Have you signed up to attend the EMS Section's annual conference in Las Vegas? What kind of conference is Fire-Rescue Med?  If you want to kick some tires on new fire trucks or ambulances, this is not the conference - there is no apparatus displays.   If you enjoy eating $15 hot dogs on a convention center floor, this is not the conference for you either.

However, if you want (or need) to hear, network, and learn from some of the top fire service leaders in the nation on fire service EMS topics, which virtually impacts every fire department, then Fire-Rescue Med is where you need to be.   Last year's conference in Las Vegas with over 500 participants proved so successful that the EMS Section leadership decided to return Vegas. We actually improved on what we thought was not possible.  But we feel we have honed an even better program suited for small, medium and large size fire departments performing first response and/or EMS transport.   Fire-Rescue Med is the only conference that strictly addresses fire service EMS management issues and is designed for anyone involved in fire service EMS.

Look for such notable names as Chief Alan Brunacini lecturing on "Idea Management."  Section Chairman Jack Krakeel will talk about the 207(k) exemption in a session titled "Are the Beds Coming Out of the Fire Stations." Section Secretary John Sinclair and Baxter Larmon of University of California - Los Angeles will speak on how research affects the fire service in his lecture called "How to Build a Better Mousetrap."  Bill Atkinson, president of the New Hanover Regional Medical Center, will discuss the fire service's role in the health system.  Another presentation will be specifically geared toward volunteer fire departments performing EMS and there will be a total of three sessions on how to bill or maximize reimbursement for EMS transport.   Other topics include, "How to respond to a RFP," "Benchmarking,"  "Alternative Funding Sources," plus many more.   Sessions are designed for maximum networking with other fire professionals and timed each day to let you out in time to see the town.

Fire-Rescue Med is being held April 26 - 28, 1999 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Vegas with its usually cheap air fares, a bargain registration fee, and $49 hotel rooms for attendees certainly proves inviting.    Call the IAFC at 703/273-0911 for a brochure or registration information.

Speaking of Las Vegas - the Las Vegas City Council has given their blessing to the Las Vegas Fire Department (LVFD) to begin transporting patients when it is in the best interest of patient care.  EMS Section Vice-Chairman and Deputy Chief Ken Riddle tells me that the new policy will result in approximately 10% of all patients being transported by the fire service, instead of the private provider American Medical Response (AMR).   In most cases, transports will result when the private provider has not yet arrived on the scene and immediate transport is necessary.   LVFD will also bill for services at an ALS rate of $400 and $350 for BLS.  This is 20% less than what AMR currently charges patients.   The city will evaluate the program over the next year to see if it needs to be expanded or modified.

The new alternative delivery care model between AMR and Kaiser Permanente, which I wrote about in the last column is drawing severe criticism from paramedics, physicians, labor unions, and fire departments in the greater Denver area.  If you recall under the $600 million, five year agreement, AMR will nationally manage the transportation of some 9.3 million Kaiser patients by having them dial an alternative number other than 911.

A pilot project called "Pathways" has been monitored by fire departments in the Denver area for almost a year and officials warn Kaiser patients are not getting the emergency care they need when they need it.   Things are so serious that the Littleton Fire Protection District's board of directors voted to ask Arapahoe County to revoke AMR's license to operate. 

As was reported in the Denver Business Journal, Wayne Zygowicz of the Littleton FPD said, "The city of Littleton has documented cases of both patient care issues and patient care delays due to this Pathways system and AMR.

We'll keep you posted.