Fire Chief Changes

As a newly promoted EMS Fire Chief looking to effect change within my agency for the better, I look to implement two key changes to my agency that would improve the quality and accuracy of our EMS delivery system to our residents. The first change would be to switch from handwritten report writing to electronic report writing. This change while costly at first, would save my city money in the long run by improving the overall way we document and bill EMS transports. The second change would be to institute a continuous quality improvement committee to review, analyze and improve EMS report writing and patient care. This committee would help ensure that EMS standards and protocols are being met and followed on patient transports.

As stated
Do my EMS reports contain all the accurate information required? Do my crews have more time to focus on patient care as opposed to documentation?

The second change I would look to implement would be the creation of a Continuous Quality Improvement committee. The quality review process has been around in my department for some time now informally, usually conducted by the EMS Division Chief and a few volunteer company officers. I would look to formalize this process by creating a committee. The committee would consist of all the company officers within my department who are placed in the lead medic position. Committee members would be tasked with protocol review and helping their crews understand why certain protocols where implemented. The committee would provide an agenda and meet once a month with my agencies medical director. The committee’s agenda would consist of reviewing high profile EMS cases (Trauma, Stroke and Cardiac Alerts) within the department and determining whether protocol was followed and what could be done to improve the quality of care
Reviewing patient reports would spark debate and provide better ideas on how to properly document encounters with patients from a legal standpoint. Patient report reviews would also provide some insight into what areas members may need improvement and train upon. The changes I’ve stated above This paper is written from the viewpoint of me being a newly promoted EMS Chief. I can measure the success of this change by seeing better outcomes regarding patient care. Are EMS reports complete with the proper patient care rendered from a legal standpoint? Do department members have a better understanding of protocols and why they were implemented? If the answers to these questions are yes, then my changes have been