Re: Cleveland (Ohio) EMS to start refusing calls?

[Guest guest]

http://www.jems.com/news_and_articles/news/2010/01/cleveland_ems_rejects_minor_c\

alls_to_save_money.html

> The days of Cleveland paramedics hauling people to the hospital for minor

ailments

> such as hemorrhoids and headaches are over.

I guess that means the City of Cleveland found the money for CAT scans on their

ambulances. Good for them.

Rob

[Guest guest]

There is mirth and rejoicing in the Plaintiff's bar today.  And the insurance

defense lawyers are celebrating as well.  What a great New Year's gift!

 Porsche, Mercedes, BMW, Farrari, and Maserati salesmen are already planning

their Dubai vacations.    The ghost of Nurse Myrick LIVES!

GG

On Jan 11, 2010, at 2:50:24 PM, " rob.davis@... "

rob.davis@...> wrote:

Subject: RE: Cleveland (Ohio) EMS to start refusing calls?

Date: January 11, 2010 2:50:24 PM MST

To: texasems-l

http://www.jems.com/news_and_articles/news/2010/01/cleveland_ems_rejects_minor_c\

alls_to_save_money.html

> The days of Cleveland paramedics hauling people to the hospital for minor

ailments

> such as hemorrhoids and headaches are over.

I guess that means the City of Cleveland found the money for CAT scans on their

ambulances. Good for them.

Rob

[Guest guest]

LOL!

> There is mirth and rejoicing in the Plaintiff's bar today. And the

> insurance defense lawyers are celebrating as well. What a great New Year's

> gift! Porsche, Mercedes, BMW, Farrari, and Maserati salesmen are already

> planning their Dubai vacations. The ghost of Nurse Myrick LIVES!

>

> GG

> On Jan 11, 2010, at 2:50:24 PM, " rob.davis@... " <

> rob.davis@...> wrote:

>

>

> Subject: RE: Cleveland (Ohio) EMS to start refusing calls?

> Date: January 11, 2010 2:50:24 PM MST

> To: texasems-l

>

>

http://www.jems.com/news_and_articles/news/2010/01/cleveland_ems_rejects_minor_c\

alls_to_save_money.html

>

> > The days of Cleveland paramedics hauling people to the hospital for minor

> ailments

> > such as hemorrhoids and headaches are over.

>

> I guess that means the City of Cleveland found the money for CAT scans on

> their ambulances. Good for them.

>

> Rob

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

There may or may not be a place for paramedic initiated refusals once the EMS

person is at the patient's side...that is a protocol and medical direction

issue. But, the likelihood of not sending anyone at all being viable, is very

low.

I have sat through a couple of presentations by folks who are using paramedic

and nursing telephonic triage to advise rather or not to send an ambulance, and

by their own admission, the call volume reduction was not near as large as they

anticipated. In contrast, they achieved significant call reduction by

interacting with frequent callers outside of an acute event with psychological,

social and public health services that solved these peoples issues so that they

didn't call so they didn't have to NOT send someone (how is that for a bad

sentence).

In other words, by preventing the call by addressing social and health issues we

don't have to worry about the liabilty of not sending anyone or not transporting

someone who wants transported.

Dudley

Cleveland (Ohio) EMS to start refusing calls?

http://www.jems.com/news_and_articles/news/2010/01/cleveland_ems_rejects_minor_c\

alls_to_save_money.html

Thoughts?

-Wes Ogilvie, MPA, JD, Lic.P./NREMT-P

-Austin, Texas

[Guest guest]

On Monday, January 11, 2010 21:41, THEDUDMAN@... said:

>

> There may or may not be a place for paramedic initiated refusals once the EMS

> person is at the patient's side...that is a protocol and medical direction

issue.

> But, the likelihood of not sending anyone at all being viable, is very low.

Most physicians won't even practise " phone medicine " for this very reason. What

makes someone so delusional as to believe that an EMS calltaker can competently

do it is beyond me.

Rob

[Guest guest]

I have not followed this thread very much so if I am repeating what was said

before forgive me please. But I can see the reason behind the cities move..

Money, as we all can. However, i do have to question the wisdom of it. I do not

kow any  medics from there but I do like to think that they are well trained

and know what they are doing. But we all know that when we are tired and simply

want to go home our decision making skills can be deminished and the wrong

choice made. I hope this nevr happens but give time it will. They are, after all

human. none of us are in Clevland and we were not part of the decision making

process, so let us take a wait and see look and see how the new system works. I

think that if the medics make sound logical choices then the new system will

work, but once agian there is the human factor and that, in the end, will be the

desiding factor here as in everywhere.

Lawrence Verrett EMT-P