New standards, new PIF, new mission

Abstract

T he commission published the fourth edition of the accreditation standards in October 1999. Each time these standards are changed or revised, the program information form (PIF) also is updated so that each numbered question corresponds directly with a standard of the same number. Standards may change not only in content but also in format, so it is very important to be working from the correct and current PIF. As mentioned in a previous article, we provide a 6month grace period to make the transition to the new standards. Therefore, a service has until April 30, 2000, to return a PIF that corresponds to the 1997 accreditation standards. After April 30, the 1999 accreditation standards will be in effect, and all applicants must complete the 1999 PIF, which was available as of October 1, 1999. In developing new standards and revising old ones, the CAMTS standards committee reviews accident reports from the NTSB to see if any weak areas might be addressed by a standard or more defined criteria. The board of directors also tracks the most commonly cited contingencies to see if a problem exists with the way a standard is interpreted or worded or if it should be replaced or eliminated. Lastly, the board studies trends in the medical transport profession and tries to anticipate future standards of practice. During its July 1999 meeting, for example, the board voted to expand its mission once again because of the increasing number of medical transport services that are adding BLS and ALS ground services to their air and critical care ground transport systems. Therefore, you will see that the mission statement, goals, and the preamble in the 1999 accreditation standards refer to serving medical transport systems instead of specifying air and ground critical care. The Accreditation Standards Committee began work on a supplement for the 1999 standards to address the ground BLS and ALS components of medical transport systems. We expect this supplement will be available by spring of 2000. CAMTS then will be able to offer this added service so that, if a medical transport system provides BLS and ALS ground transport along with a critical care ground and/or an air medical service, it will be able to apply for CAMTS accreditation for all components of the service. The key word is system. Ground BLS/ALS services that are not associated with a critical care ground or air service will not be eligible for CAMTS accreditation. This most recent change resulted from conversations with program directors of transport systems who saw their programs evolving into full service ground and air transport systems to meet their patients' needs. Trends in health care and reimbursement issues have influenced new and creative ways to provide a quality service. The CAMTS board is open to your comments and suggestions and stands ready to meet the challenge of change. We will provide full details of the BLS/ALS ground addition in the next issue, r-Al