News

One of the highlights for EMS in 2017 was the EMS at the Capitol day that took place in November; 5 organizations coming together to move EMS forward in Wisconsin.  As we look further into 2018, we want to inform you that a legislative day of this nature will not be possible due to the short session and election year.  That being said, we do not want to lose the momentum!  We are feverishly working with the American Ambulance Association, Office of Rural Health, and others to arrange some equally amazing opportunities to influence how EMS is governed from a state and federal level.  

Stay tuned!  Detail on 2018 opportunities will be released as events are finalized and open for registration. 

You can also look forward to an EMS at the Capitol Day in early 2019. 

It just got even easier for PAAW professional members to catch up on board activities! Visit the Meeting Archive for quick access to past minutes and upcoming agendas. 

(Going forward, this page will replace the previous separate Agenda and Minutes pages.)

Recently several PAAW members participated in an American Heart Association Lobby Day event in support of Assembly Bill 654 / Senate Bill 549. This legislation will ensure all 911 dispatchers are trained to talk callers through how to perform CPR while they wait for first responders to arrive.

Bystander CPR is proven to save lives. Your help is requested to help educate state lawmakers about the importance of this legislation and to highlight the impact it would have in your community. 

The Assembly will vote on AB654 on February 20. A vote is not yet scheduled on the Senate side. 

Please, reach out to your legislators and let them know that dispatcher-assisted CPR is key to helping EMS in your community! Find my legislators>

EMS LIVE in Wisconsin is getting a fresh look, and a new name! 

Starting now, you can search for EMS in Wisconsin Podcast in iTunes and Stitcher to listen to our podcast on your mobile device or computer.  You will also have the option to subscribe to the show, which means you will be automatically alerted when a new episode is available.  Of course, you can also find the podcast on our website (www.paaw.us) along with other valuable information and resources.    

Our most recent episode (January 23^rd) is already available, and the next episode is scheduled to post on Tuesday, February 20^th. 

The next episode will feature Scott Moore, Esq., AAA Operations & HR Consultant.  We will discuss employee incentive programs: what are they, which ones work, and what might leave you scrambling. 

Future topics include: EMS re-licensing update from the State of Wisconsin EMS Office, What EMS educators want their teams to know, current research in EMS, the challenge of managing former peers, and quality assurance programs. 

We look forward to bringing you all the best in EMS from Wisconsin! 

This morning, President Donald Trump signed into law a Continuing Resolution (CR) that included a five-year renewal of the ambulance Medicare add-ons. 

The specific provisions included are:

• 5 year extension of the ambulance Medicare add-ons through December 31, 2022, retroactive to January 1, 2018.
• The American Ambulance Association's preferred method of Cost data collection that provides flexibility to the Secretary of HHS in developing the system. Consultation with the industry is required so that it strikes the appropriate balance between obtaining meaningful data while not overly burdening or onerously penalizing the ambulance services.
• The penalty for failing to report required data would be a reduction in payment up to 10% for the year following the year in which the data should have been submitted. American Ambulance Association objected to the house proposed penalty of up to a year of Medicare payments clawback or withholding of payments. A clause is included to wave the penalty in cases of hardship.
• A “pay-for” for the 5-year extension of the add-ons with a 13% cut to non-emergent dialysis transports – the American Ambulance Association had objected to the offset and pushed for a cut targeted to just those entities which abuse the dialysis transport benefit. We were successful in reducing the initial cut from 22% to 13%. The American Ambulance Association is actively working on other pay-for options that would replace the 13% cut with something targeting dialysis fraud and abuse.

This week, President Sechler testified before the legislature on behalf of PAAW in support of grants for students interested in EMS. He also participated in the American Heart Association Hill Day advocating for dispatcher-assisted CPR.

By Samantha Hilker

On Tuesday, January 23rd, the EMS Live in Wisconsin podcast featured two guests who, on the surface, were entirely different.  Dr. Suzanne Martens, the EMS Medical Director for the State of Wisconsin, spoke to the Physician Advisory Committee’s (PAC) work and plans for 2018 during the shows first segment.  In the second half, Joe Kachelski, CEO of Wisconsin Statewide Health Information Network (WISHIN), talked about the new use case for EMS that allows EMS agencies to access the Health Information Exchange for billing purposes.  After listening to each guest share their work, the resources now available for EMS, and future plans, it became clear they were sharing a mission: to remove barriers in the delivery of quality patient care. 

Dr. Martens and the PAC are working to remove barriers for EMS services across the state by cleaning up language and ensuring resource documents, like the combined scope of practice and paramedic medication list, are up to date and accessible on the Wisconsin EMS website (https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/ems/licensing/scope.htm).  They are also taking a critical look at the national scope of practice compared to the current scopes of practice for all levels in Wisconsin; in some areas Wisconsin is ahead of the curve while other areas there is room to grow. She also talked about the importance of accessing information and resources on the EMS website, including contact information for all PAC members and meeting dates for the EMS Advisory Board and committees.  Provider and service level involvement is vital to the continued progression of EMS in Wisconsin, and the meetings can even view the sessions remotely!  All of this information can be found here.

Joe Kachelski and the entire WISHIN team have been working to remove information barriers by building a robust Health Information Exchange in Wisconsin.  Care providers, like hospitals and healthcare systems, can access medical history and patient information that may aid them in clinical decision making, particularly in emergency situations when patients may be unable to share the information.  They are now expanding access and use of that network to EMS agencies.  While EMS agencies may not have the luxury of time and resources to access an electronic health record and review medical history at the time of care, they can certainly benefit from accessing the network and gathering FACE sheet data for billing purposes after the fact.  Organizations do have to be registered users to gain access to the health information exchange, but Joe assured us the process is straightforward and he and his team are there to help by giving demonstrations, answering questions via phone or email, and supporting you through the process.  You can find more information on the WISHIN network on their website. 

Barking dogs aside, the podcast was full of information and is worth 30 minutes of your time.  Be sure to check back in February for the next episode featuring Scott Moore, Esq. where we'll be talking about employee incentive programs.  

New for 2018, PAAW is proud to bring you a revamped podcast featuring a new host, Samantha Hilker!  Please take a few moments to vote on your favorite new name for the monthly show! 

Vote Now►

P.S.— Don't miss the next episode February 20 at 9am CT. Scott Moore, Esq will share with listeners the good, the bad, and the ugly about employee incentive programs.

by Samantha Hilker, Hilker PSM

PAAW’s first podcast of the new year was scheduled with James Newlun, then EMS Section Chief for the Wisconsin EMS Office.  The goal of the podcast was to facilitate a discussion with a representative of the State EMS office about staffing and what, if anything, could be done at a state level to help alleviate the burden services are feeling.  As you may remember, PAAW mailed a letter to the state office outlining several concerns and potential solutions to the staffing shortage last year (you can read the letter here).  Unfortunately, we were unable to secure an alternative representative from the state office as a guest after James announced his exit in late December, and the podcast was subsequently canceled.  With the Section Chief role vacant the day to day duties are keeping those remaining at the state office quite busy, and they were unable to provide a comment on the subject. 

Without the opportunity to engage a representative of the state office, I engaged friends and colleagues across the country and combed through an endless number of articles about staffing in EMS published over the years.  Specifically, articles about the difficulties EMS agencies are having when it comes to finding reliable, committed and loyal EMTs and paramedics.  Although it feels as though this topic has consumed discussions over the past year in Wisconsin, the dates on the available articles reveal that finding the right people (or any people, in some cases) is not a new problem for EMS. 

In September 2015, EMS Insider published an article in JEMS titled Critical Staffing Shortages that discusses the ongoing decline of volunteerism along with difficulty in retention due to the overall demands of the EMS profession.  The article cites research done in North Carolina as early as 2008.  Another interesting article published in June of 2014 is an editorial piece by Arthur Hsieh where he calls out the lack of a real identity for the EMS industry as the leading cause of recruitment and retention issues.  If we don’t know who we are, after all, how do we go about convincing other people to join? 

I’ve spent some time asking people who have voluntarily exited the EMS industry why they decided to leave.  While this was not a scientific poll by any means, the answers I received came from across the country as well as right in our own backyard; some I know personally as well as some I have never met in person.  The low rate of pay was the most common answer I received while working conditions including the length of shift, the state of equipment, condition of quarters and the ability to get along with their co-workers was a typical answer as well.  Supportive leadership, or lack thereof, was comfortably third in the ranking of most common responses right along with a lack of advancement opportunities.  Many of you reading this, I am sure, are not surprised by this information.  So then, how do we fix it?  What can be done to stop, or at least slow, the leak? 

It may be time to get creative with staffing in EMS instead of relying on the same practice to yield different results.  The days of long-term employment, it seems, have been replaced with habits of “job hopping” as the newer generations begin to enter the workforce.  Maybe we are asking too much or setting our expectations too high regarding the length of employment.  In a recent article on Business Insider by Becky Peterson lists the average period of employment for the 10 biggest companies in tech and the highest is just over two years even though many of the dissatisfiers identified by EMTs and paramedics are not present.  Perhaps the best way to keep employees on your roster for longer is to provide them a career path that can be laid out for them on day one of orientation; show them you believe in their future at your organization, and maybe they will believe in it, too.  

We Need Your Help to Renew the Ambulance Medicare Extenders