Reporting Changes

Abstract

The Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) office receives many inquiries from accredited programs about reporting changes and how certain changes could affect accreditation status. There is a specific policy regarding changes and a specific “Report of Change” form that must be submitted. This form, which can be downloaded from the website, outlines the types of changes that must be reported, as follows: 1.Class I Change — A class I change will have little effect on the overall mission, direction, and operation of the service. A.Change of address B.Change in personnel occupying management positions (please include contact information for new personnel) 2.Class II Change — A class II change has the potential to cause other changes within the service as reflected in the mission, scope of care, or policies, for example, that would alter the service significantly from the service reviewed during accreditation deliberations. A.Deleting a part of the service B.Adding/deleting an aircraft/ambulance or additional aircraft/ambulances C.Adding/deleting a base D.Changing the aviation operator or ambulance vendor E.Changing ownership of the service F.Adding a specialty care team or changing the composition of the specialty team G.Adding night vision goggles as part of the operation 3.Class III Change — A class III change interrupts the service or causes overall differences that would alter the service significantly from the service reviewed during accreditation deliberations. A.Deleting a part of the service or contracting with an outside agency to provide these services B.Merging with another service C.Changing the mission statement or scope of care D.Expanding into fixed wing or rotor wing that did not exist at the time of the site visit E.Adding a ground interfacility service F.Changing the composition of the regularly scheduled team G.An accident or incident that resulted in substantial damage to the aircraft or vehicle or injuries to personnel or passengers H.A legal settlement against the service regarding a trans-port or patient care issue 4.Change Not Specifically Listed— A change that is not specifically listed in the above examples. Changes must be submitted using this form within 30 days of the effective date of that change. Fees may be incurred with class II ($250 fee) and class III ($500 fee) changes. After a Report of Change form is submitted to CAMTS, the program will receive correspondence that may request additional information or, in some cases, may involve scheduling a supplemental site visit, such as when adding a base or contracting with a different vendor for aviation or ground services. Scheduling a supplemental site visit depends on when the next site visit for reaccreditation will occur. For example, if a program's certification expires in a year or less, a supplemental visit may not be necessary because a site visit for reaccreditation would be imminent. The only class II change that requires a supplemental visit is to follow up on a fatal accident. In that case, the program will be asked to submit an accident report along with a root cause analysis, and a supplemental visit will be scheduled within 6 months of the accident. With each change, files must be updated in our database so that we have current and correct information. A class II or class III change results in follow-up and decisions by the CAMTS board and creates additional work for the CAMTS staff and review by board members. The executive board processes approximately 10 to 15 Report of Change reports each time we meet, and this number has been steadily increasing. As evident by the number of changes, medical transport services are constantly challenged to provide a cost-effective service and maintain quality of patient care and safety.