EMS Today

State Supplemental Reimbursement Programs

Attorney Kevin Fairlie joins the Not A Fib Podcast to discuss state supplemental reimbursement programs and the scrutiny these programs are now receiving from the Office of the Inspector General. Additionally, we discuss the importance of compliance programs to protect agencies in the event of an OIG audit.

Neuroprotective CPR

This podcast reviews an article in JEMS by Flight Paramedic Ashley Buie about Neuroprotective CPR.

Article discussed: Buie, A. (2023, July 25). Neuroprotective CPR. Journal of Emergency Medical Services JEMS. Available at https://www.jems.com/patient-care/neuroprotective-cpr/

We Must Do Better at Being Patient Advocates

Eric Chase gets input and advice from EMS attorney Steve Wirth, Esq., EMT-P, after the guilty verdict of two Colorado paramedics that had been on trial for the homicide of Elijah McClain.

Performing Remote Medicine

This podcast reviews research in prolonged field care with Aebhric O’Kelly from the College of Remote and Offshore Medicine Foundation.

Article discussed: O'Kelly, A., & Mallinson, T. (2023). Prolonged field care (austere emergency care) principles in UK paramedic practice. Journal of Paramedic Practice, 15(9), 359-366.

The Answers Are Within You

Eric Chase has a powerful and uplifting conversation with Crystal Little.

JEMS Talk: Ethics, Education and EMS: Calibrating a Moral Compass

Hear an important JEMS Talk on ethics in emergency medical services and mobile medicine.

Items Discussed

• The belief that field clinicians can/should be trusted to make ethical and moral decisions.

• Are we educating clinicians on how to make such assessments, or are we training clinicians to paint by number/practice by rote protocol?

• Are “thinking” vs. a scientifically informed, protocolized approach mutually exclusive—or can they inform one another?

• Are we training clinicians to develop their moral compasses?

• What happens when science suggests that the moral or ethical thing to do is the suboptimal choice (and by what yardstick is that judged)?

Panelists

Christopher Colwell, MD; chief of Emergency Medicine at Zuckerberg San Francisco (CA) General Hospital and Trauma Center

Michael Dailey, MD; director of Prehospital Care Services & Education at Albany (NY) Medical Center

Abby Dotson, PHD; executive director at the National POLST Collaborative, director of the Oregon POLST Registry

Jonathon Feit, MBA; co-founder and chief executive of Beyond Lucid Technologies, Inc.

Keep the conversation going by using #JEMSTalk on social media.

Not Just a Single Squirt: Understanding Nasal Drug Delivery

Paramedics in a rural setting respond to a young man who is unresponsive, barely breathing, has pinpoint pupils and has fresh needle marks along his arm veins. Recognizing this as an opiate overdose they assist ventilations and attempt to administer IV naloxone, but have difficulty starting an IV line.

They heard about nasal naloxone, so they squirt a vial of naloxone into the patient’s nose with a syringe (1 ml of 0.4 mg). It does not have any effect but they manage to establish an IV and administer another 0.4 mg IV. The patient awakens. Based on this experience, they decide nasal naloxone does not work and resist adoption of the concept during future discussions.

Read the full article here.

Congenital Syphilis

Congenital syphilis is a severe and often life-threatening infection seen in infants whose mothers were infected.

Kate Freshman

Firefighter/Paramedic Kate Freshman joins the Not A-Fib Podcast to discuss providing care while being recorded live on "Live Rescue" on A&E, and how she became involved with Women in Fire, which led her to create "Fire Up St. Louis.”

They also discuss her work on a peer support committee, working to channel members to the right resources to address mental health issues before they are in crisis.

Paramedic-Led Rapid Sequence Intubation

This podcast reviews RSI research related to paramedics with nurse anesthetist Penny Chiasson. She is also a hypnotherapist with Genesis Hypnosis.

Article discussed: Alzaatreh, M. Y., Alsadi, M. R., Alkhsealat, Y., Alhemedi, M., & Alrabab’a, M. H. (2022). Pre-hospital rapid sequence induction by paramedics: A scoping review. Journal of Emergency Medicine, Trauma & Acute Care (5) 40.

Connections: If you want to connect with Penny Chiasson you can reach her at penny@pennychiasson.com and to connect with the show, reach out through www.ProfessorBram.com.