CAMTS orders KAT to cease program claim

By JOHN HULTGREN
Kentucky EMS Connection

RENO, Nevada — The Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems has ordered Kentucky Air Medical Team to stop advertising that they meet or exceed the commission's accreditation standards.

Eileen Frazer, the commission's executive director, told the Kentucky EMS Connection this morning in Reno that statements such as "We meet or exceed CAMTS standards" are unethical, misleading, and misrepresent CAMTS. She said such statements may also be illegal.

Since August 12, KAT has provided three press releases to the Kentucky EMS Connection for publication that include the statement. All three press releases have been published. The latest press release, published last week, included the statement: "KAT will provide services, aviation and medical, which meet or exceed the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Service’s Standards for Transport Care."

"Only the commission can determine if a program meets or exceeds accreditation standards," Frazer said.

Frazer said the commission takes the unauthorized or misleading use of the CAMTS name very seriously because it decreases the value of the process. She said that in such cases CAMTS will notify the program to immediately cease and desist, as well as notify other appropriate agencies of the deceptive practice. Such practice may also affect the program's ability to apply for CAMTS accreditation and may lead to further legal action.

CAMTS (www.camts.org), based in South Carolina, is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality and safety of medical transport services. The commission offers a program of voluntary evaluation of compliance with accreditation standards which demonstrates the ability to deliver service of a specific quality. By participating in the voluntary accreditation process, services can verify their adherence to quality accreditation standards.

There are 93 services accredited by CAMTS in North America. LifeNet, based in Lexington, is the only Kentucky-based ambulance service  listed on the CAMTS web site as being currently accredited by CAMTS. Other out-of-state programs that are licensed in Kentucky include University Air Care (Cincinnati), Shriners Transport Team (Cincinnati), Life Flight (Evansville), and Health Net (Huntington, Charleston, and Morgantown).

Frazer said that besides KAT there are two other services from other states that have been using similar statements.

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