Stakeholders Meeting Summary

[Guest guest]

Here is the meeting summary from the Stakeholders Meeting of 3/8/00

(see below). It is also posted on our website at:

http://www.tdh.state.tx.us/hcqs/ems/stakehldr.htm

Also, hope you will be joining us for the meetings next week:

Advisory Council for EMS and Trauma Systems 8/23-24

Legislative Forum 8/24 (following Advisory Council meeting)

Information re: these meetings may be obtained from our website at:

http://www.tdh.state.tx.us/hcqs/ems/governor.htm

Please contact us if you have any questions re: these issues

(512/834-6740).

Kathy Perkins, Acting Chief

Bureau of Emergency Management

Stakeholders' Meeting Regarding

Proposed Rules 157.32 and 157.33

(EMS Education and Course Approval/Certification)

Wednesday, March 8, 2000, 1:00 - 6:00 PM

Texas Department of Health, Moreton Building, Room M-739

1100 West 49th Street, Austin, Texas

PURPOSE: The purpose of this meeting was to reach a consensus on

issues regarding proposed rules 157.32 and 157.33 to be presented to

the Governor Appointed Advisory Council for EMS and Trauma at their

March 23 - 24, 2000 meetings (Note: there will be opportunity for

public input at those council meetings).

STAKEHOLDER ORGANIZATIONS AND REPRESENTATIVES:

A list of Stakeholder Organizations and their representatives is

attached (all attendees, including members of the audience, were

asked to sign-in).

PROPOSED RULE 157.32: A consensus was reached on the following:

1. Adopt the new National Standard Curriculum for Paramedic education

2. Set Paramedic Certification education at a minimum of 700 hours

plus the EMT-Basic course

3. Omit the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board language from

this rule

4. Maintain current EMT-Intermediate education requirements

PROPOSED RULE 157.33: A consensus was not reached on this rule**,

however, a consensus was reached that taking a test is not the best

way to assess competency. The group agreed to take the following

alternative to the next advisory council meeting for input:

Request the new Advisory Council to recommend the development of a

valid Quality Improvement (QI) process regarding assurance of EMS

personnel competency. Some ideas that were generated regarding this

process included:

a) a QI process could be developed and assessed with the assistance

of peer reviewers and approved by the Bureau of Emergency Management

EMS personnel working in a firm who has adopted such a process

would be exempt from the state recertification exam.

c) an EMS Provider could choose not to implement a QI process; in

which case, EMS personnel working in that firm would be required to

pass the recertification exam

**The result is that the current requirements for recertification will

be maintained for the time being.

CONCLUSION: The above issues will be presented to the Advisory Council

on March 23, 2000. Everyone was encouraged to attend and give their

comments.