Rural EMS in Wisconsin | Wisconsin Office of Rural Health

EMS

In an effort to make our website more useful, we have pulled specific resources and information that we thought would be useful to rural EMS in the state.

Building EMS Infrastructure

Securing EMS Resources

Sustaining Human Resources

Community Paramedic

EMS Voluntary Event Notification Tool (E.V.E.N.T.)

The "Attributes of Success" Statewide Assessment and Workbook

Our office is holding a series of EMS listening sessions in rural areas across the state in October and November 2018. The intent is to give a platform for rural EMS providers to describe their work, and the conditions in which they operate, and find solutions to help providers keep their doors open while providing quality patient care. At each event, state legislators, county and municipal leaders, hospital leadership, and citizens at large will be invited to attend. For details, click here.

Engaging Community Partners

Using EMS Information Systems

Developing EMS Communication Systems

Rural and Frontier EMS Agenda for the Future

EMS Agenda for the Future

Improving Access to EMS and Health Care in Rural Communities: A Strategic Plan

Future of Emergency Care Series: Emergency Medical Services: At the Crossroads

Certification & Licensure

Administrative Rules

National Certification Agency

National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT)

Scope of Practice and National EMS Policies and Resources

Applications & Forms

State EMS Forms

Scope of Services / Special Regulations for CAHs

The WI Office of Rural Health has comprehensive news and funding items related to rural healthcare on the Rural Reporter page. Please visit us there for a wealth of information.

However, the Rural Health Information Hub (RHIhub) provides two news feeds specific to EMS, and we offer those below for your use. The feeds are live and will likely contain different information each time you view this page.

RHIhub is a federally funded agency that gathers and distributes national rural health and human services information online, including a dedicated rural EMS page. Because RHIhub aggregates information across states, the feeds are not Wisconsin specific but will contain Wisconsin information when it is available.

Rural EMS News

Resource: Unintentional Firearm Injuries Remain Prevalent Over a 12 Year Experience at a Rural Midwestern Level 1 Trauma Center

11/14/2018

Examines the variety of firearm injuries seen at a rural Iowa level 1 trauma center to provide an awareness of the prevalence, mechanism used in the injury, and variation in seasonal occurrence. Data identifying patients with a firearm injury was obtained from a trauma registry for the years 2002 to 2014. Goal was to distinguish the characteristics of preventable firearm injuries in rural environments to improve firearm education and influence public policy.

Event: A Conversation on Rural EMS

11/08/2018

-- National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health

Event: 2019 Annual EMS World Expo

11/07/2018

New Orleans LA
October 14, 2019 -- EMS World, National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians

News: HHS Secretary Azar Declares Public Health Emergency in US Territory Due to Super Typhoon Yutu

10/26/2018

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) declared a public health emergency in the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI), a U.S. territory. This declaration, a response to the damage done by Super Typhoon Yutu, gives the HHS Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) beneficiaries and their healthcare providers and suppliers greater flexibility in meeting emergency health needs.

News: Drone Ambulances to the Rescue

10/17/2018

Focuses on a Mississippi-based team of doctors working on using drones as aerial ambulances carrying medical kits to allow people on the ground to provide simple medical care until emergency services arrive. The kits will also include an augmented reality interface that will allow doctors to observe the medical emergency remotely and help provide care. Kits have been designed in varying sizes and complexities, with smaller kits for search-and-rescue missions in remote areas and larger kits for natural disasters and other mass-casualty events.

Resource: Medicare Payment Basics: Ambulance Services Payment System

10/15/2018

Provides an overview of Medicare payments for ambulance services. Discusses rural counties including rural and super-rural zip codes, metropolitan statistical areas, rural add-on payments, ambulance fee schedules, and payment rates. -- Medicare Payment Advisory Commission

Event: 2019 1st Annual Native American and Rural Emergency Medicine Conference

10/05/2018

Flagstaff AZ
May 2, 2019

In 2016, our office conducted an assessment of EMS service policies on the treatment of patients with time-critical diagnoses (trauma, cardiac arrest, stroke, and STEMI). We've now issued workbooks with examples for agencies of what a high capacity EMS service's policy might look like for time-critical diagnoses. Find those Best Practices for Time-Critical Diagnoses here.

Rescue Divas aims at increasing the pipeline of future EMTs, particularly for women, who are underrepresented in emergency medicine. Communities can implement their own Rescue Divas program using guidance from our office.