- Joined
- Jun 13, 2002
- Messages
- 6,069
While it's true in Boston, it's only true IN Boston. Everywhere else in the state, the EDs expect notifications on every transport. Of course the nurses also complain about that too.
A good number of services in MA bypass CMED and use cell phones to call in their notifications and get medical control.
It took a long time to get hospitals in Boston NOT to expect a notification on every transport. Then we beat up the suburban hospitals so that they didn't expect notifications from Boston EMS either. They still do from the suburban FD and private services though.
As to what the hospital needs to know, my rule was if your notification is more than 30 seconds, you're talking to long. At that point, the nurse isn't listening anymore anyway. You tell them just enough so that they know what resources they need to muster. Everything else, PMH, Meds, Allergies, show size, favorite vegetable, astrological sign can wait until you're giving report to the nurse at triage.
A good number of services in MA bypass CMED and use cell phones to call in their notifications and get medical control.
It took a long time to get hospitals in Boston NOT to expect a notification on every transport. Then we beat up the suburban hospitals so that they didn't expect notifications from Boston EMS either. They still do from the suburban FD and private services though.
As to what the hospital needs to know, my rule was if your notification is more than 30 seconds, you're talking to long. At that point, the nurse isn't listening anymore anyway. You tell them just enough so that they know what resources they need to muster. Everything else, PMH, Meds, Allergies, show size, favorite vegetable, astrological sign can wait until you're giving report to the nurse at triage.
HIPAA specifically allows the transmission of information, as long as it is the minimum amount of information necessary to provide appropriate patient care. While entirely possible, the complexity required to intercept this information would have to require someone very proficient at scanner use. Dispatch on one channel, ambulance to hospital on a semi-duplex MED channel and the ambulance being on the input of that semi-duplex. Perhaps your hospitals need to re-evaluate what they get notified on. Here in Boston, the only time you get on CMED is if you need a trauma room upon your arrival, everything else is brought in through the doors and the first time any patient info is transmitted, it is face to face. The patient you described above would never require a CMED entry in our system.