EMS
In 2009, the fire department realized a long-term goal of assuming the daily operations of the daytime ambulance service. We are grateful for the support provided by the City Council, City Manager, and Assistant City Manager during the many public presentations conducted on this matter. We understand the decision to reorganize the EMS system in the city can be categorized as one of the more difficult and noteworthy transformations to a departments organizational structure in several years. By allowing this to transpire Council members have laid the foundation for a service that will provide expert, professional EMS service in an affordable method for many years to come.
Countless hours of planning from numerous fire department personnel were devoted to this project over the past several months. One of the more critical factors involved in building this new organization involved finding an individual who was qualified to oversee the daily operations of the EMS Division. Fortunately, Fire Lieutenant Jeffrey Kaplan (who is also a certified EMT) capably fit into the new EMS Supervisor position approved by the Council. Faced with an extremely short time period of three months to implement the system, Lt. Kaplan spent countless hours researching other successful Fire based EMS systems throughout New Jersey and other states to develop a model that would be a good fit for Englewood. In addition, he undertook the process of obtaining the required ambulance provider license from the New Jersey State Department of Health. This mandated licensing ensures that the Englewood Fire Department meets or exceeds all state regulations as they relate to providing emergency medical care and allows the department to support a third-party billing system. Finally, an investigation into the “best practice” approach regarding third party insurance billing was conducted. This research determined the preeminent method of ensuring a long term sustainable funding source for EMS would be to adopt a billing schedule for services rendered. Based on this fact, a request for proposal (RFP) was drafted and distributed to several companies capable of providing this service to the city. After a thorough review of the received proposals a contract was awarded in October to DM Medical Billing of Berlin, N.J. In addition to the contracted services, DM has been instrumental in assisting the city in applying for our Medicare license, establishing the proper bank accounts to receive payments and developing an upload procedure to electronically send completed patient care reports to DM for processing.
From a daily operations standpoint, Lieutenant Kaplan developed a list of goals and objectives that would require implementation prior to the start up date of October 1. Working diligently to meet these requirements, Lt. Kaplan developed a comprehensive policy and procedure manual, supervised the purchase of a used ambulance as required by the State Department of Health, and assisted in the interview process for prospective EMT hires. Additionally, a computerized patient care reporting system was implemented. This program allows the department to track all calls for service electronically, track response times, and most importantly provides the EMS Supervisor and the Medical Director the capability to review all call sheets for proper patient care and other quality assurance issues. In addition, a contract was signed with Dr. David Istvan, Chief of Emergency Medicine at Englewood Hospital to work as the department’s medical director. Any major issues with patient care as indicated above are referred to him for consultation and final determination. Dr. Istvan has met with several employees to review unique calls and to discuss ways to deliver improved care during future responses. Dr. Istvan also is also assisting in the development of new patient care protocols, training classes and community health initiatives.
Today, EFD-EMS is operating seven days a week, covering over 96 hours of duty time each week. From September 10, which was our first day of official operation, to December 31, EFD-EMS handled 525 total calls for service or an average of 37.5 per week. Annually this will equate to approximately 2000 calls per year. In addition to emergency calls, our agency stood by at 4 swine flu vaccination clinics in cooperation with the health department.
The EMS Division is excited about 2010. We will see the third party billing revenue begin in earnest with the receipt of our Medicare license. This will provide the sustainable income that we envisioned. Additional emphasis will be placed on compiling true statistics in the areas of call-volume; response times and patient care data. Continuing education on patient care, call sheet development, and the Divisions Policy manual will be a major focus of our training schedule during the year. Additional plans call for the implementation of a community outreach program as an avenue through which we will begin to offer CPR training and free blood pressure screenings to residents and community groups.