award, as well as NAEMT’s education recognition for Advanced Medical Life Support (AMLS). She earned her Doctorate of Nursing from Chatham University in Pennsylvania, Master’s in Nursing-FNP from Graceland University in Missouri, Bachelor’s in Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau Cum Laude, from Southwestern College, and Paramedic certification from Midwest Academy of Pre-Hospital Sciences in Kansas. 
BRIAN STENNETT MPH, DICO-C
Brian has over 20 years of EMS experience in both private and municipal EMS agencies.  He has a strong background in emergency preparedness, infection control, public health and epidemiology and holds a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology. 
Brian currently works for the Village of Palatine Fire Department (Palatine, IL) as a Firefighter/Paramedic, responding to 9000 calls for service annually.  He is the Infection Control Officer and a Fire Investigator.  Additionally, he serves as the Emergency Preparedness Manager for Northwest Community Hospital (NCH) in Arlington Heights, IL.  NCH is a healthcare organization with 4300 employees at one 509-bed hospital, 5 Immediate Care Centers and multiple surgical centers and physician group locations.
Brian is a member of the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians and Vice-Chair of the NAEMT EMS Disaster Committee, and also the NAEMT liaison to the NETEC Steering Committee working to develop the National Special Pathogens (NSPS) Care Delivery Network. Brian serves as the President of the National Association of Public Safety Infection Control Officers and a member of the Association of Hospital Emergency Preparedness Professionals. Areas of expertise include: Public Health and Epidemiology, Emerging and Endemic Infectious Diseases, Emergency Medical and Trauma Care in the Pre-Hospital Setting, EMT/Paramedic Training and Education, Infection Control and Occupational Biohazard Exposure Management, Disaster Response and Emergency Management, National Incident Command Systems (NIMS), and Policy Writing and Enforcement. Additionally, he is  a FEMA certified instructor at the Center for Domestic Preparedness in the Highly Infectious Disease course as well as a Hospital Emergency Response Taskforce training instructor.

Ep 6 NAEMT Radio The 2023 NAEMT EMS Economic and Operational Models Survey

In this edition of NAEMT Radio we discuss the 2023 NAEMT EMS Economic and Operational Models Survey  with NAEMT Member at Large, Matt Zavadsky, Chief Transformation Officer for MedStar Mobile Healthcare in Fort Worth, TX.
The pandemic and EMS workforce shortage have forced EMS leaders to re-imagine their current economic and service delivery models without sacrificing patient care. In October 2022, NAEMT conducted a survey to gather national data on how EMS agencies are now funding and operating their services compared to 2019 to better understand how agencies have responded to changes in available funding and workforce shortages. Respondents represented all types of providers from the full spectrum of delivery models, call volumes, demographic regions served, staffing models, and number of personnel.
Overall, respondents reported a net increase in overall costs, averaging 8% across all cost categories. The greatest increase in costs was reported for supplies and equipment, with an average increase of 12% between 2019 and 2022. Respondents also projected similar cost increases for the next three years. Most agencies report experiencing increasing turnover rates, from 8% on average in 2019 to 11% in 2022, and a decrease in applications for paramedic/ EMT positions, down on average 13% compared to 2019. Agencies also reported an average increase in fee for service revenue per transport of 5%, and an average increase in revenue generated from public sources of 9.4%.
Respondents reported significant changes to system delivery and staffing configuration. Nearly one-half (49%) of agencies reported they lengthened response times. Over one-third (36%) of agencies reported implementing alternate response to low-acuity calls. Over one quarter of agencies reported moving from all ALS to tiered deployment (28%) and transitioning from dual paramedic to single paramedic deployment (23%). .
NAEMT Radio is hosted by NAEMT Member and Lighthouse Leadership Mentor - Rob Lawrence.
Resources:
NAEMT EMS Economic and Operational Models Survey  
http://naemt.org/docs/default-source/ems-data/ems-economic-and-operational-models-survey-02-20-2023-final.pdf?sfvrsn=1fb9f493_2
About Matt Zavadsky
Matt is the Chief Transformation Officer for MedStar Mobile Healthcare in Fort Worth, TX.  He has helped guide the implementation and financial sustainability of numerous innovative programs with healthcare partners that have transformed MedStar fully as a Mobile Integrated Healthcare provider. Most recently, he has led the negotiations with multiple third-party payers to change the basic economic model for EMS to better align patient, provider and payer focus on patient centered care as opposed to simply payment for ambulance transport.
Matt serves as an EMS SME for multiple consulting firms working with city and county leaders to evaluate and redesign EMS systems with a focus on high performance and high value for the community.

NAEMT Radio - EMS On The Hill Report

In this edition of NAEMT Radio, we take the opportunity to hear about the legislative agenda of not only NAEMT, but other national associations as they joined together in Washington DC in March for EMS on the Hill. NAEMT Radio is hosted by NAEMT Member and Lighthouse Leadership Mentor - Rob Lawrence and the podcast uses the voices of NAEMT members, recorded on the day on Capitol Hill including President Susan Bailey, President Elect, Chris Way, Member at Large, Matt Zavadsky as well as Randy Strozyk, President of the American Ambulance Association, and more.
EMSOTH Coverage
https://www.ems1.com/ems-advocacy/articles/get-involved-make-a-difference-do-it-now-GCzIUdKC8ZdG3rUL/
NAEMT Advocacy Guide
http://www.naemt.org/docs/default-source/advocacy-documents/how-to-advocate/naemt_2016grassrootsadvocacyguide_final.pdf?status=Temp&sfvrsn=0.925529093585135
Join the NAEMT
https://www.naemt.org/join/join