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Measuring how well we are doing

Matt Zavadsky on performance measure recommendations that prioritize quality over response times

In this special edition of EMS One-Stop, host Rob Lawrence discusses the Joint Position Statement on EMS Performance Measures – Beyond Response Times published yesterday by the leading EMS and public policy associations with Matt Zavadsky, MS-HSA, EMT, vice president of PWW|AG, and one of the primary authors of the position statement.

|More: 16 EMS groups publish joint statement on EMS performance metrics

Rob and Matt discuss the statement in detail, examining all of the recommended metrics, the reasons for placing them in the paper and why response times are not recommended as a primary measure of system performance.

Rob and Matt begin by discussing the signatories of the statement – in particular, the sign off from the International City/County Managers Association (ICMA) and the pivotal role they play in ensuring EMS delivery in their communities.

The organizations joining the statement are:

  • Academy of International Mobile Healthcare Integration
  • American Ambulance Association
  • American College of Emergency Physicians
  • American College of Surgeons – Committee on Trauma
  • American Paramedic Association
  • Center for Patient Safety
  • International Academies of Emergency Dispatch
  • International Association of EMS Chiefs
  • International City/County Management Association
  • National Association of EMS Physicians
  • National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians
  • National Association of State EMS Officials
  • National EMS Management Association
  • National EMS Quality Alliance
  • National Volunteer Fire Council
  • Paramedic Chiefs of Canada

These associations recommend that communities and governments modernize EMS performance assessments by evaluating various domains with key performance indicators (KPIs). These KPIs should be measured, tracked over time, benchmarked against similar EMS systems or national data and regularly published for local community stakeholders.


ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Rob Lawrence has been a leader in civilian and military EMS for over a quarter of a century. He is currently the director of strategic implementation for PRO EMS and its educational arm, Prodigy EMS, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and part-time executive director of the California Ambulance Association.

He previously served as the chief operating officer of the Richmond Ambulance Authority (Virginia), which won both state and national EMS Agency of the Year awards during his 10-year tenure. Additionally, he served as COO for Paramedics Plus in Alameda County, California.

Prior to emigrating to the U.S. in 2008, Rob served as the COO for the East of England Ambulance Service in Suffolk County, England, and as the executive director of operations and service development for the East Anglian Ambulance NHS Trust. Rob is a former Army officer and graduate of the UK’s Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and served worldwide in a 20-year military career encompassing many prehospital and evacuation leadership roles.

Rob is a board member of the Academy of International Mobile Healthcare Integration (AIMHI) as well as chair of the American Ambulance Association’s State Association Forum. He writes and podcasts for EMS1 and is a member of the EMS1 Editorial Advisory Board. Connect with him on Twitter.