EMS — Portfolio — Susanna J. Smith

Surprising Results to Minnesota Burnout Study

We know working in EMS often has intense physical, mental, and emotional effects that likely contribute to profession’s high turnover rate. However, there has been little published research in the last 20 years on the topic of burnout among American EMS workers.

Occupational stress among EMS caregivers has been attributed to factors such as hazardous environments, exposure to traumatic situations, physical strain, the demands of shift work, and hierarchal cultures prevalent in the industry. In other healthcare professions, such as among emergency nurses and physicians, occupational burnout has been tied to lower-quality patient care.

Susanna SmithJanuary 27, 2019EMS, mental health, burnout, stress, research

Trends in EMS Continuing Education

Earlier this year the National Registry of EMTs (NREMT) announced the launch of a new web tool to streamline EMS professionals’ recertification tracking. It was the latest of several tools the Registry has built since launching a new model for recertification, the National Continued Competency Program (NCCP), in 2012.

The NCCP is a foundational part of the Registry’s efforts to support the EMS profession’s shift toward a model of lifelong professional learning and evidence-based education. The model offers state and local agencies, along with medical directors, more say in specifying training requirements for their EMS providers.

Susanna SmithJanuary 1, 2019EMS, continuing education

Technology and Collaboration Drive Dramatic Improvements in Stroke Treatment

Nearly 800,000 strokes happen in the United States each year. Like heart attacks, strokes are time-sensitive emergencies. Nearly two million neurons are at risk of permanent damage for every minute that elapses until the blocked artery is opened up and circulation is restored, meaning “time is brain” during a stroke. At Memorial Healthcare System in South Florida, a team of physicians and EMS professionals have transformed stroke care and more than halved the median door-to-needle time for the administration of IV tPA from 82 to 34 minutes from 2014 to Q1 of 2016.

Susanna SmithJuly 31, 2016Pulsara, technology, strokes, EMS, hospitals, EMSWorld News

Interprofessional Teams Drive the Evolution of Healthcare

The U.S. healthcare system has been criticized as fragmented, inefficient and costly. But Eric Beck, DO, MPH, president and CEO of Evolution Health in Dallas, and his staff are proving it doesn’t have to be. They’re building new models of team-based delivery and processes that offer patients and providers a better experience. And they’re making healthcare more efficient and effective.

Susanna SmithAugust 26, 2015healthcare, EMS, EMSWorld

Defining Value in Healthcare: The Role of EMS

This article was originally published by EMSWorld News and Medlert Inc.

Under the Affordable Care Act, hospitals, as well as physician groups starting in 2015, are being rewarded or penalized by Medicare based on scores on value-based metrics such as clinical outcomes, patient experience, and efficiency. Part of the push for higher-quality care focuses on eliminating hospital readmissions for the same problem within a short period of time. Nationally, hospital penalties for preventable readmissions are predicted to hit $756 million in 2014, and will likely have a trickle down effect in many other health industries, including the ambulance service industry.

Susanna SmithNovember 24, 2014healthcare value, EMS, quality of care, value-based payment

How Do You Define Value in EMS?

Last week, I spoke with Matt Zavadsky, Director of Public Affairs at MedStar Mobile Healthcare in Ft. Worth, Texas about how to define value in EMS and the ambulance service industry.

“When we talk about defining value, we have to remember what audience are we talking to,” said Zavadsky. Zavadsky, a leading expert in mobile integrated healthcare, is an advocate of new care models in EMS as well as new ways of defining the value of EMS and ambulance services within an integrated healthcare system. Zavadsky was quick to point out that EMS serves many groups: patients, providers, healthcare organizations, and hospitals. Each group’s understanding of value may differ.

“If you are a patient, you perceive value as having your pain relieved or your breathing difficulty resolved. But the patient’s perspective on value may be different than the payer’s perspective,” said Zavadsky. “The payer may say, ‘What money have you saved me? How have you made an impact on the economics of caring for this patient?’ ”

Zavadsky pointed out that as healthcare providers, one of the value-adds of EMS is the reliable compliance with clinical bundles that have been proven to make a difference in patient outcomes.

Susanna SmithNovember 11, 2014healthcare value, EMS