Alerts

Greetings Everyone,

A message from Catholic Health:

Catholic Health has reinstituted visitor restrictions so we are asking our EMS partners not to bring riders to the ED’s with their patient transports.

Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me, thank you.

Emily James (Rowles) BS, EMT – P, NYSCIC

Lead EMS Liaison, Catholic Health

(716) 812 – 4275

erowles@chsbuffalo.org

Greetings,

See the message below from the State DOH:

EMS Agency Leaders,

Please take a few minutes to answer the survey link below. The survey is a quick set of questions for the purpose of polling the EMS agencies across NYS to determine which agencies may be interested in entering into a contract for service with the NYS DOH BEMSATS. Even if your agency is not interested in entering into a contract we ask that you please answer the survey. We ask that you respond by 5pm on 11/27/2021 as current mission assignments begin on 12/01/2021.

Nov 2021 EMS Mobilization Contract Polling Survey – Queensbury Testing | Survey Builder (ny.gov)

Thank you in advance.

Donald Trzepacz Jr.

District Chief / Investigator

Emergency Preparedness and Response

*******NOTICE********

ECMC will experience a phone system downtime on November 19, 2021 from 02:00hrs-02:15hrs. During this time the ECMC campus will not be able to receive any incoming phone calls. We have a contingency to use cell phones for Trauma Activation and On-Line Medical Control.

During this time we ask EMS providers call the following temporary cell phone number for On-Line Medical Control and Trauma Activation: (716) 238-6928

We have received notification from Catholic Health and subsequently the State DOH, that South Buffalo Mercy Hospital, and the MACC are on full EMS diversion at this time.

As per the State DOH it states:

“The New York State Department of Health, Bureau of Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Systems has authorized EMS diversion for the hospital services listed above. EMS Agencies are directed to transport patients requiring these services to an alternate hospital for the duration of the diversion period.

A diversion does not mean the hospital is closed; but that the current patient load exceeds the hospital’s ability to safely treat additional patients.

If the patient’s condition is unstable including but not limited to obstetric patients with imminent delivery or in extremis patients with any uncontrollable problem such as an unmanageable airway, uncontrolled hemorrhage, unstable cardiopulmonary condition, or full arrest and the hospital on diversion is the closest appropriate hospital, EMS personnel may transport to the hospital to ensure that the patient receives appropriate medical care.

EMS agencies/dispatch centers must ensure that EMS units and supervisors in the field are informed of the status of hospitals in their area so that patients may be routed to the most appropriate facility.

Questions regarding the authorization of this notification can be directed to the New York State Department of Health, Surge and Flex Operations Center at (917) 909-2676.”

http://ubmdems.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/EMS-Diversion-Notification.pdf

URGENT* Temp ED Phone Numbers  Attached. System wide phone outages.

http://ubmdems.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Temp-Phone-changes-9.2.21.xlsx

 

August 16, 2021

 

Dear EMS providers and colleagues,

 

It is with great pleasure that I can announce to you that Robert McCartin, BS, EMT-P, CIC will be assuming a permanent role as Administrative EMS Director for UB|MD EMS.

 

Robert began his career in EMS as an EMT-B from ECC-North and working his way through the EMS ranks, ultimately completing his Paramedic certification in 2015 at Monroe Community College (MCC). Robert continued on to obtain his AAS in Paramedicine from MCC in 2016, and just recently completed his BS in Health Science from SNHU in 2020.

 

Robert comes to us with valuable and relevant administrative and operational experience. In addition to his experience as a provider, Robert has worked for Lake Plains Community Care Network as the EMS program coordinator and continues to serve on the Data team with NYS BEMS to design, create, and implement the data standards throughout the state.

 

Robert’s central goals for UB|MD EMS outreach are to continue to advocate for EMS providers, agencies, and our local EMS systems, to improve EMS care in the WNY region.

 

If you would like to contact Robert, his email is rmccarti@buffalo.edu and office phone number is 716-898-3600.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Joseph Bart, DO, FACEP, FAEMS

Operations Director

UB|MD EMS

 

 

BLS First Response | Paper PCR Portal | ALS First Response ~ ePCR and pPCR Electronic Availability at Receiving Hospitals

The Bureau of Emergency Medical Services Data and Informatics Unit has been collaborating with EMS agencies and Regional Program Agencies to ensure the electronic delivery of ePCRs to the hospital implementing consistent standards for the entire EMS system regardless of location and documentation methodology.  The following updates have been implemented on the NYS Elite Site and the updated documentation standard allowing for the changes announced previously will be issued in the near future.  At this time we are distributing clarification of how this type of service shall be documented, how the chart will be delivered to the receiving hospital and changes made to the BLS First Response Documentation Standard and the Paper PCR Portal.

Regions with Hospital Hub available and deployed are already quite accustomed to transporting ePCR charts already appearing in Hospital Hub; hospitals in regions not utilizing Hospital Hub (Adirondack-Appalachian, Finger Lakes, Hudson-Mohawk, Hudson Valley, Nassau, New York City, Mountain Lakes, Southern Tier, Suffolk, Westchester) are being oriented and provided access to Elite Viewer so that all hospitals in those regions will have access to first response, intercepting and transporting pre-hospital care reports ~ all contributing to the continuity of care.  Any hospital who has not attended the information session should email emsdata@health.ny.gov to arrange for a demonstration and orientation.

ePCR software vendors must ensure the entire narrative sets entered into the ePCR are transmitted to NYS as all ePCRs are now being transmitted to the receiving hospital thus necessitating quality documentation.  We have received notice that some software vendors are not submitting the entirety of the narrative sections and each EMS agency should contact their ePCR vendor to confirm the entirety of the chart is being transmitted to NYS as the chart provided to the hospital.

ALS Intercept Documentation (ALS Intercepting Agency)

This process is implemented for ground transport and for helicopter transport regardless of whether the ground ALS agency is involved in the final transport or not.

eResponse.07 Primary Role of the Unit is one of the following

2207005           Non-Transport Administrative (e.g. Supervisor)

2207009           Non-Transport Rescue

2207003           Ground Transport (if, and only if, the response vehicle is an ambulance)

 

EMS Agencies that are first response only, must use 2207005 or 2207009

              EMS Agencies that provide ambulance transport and are driving an ambulance should list the unit (vehicle) as 2207003

              EMS Agencies that provide ambulance transport and are driving an emergency ambulance service vehicle (EASV) shall list the unit as 2207009 or 2207005

eDisposition.12 Incident / Patient Disposition (for the non-transporting ALS intercepting agency accompanying the transporting agency to the receiving hospital) is one of the following

4212031           Patient Treated, Transferred Care to Another EMS Unit (may also be used when the patient is not transported to the hospital with the ALS Intercepting agency on board)

4212013           Patient Dead at Scene-No Resuscitation Attempted (with transport)

4212017           Patient Dead at Scene-Resuscitation Attempted (with transport)

4212023           Patient Refused Evaluation/Care (with transport)

eDisposition.02 Destination/Transferred To, Code (using the eDisposition.02 codes distributed to ePCR software vendors for the 06/01/2021 NYS Documentation Standard Update and posted on the NYS NEMSIS resource page https://nemsis.org/state-data-managers/state-map-v3/new-york)

This field is now required with the above-listed dispositions which will allow for the ePCR | pPCR to be available to the hospital via Elite Viewer or Hospital Hub

BLS First Response Documentation

An additional set of fields will be added to the ImageTrend Elite BLS FR Platform and an additional validation rule set to allow for the intended receiving facility to be documented thus allowing the chart to be received by the intended destination hospital in much the same fashion as an ALS Intercept shall be received.  This will also allow BLS FR ePCRs to be contained in the patient’s electronic health record at the destination hospital.

eResponse.07 Primary Role of the Unit is equal to

2207005           Non-Transport Assistance

eResponse.15 Level of Care of this Unit is one of the following

2215001           NYS Certified First Response (CFR)

2215003           NYS Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)

eDisposition.12 Incident / Patient Disposition (when an assessment is completed by the BLS FR agency and turned over to a transporting agency)

4212031           Patient Treated, Transferred Care to Another EMS Unit

4212013           Patient Dead at Scene-No Resuscitation Attempted (with transport)

4212017           Patient Dead at Scene-Resuscitation Attempted (with transport)

4212023           Patient Refused Evaluation/Care (with transport)

eDisposition.02 Destination/Transferred To, Code (using the eDisposition.02 codes distributed to ePCR software vendors for the 06/01/2021 NYS Documentation Standard Update and posted on the NYS NEMSIS resource page)

This field is now required with the above-listed dispositions which will allow for the ePCR | pPCR to be available to the hospital via Elite Viewer or Hospital Hub

Paper PCR Portal

The same concepts apply except that the Paper PCR Portal now has a Destination page that opens and is expected for completion when the patient is transported by the documenting agency or by a transporting agency.

eDisposition.12 Incident / Patient Disposition

4212031           Patient Treated, Transferred Care to Another EMS Unit

4212013           Patient Dead at Scene-No Resuscitation Attempted (with transport)

4212017           Patient Dead at Scene-Resuscitation Attempted (with transport)

4212023           Patient Refused Evaluation/Care (with transport)

When one of the above-listed dispositions is selected, the Destination section is required and is highlighted in red.

These changes are possible with the amazing collaboration of EMS agency leadership, regional program agency leaders and feedback from trauma and stroke program hospitals.  The EMS system has made incredible steps forward in including EMS patient care documentation as part of the initial hospital receiving electronic health record.  Patients with a higher acuity of illness being transferred will still need the original receiving hospital’s ePCR and pPCR to be sent to the higher acuity hospital.

If you have any questions or wish to discuss these changes further, please send an email to emsdata@health.ny.gov. A member of the DI team will respond as efficiently as possible.

 

Thank you for all that you do!

Stay safe!

Peter

Peter L. Brodie, BS, AEMT

Deputy Chief, Data and Informatics Unit

EMS Data Manager

Bureau of Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Systems

 

New York State Department of Health

875 Central Avenue

Albany, New York 12206

The Data and Informatics Unit in the Bureau of Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Systems is dedicated to exceeding the expectations of EMS Agencies, ePCR Software Vendors, EMS Providers, Regional Program Agencies and the greater public we serve.

ph: 518.474.7245 (d) | ph: 518.694.6368 (m) | peter.brodie@health.ny.gov

http://www.health.ny.gov

 

 

December 3, 2019

To:      Western New York Emergency Service Providers

Fm:      Mary LaRowe, President and CEO, Brooks-TLC Hospital System, Inc.

Subj:    TLC/Lakeshore Health Center Campus (TLC Campus)

In an effort to ensure that the Brooks-TLC Hospital System is sustainable and can serve the region for many years to come the Brooks-TLC Hospital System Board of Directors has made the difficult decision to close the TLC/Lakeshore Health Center Campus (TLC Campus), Irving, NY, January 1, 2020, pending patient transfers.

The closure impacts all services at the TLC Campus including the Emergency Department.

Full 24/7 emergency services will continue to be provided at the Brooks Campus, Dunkirk.

The announcement does not affect The Gowanda Urgent Care and Medical Center or TLC chemical dependency clinics in Derby and Cassadaga, which will remain open.

Further communications will occur as we finalize closure plans.

In the meantime, should you have any questions relative to the closure or emergency services at the TLC Campus please feel free to call us at 716-363-3313.

Download TLC Lakeshore Health Center Campus Closure Notice