That’s one of the key messages that came out of a groundbreaking EMS conference in June, when the Massachusetts Department of Public Health outlined plans to begin collecting EMS data in this state – and told members of our industry to get ready for the change.

It’s the message that was sent by the recently published “Evidence Based Performance Measures” paper, which discusses the need for a new model of measuring and benchmarking EMS performance. You can find a link to the actual paper in our newsletter below.

And it’s the message we pound home here at Pro EMS. But -- and I’m sure all of you in the industry would agree – that message alone isn’t complete.

Ultimately, it’s not just about measuring and managing EMS. It’s about continuously looking for ways to improve. It’s about providing quality service. It’s about bringing the latest technology out of the hospital and into the field. It’s ultimately all about providing best-in-class patient care.

Welcome to the Pro EMS newsletter. This is our effort to contribute to this dialogue about continuous quality improvement that is sweeping our industry. Our intention is to provide you, on a quarterly basis, with useful resources, from some of the latest EMS news in our region, to information that we hope can be useful for improving your operations and patient care. We also hope you’ll enjoy learning more about Pro EMS with the links to our company’s news and events.

I encourage everyone to read these articles and do everything you can to begin collecting data and measuring performance.  While it may seem egg-headed, bureaucratic, and to some even boring, wouldn’t it be great if we could all offer a solid projection of the lives we have impacted by providing the highest level of pre-hospital care?

We finally have metrics that are not solely based upon cardiac arrest -- a condition that we encounter less than 1 percent of the time -- but also include respiratory distress, seizures, and how we handle STEMI cases. These metrics not only prove our value as EMS providers, but will improve it.

Thank you all for your work and dedication to EMS.

--Merg

Bill Mergendahl, JD, EMT-P

Chief Executive Officer

Pro EMS