NYS DOH BEMS&TS 10/21/21 Briefing for EMS Agency Leaders and Providers - Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization (2023)

NYS DOH Office of Emergency and Trauma Services

Briefing for EMS Agency Leaders and Providers

Thursday, 10/21/21, 4:01 p.m. to 4:46 p.m.

unofficial ratings

This is not a verbatim transcript of the conference call. Summarized notes of what was said during the conference call were written, revised, and text added as needed later.

There was no prepared agenda distributed prior to the conference call. Questions can be submitted before or during the conference call.

Links to forms or documents are highlighted.

Panelists:

Peter Brodie, Deputy Branch Head of Data and IT (Host)

peter.brodie@health.ny.gov

Ryan Greenberg, Director, Office of EMS and Trauma Services

ryan.greenberg@health.ny.gov

Jean Taylor, Assistant Director, Department of Education

jean.taylor@health.ny.gov

Richard Robinson, Deputy Chief, Metropolitan Area Regional Office, New Rochelle

richard.robinson@health.ny.gov

Michael Linehan, Emergency Preparedness and Response

michael.linehan@health.ny.gov

Jacob DeMay, clinical support specialist, data division and informatics

jacob.demay@health.ny.gov

Steven Blocker, CEO of MURU

sb@murumed.com

Jean Taylor

• An extremely short report today. Things in education are moving forward.
• The CME Portal is open to most regions. Gene Myers plans to have all regions on board by the end of November.
• I have recently received several emails from vendors informing me that their branches do not accept newly issued cards. They are not believing that they are real. They are real. They were asking us to review each one of them, let's not. Agencies can verify certifications through the Health Commerce System (HCS).
• 2 Policy statements have just been released and are posted on the DOH website:
• 21-07 Clinical EMT Course Rotation Requirements– It is recognized that hospital ambulance and ER access for students for 10 hours of clinical time was/is limited and this policy opens up more places to complete and document 10 patient contacts in ERs, agencies EMS teams, health care facility emergency rooms, offices, health service clinics, and mass gatherings and sporting events with organized EMS response teams. This cannot be independent work, but must be arranged by the course sponsor and the location the student is going to.
• 21-08 EMS Distance Learning Courses- Describes the BEMS&TS policy and philosophy regarding distance learning. It defines various types of distance learning: synchronous, asynchronous, hybrid, face-to-face, etc.
• Question: I recently saw aEMS Provider Certification Cardwhich identified the level simply as BASIC. Cards used to indicate EMT - BASIC. Nowhere does the new card mention EMT or EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIAN. If this was intentional, can you explain why? When can we expect the corrected cards to be issued? Answer: We discovered that this was a glitch in the program. BASIC is an EMT - BASIC. We don't know if many came out that way, so now we have a way to go back and print cards. Ryan Greenberg added that providers can submit an online form to request that the card be reprinted. [WatchDOH-4453 Duplicate Card Application]
• Question: The agency reported that EMTs completed recertification through the CME program in March. I did not receive the card. The HCS shows that the certification is up to date. Answer: Submit the duplicate card request.
• Question: I have asked this several times and never got an answer. What constitutes contact with the patient during a call? Do you need to physically touch the patient or be very close, say 1.8 m? must be directly involved in patient care, either hands-on; I don't know how I would assess a patient without touching him. Staying 2 meters away would not consider direct contact with the patient. It is not direct contact with the patient. Patient contact means you went in, questioned the patient, made an assessment of a patient, assessed illness or injury, and made a treatment plan, following that treatment. If you have someone who is actively involved with you doing this, they will also have direct contact with the patient. If you have another EMT with you doing vital signs or splinting, that would be direct patient contact. Standing 6 feet away with a clipboard is not direct patient contact
• Question: I still haven't received my March CLI number. Can you tell me how I can find my number please? Answer: Please contact Liz Donnelly via email atDonnelly@health.ny.gov
• Question: Going back to patient contact, can this be better addressed in a Policy Statement or Collaboration Protocols? Answer: I will raise the issue internally.

Michael Linehan

• There are no new reports or updates for the Emergency Preparedness and Response Unit.
• Continue supporting vaccination sites.

Amy Eisenhauer (report given by Peter Brodie)

• Limited spaces remain for the Vital Signs Pre-Conference focused on Pediatric Agitation and Pediatric Safe Transport skills sessions.
• EMS for Children will also have a table with pediatric resources and giveaways. Stop by the vendor lounge and talk about pediatric EMS.

Pedro Brodie

• The Data & IT team has been incredibly busy the last 2 weeks.
• He participated in state calls. Mention was made of the State Trauma Advisory Committee (STAC), the SEMC Advisory Council for Children (EMSC), the State SEMS Council (SEMSCO), the State Emergency Medical Advisory Committee (SEMAC), and their committees and subcommittees.
• Next week there will be an ImageTrend Users Meeting at the Maynard Fire Station in Marcy, NY (Oneida County). EMS agency leadership in NEMSIS, platform management and problem solving. [More information is athttps://apps.health.ny.gov/pubpal/builder/survey/imagetrendsummitutica]
• Received feedback from various EMS agencies on documentation challenges they encountered and are working with the group, including regional EMS program agencies, EMS agencies, and 2 medical directors. They are working on the problems.
• Question: Is there a place to listen to leadership reports from the EMS agency and past EMS providers? Answer: Recordings of past briefings are not posted online...sorry.
• Question: Any move to get an "Unknown" start time checkbox for calls where this information is not available? Answer: This will not be available until the standard documentation update in 2022... this is a custom value and requires development time for ePCR software programs to display this value.

ricardo robinson

• He had the last week off.

No report from the Regional Directorate of the Metropolitan Area (MARO). Everything is status quo

ryan greenberg

• We have made great strides in distance education and learning during the pandemic and the way we teach. Please see the 2 new policy statements [07-21 and 08-21] that are online.
• Several Executive Orders (EOs) came out a few weeks ago. One talks about EMT and Advanced EMT, which includes AEMT, EMT-CC, and EMT-P levels. They may work up to their scope of practice in non-traditional settings, such as a hospital or other settings. assist with the ability and effects of EMS that are happening. The purpose of this is to help the EMS system by reducing unload times, having seamless transfers and things of that nature in the ER. Contact BEMS&TS if you have questions about what is allowed and what is not.
• Another SO is related to Community Paramedicine.^{S t}mi 2^{North Dakota}Hey, we've had community paramedics doing things like vaccinations and other community paramedic tasks. This has continued, as has the use of alternate destinations, telemedicine to facilitate on-site treatment, and other things, as long as it is approved by the Commissioner of Health. We currently have 50 Community Paramedicine Programs throughout the state, which they cover approximately 40 counties. The goal is to have 1 community paramedic program per county.bagozzi@health.ny.gov
• Alternate destinations are allowed, although they must be approved at the regional level by REMAC and REMSCO, as well as by BEMS&TS, so that it is known where patients go in relation to emergencies and that patient records can pass validation codes. Peter Brodie will enter the information into the system.
• Extensions to EMS provider certifications have been authorized by executive order, but no further extensions to certifications are being made. EO mentions "as needed". If something changes or happens, like another spike in winter, we can't do recertification classes or limit things or the test centers are closed, there would be ways. At this time and for the foreseeable future, there are no extensions to certifications.
• The National Registry of EMT Exam (NREMT) has been reintroduced as an alternative to the New York State final exam. If taking the National Registry exam, the student must notify BEMS&TS of passing the exam by submitting the information electronically. John MacMillan posted the link to the online form at:https://apps.health.ny.gov/pubpal/builder/survey/nr-exam-reciprocity-form-submiss
• The EO also enables BEMT&TS if there is a need to assess currently existing equipment and vehicle requirements or issues due to the pandemic. Other provisions are on Medical Control and expansion of Community Paramedicine.
• Additional guidance on EOs will be released in the coming weeks.
• The Vital Signs Conference will be held 11/11/21-11/14/21 in Saratoga Springs. SEM leaders.
• Diversion notices are coming out of the NYS DOH; we are moving away from regional diversion notifications. It allows the DOH to work with the hospital and EMS systems to ensure that there is always a safe place for patients to go, as well as ensuring that the diversion is not used too quickly, but is used when evaluating everything else. This is managed by Deputy Director Steven Dziura through the Surge & Flex Operations Center.
• Working on a system that we hope will come out in 1^{S t}quarter of 2022. It's called EMResource and it's an online platform that allows reporting centers and agencies to log in and see which hospitals are on diversion, how long on diversions, are they on limited diversion because something like CT isn't working or The hospital cannot accept certain types of patients.
• Meetings of the State Emergency Medical Board (SEMSCO) and the State Emergency Medical Committee (SEMAC) were held earlier this week. and several new TAGs. there was an excellentpresentment [EMS in Crisis a New York State Perspective] to the EMS Sustainability Systems Committee by Michael Benenati, EMS Administrator, LaGrange Fire District, Dutchess County on the issues facing EMS and a TAG was established on the issue. Another TAG group co-chaired by Jared Kutzin, RN and Jeffrey Rabrich, MD on Diversity-Equity-Inclusion has been established and will take into account what is happening, finding facts and best practices.
• Question: Can paramedics administer flu shots? Answer: Not at this time. Working on it.
• EMS is part of the healthcare ecosystem. All kinds affect each other. Problems getting ambulances out affect incoming patients. 2 hours and affects the ability to respond to the next patient. They are not isolated silos. This is a more recent look at what's been done in the past, partly because we're more connected to that ecosystem. It was mentioned that ET3 and Community Paramedicine help the ecosystem.
• Question: Any update on the supraglottic airway pilot program? Answer: Currently under review by the DOH and the Commissioner's office. I hope to have an answer at the January meetings.
• There is no general New York State [vaccination] mandate for all EMS providers. term that began on 09/27/21. If you are affiliated with a hospital, say in New York, working for a commercial ambulance that provides 911 service that is affiliated and you would need [to be vaccinated]. If you are employed by a hospital based on that hospital system's membership, you may be an affiliate. If a commercial service is deemed to be affiliated with a hospital, there will be a mandate. There is no New York State mandate for EMS providers beyond that. The Mayor of New York announced last day that all New York employees must be vaccinated by 11/01/21. At the federal level, we've heard that agencies that receive funding from Medicare and Medicaid can have a mandate, but that mandate and those regulations haven't come out yet and there's still one pending and we're waiting to see if it's going to be a mandate from that side. .
• Question: Any clarification on the BLS providers that can perform COVID-19 tests through the Executive Order? Answer: EMS providers can administer COVID-19 vaccines. 1.
• Question: What is the schedule for EMS providers to receive a booster vaccine against COVID-19? Answer: Analyzing.
• Question: Who can we contact to verify NYC REMAC status? Answer: Contact NYC REMSCO.

Steven Blocker

• Question: Regarding the MURU app, is there a way to add original EMT students to the app? Currently, an agency affiliation is required. Since they are original students, they do not yet have that affiliation. It would be helpful to have students comfortable with this application during scenarios. Response: Work with state and program agencies, REMACS and REMSCO to add EMS course sponsors as an agency so they can add their students.
• Question: Can MURU add thrombectomy centers to the selection of hospitals? Answer: It is already there. It is a term specific to NYC and appears for providers with locations in NYC. 🇧🇷
• Question: Is there a way for BLS providers to see the ALS protocols? This can be useful if an ALS provider asks a BLS provider to find something for them during a call, or if the phone stops working, etc. This is currently available in the Collaborative Protocol app and it works great. Answer: Working on a fix for this right now. When MURU answers a question for you, it answers based on your credential level. If there's any question about a dose, we want to make sure it's Medical Control or not for your certification level. As of right now, we have no way to switch to a certification level that you don't have, but we will have it soon, but we need to make sure that when you use it, you know it's outside of your certification level. . If the ALS provider needs help, handing out a phone was mentioned.

The next informational calls for EMS leaders and providers are scheduled for Thursday, 11/4/21 at 4:00 PM. m. and Thursday 11/18/21 at 4:00 p.m. m.

The next informational call on EMS education issues is scheduled for 3^thirdWednesday of November, 11/17/21 at 3:00 p.m.