QMC EMS | Board & Collar

    We continue out series of podcasts focused on “Peeling Back the Layers of the Cost Data Collection Instrument” by taking a look at Section 7, the Jobs and Compensation Section.  How is your team compensated and do they have shared responsibilities?  There is much to consider and report here and it is imperative that you have this section computed well.  Lots of questions and hopefully, we will provide the answers.  We explain in detail in this edition of the QMC EMS|Board & Collar.  Written by:  C. HumphreyPresented by: C. Humphrey          

    For the first time, an emergency medical service was fined for a HIPAA Breach.  A breach can be a financially-devastating occurrence.  In this Keynote Presentation of the QMC EMS|Board & Collar,  we explore HIPAA a bit further and ask the question, "Are You Gambling with Your Organization's Financial Well-Being?"  This informative and enlightening presentation is presented by Mary Craig, QMC's Chief Compliance Officer.  Mary has a deep and storied background in Compliance and regulatory affairs.  Her presentation is a must-listen given these recent occurrences in our EMS industry.   Written by:  Mary CraigPresented by: Mary Craig Moderator:  Gary Harvat          

Welcome to the February 2020 edition of Excuse My Medic.  On today's show we get an updated look at Surprise Ambulance Billing and the surrounding legislative issues currently under consideration in Washington.   Be sure to listen in on some great Positive EMS News, a couple zany EMS stories and laughs from the offbeat and the EMS Word of the Day.  Don't miss out on this very interesting and informative episode with Chuck, Ed and Gary.    Your Hosts:  Chuck Humphrey, Ed Marasco and Gary Harvat        

    We continue out series of podcasts focused on “Peeling Back the Layers of the Cost Data Collection” by taking a look at the Cost Data Collection Instrument.  This is the key document that will be used for collecting your data and enabling you to submit your information to CMS when the time comes.  We cover much ground in little time so be sure to tune in to this edition of the QMC EMS|Board & Collar for a great instrumental performance.    Written by:  C. HumphreyPresented by: C. Humphrey and Gary Harvat          

    We continue out series of podcasts focused on “Peeling Back the Layers of the Cost Data Collection Instrument” by taking a look at Section 6, the Service Mix Section.  What percentage of your ground ambulance responses are emergency versus non-emergency?  What is an ALS Level 2 versus an ALS Level 1?  Does your service ever transport critically ill or injured patients from one facility to another with additional higher-trained personnel onboard the ambulance?  These questions and more will be critical to determining the answers for this section.  We explain in detail in this edition of the QMC EMS|Board & Collar.  Written by:  C. HumphreyPresented by: C. Humphrey          

Welcome to QMC's 10Q30 EMS Leadership profile.  This month, we are featuring the The Trinidad Ambulance District from Trinidad, Colorado. Tune in to hear how leadership from this great organization serving rural Colorado responds to our ten questions in thirty minutes.  You will find their responses to each of our questions interesting and in many cases, thought-provoking.  This is a great 10Q so take a moment to join in and hear from one of the Centennial State's great emergency medical service providers.        Your Host:  Gary Harvat        

    When reporting Service Volume in the Ground Ambulance Cost Data Collection instrument, how will you report stand-by incidents and intercepts?  How do your responses into primary and secondary response areas that you reported in Section 3, tie together into the data your report in Section 5.  And…what if your primary area’s zip code is exactly the same as your secondary response area’s zip code?  How are you going to handle that one?  We have some guidance for you as we complete our discussion about this section in this edition of the QMC EMS|Board & Collar.  Written by:  C. HumphreyPresented by: C. Humphrey          

Welcome to the December 2019 edition of Excuse My Medic.  On today's show we get an updated look at the Cost Data Collection process and also take a moment as Gary gets on his soapbox about how compassion has become somewhat of a forgotten art in the emergency medical industry.  Some great Positive EMS News, a couple zany EMS stories and laughs with the EMS Word of the Day.  Don't miss out on this episode with Chuck, Ed and Gary.    Your Hosts:  Chuck Humphrey, Ed Marasco and Gary Harvat        

  As promised, the Board and Collar communicators have prepared yet another episode dedicated to the Ground Ambulance Cost Data Collection mandate.  We chose certain sections of the online reporting tool instrument that, in our opinions, will cause the most stress for respondents.  As ground ambulance providers and suppliers compile and collect the necessary data that will be used to complete the online reporting tool, we walk beside you providing insight into the more complex sections.  In this edition we’ll begin a 2-part focus on Section 5: Service Volume where we’ll look, first, at the 4 subsections that will require answers and help you anticipate how to break out the numbers and even provide our thoughts regarding why we think this section is one of the more important ones for this project.   Written by:  C. HumphreyPresented by: C. Humphrey          

  We’re learning more every day about the Cost Data Collection Instrument.  Beginning with this podcast, we’re going to peel the layers off the cost reporting “onion” and focus on the sections we think may be the most challenging for our listeners to complete when reporting.  Our first installment covers Part 4- Reporting Emergency Response Times.  We’ll explain what CMS is looking for when reporting in this section.  We’ll also provide you with the preferred calculation method to determine the Emergency Response Time and review how you will determine the Average Response Time and also the 90th Percentile Response Time.  Now it’s TIME to listen in!   Written by:  C. HumphreyPresented by: C. Humphrey          

  We all love the PCS Form (cough, cough) and we know what a joy it is to complete and get all the required boxes and signatures (cough again) for each non-emergent patient we transport.  Did you know there are changes forthcoming in January of 2020?  Yep, in the words of the late rocker, David Bowie, Ch..Ch..Ch..Changes are needed to make your PCS Form compliant and acceptable.  Tune in to this short edition of the QMC EMS|Board & Collar to get a quick synopsis of these changes.  Take a listen and if your organization does non-emergency transports this will be 4 minutes and 32 seconds well spent - about 1 minute longer than David Bowie's recording.  You can't sing along to this version but it's much more informative.   Written by:  G.  HarvatPresented by:  G. Harvat          

Welcome to this Special Edition of Excuse My Medic.  If you haven't familiarized yourself with the CMS Cost Data Collection program then this episode should be a "must listen" for you.  All ambulance services will be directly or indirectly affected by this program and already over 2,500 ambulance providers across the country have been notified of their required participation.  Whether your organization is part of the initial group or one that has yet to take their turn in the Cost Data line, you need to understand and pay close attention to the process unfolding right now.    The Excuse My Medic Team looks at Cost Data Collection and all the requirements and stipulations forthcoming.  Tune in and don't tune out on this very important subject matter affecting our industry.     Your Hosts:  Ed Marasco, Chuck Humphrey and Gary Harvat        

Welcome to QMC's 10Q30 EMS Leadership profile.  This month, we are featuring the The Town of Derry New Hampshire. Tune in to hear Chuck Hemeon, Director of Town of Derry EMS as he responds to our ten questions in thirty minutes.  You will find Chuck's responses to each of our questions interesting and in many cases, thought-provoking.  This is a great 10Q so take a moment to join in and hear from one of New England's best.      Your Host:  Gary Harvat        

  Have Medicare Part B payments for ambulance transports increased or decreased in the last year?  Who saw more Medicare ambulance dollars and who saw fewer dollars? What were the Medicare Part B spending trends for ambulance transports in 2018 compared to the previous year?  We answer these questions and more in this edition of the QMC EMS|Board &Collar Podcast. Written by:  C. HumphreyPresented by:  C. Humphrey          

Economics affects every business and every person. Understanding and preparing for the economic impact on your EMS organization is important and your ticket to keeping the lights on year round.  Do you have a budget and do you conform to it each year or do you just spend when there's a couple of extra dollars in the bank account? On this edition of the QMC EMS|Board & Collar we look at defining your operation and working with EMS economics to keep you afloat through the year.  Guessing, is no longer a viable option for survival.  Research, plan and implement with a sound road map for managing everything from capital purchases to personnel staffing to the number of 4x4 dressings.  It's a day in the life of EMS economics.Speaker's Note:  Special thanks goes to Bob Holdsworth, President of The Holdsworth Group for today's podcast.    Bob is a well-respected veteran paramedic, entrepreneur and founder of The Holdsworth Group, an international consulting firm that has been providing marketing, strategic planning and executive coaching services to clients in the EMS, healthcare and government arenas since 1988.  Thanks to Bob and feel free to contact him at:  bob@holdsworth.com    Presented by:  B. HoldsworthWritten by:  Bob Holdsworth of The Holdsworth Group