EMS to Hospital communication

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garys

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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.


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.
 

KK4JUG

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I think we've moved off the topic. I thought we were discussing privacy issues, not techniques for talking to ERs.
 

Citywide173

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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.
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.
Yes, but if you read the guidelines pertaining to entry notification, priority 3 and priority 4 traffic are at the CMED operator's discretion based on system volume. The hospitals have beaten the EMS providers into submission in those areas.
 

garys

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I don't listen all that much to CMED these days, but I work with some agencies that transport into Boston and to hospitals outside. If they're going into Boston, they use the same rules we do. If they are going to suburban hospitals, they pretty much have to notify on everything.
 

sefrischling

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Every month or two I hear a name after the address on EMS dispatch. The township people know each other. It's easier to find the McDermott house than go looking for 3425 Willow lane. I hear names on cop calls all the time.
Someone else was making the (somewhat ridiculous) point that they may be able to put the address on the dispatch together with the hospital call and figure out that Wilbur has diabetes.

Dispatch is not bound by HIPAA, under the HIPAA rules. Dispatch's job is to get units there. Dispatch is not a health care provider, health plan, nor is it a health care clearing house. Thus, HIPAA does not apply.

Much like how HIPAA does not apply to virtually all police departments, and only applies to Fire Departments that actually run their own EMS. Most people have never actually read HIPAA, understand what entities HIPAA applies to, when HIPAA applies or actual restrictions of HIPAA.
 
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