Emergency Medical Services Operations
The EMS Operations Section oversees the regulatory aspects of the EMS Bureau. This section is currently made up of five full time and nine part time personnel. These individuals take care of all aspects of licensing, vehicle inspections and course authorization and oversight, including the BLS practical skills examination. The licensing of our statewide EMS Units, Providers, emergency vehicles and Instructor/Coordinators, as well as Wheelchair van companies and associated van licenses are coordinated, implemented and maintained by this section. The authorization of EMS initial training programs at the four recognized levels (EMR/EMT/AEMT/Paramedic) is managed by “EMS Operations”. Our staff also acts as liaison to the various EMS Associations, Regional Councils and Districts, and the Emergency Medical and Trauma Services Coordinating Board. Questions from the field concerning logistics and day-to-day operations of the states EMS services fall to this groups full-time staff members. Additionally, the EMS Annual Awards, presented during the NH Fire and EMS Committee of Merit recognition ceremony in the fall of each year, is a responsibility that this section proudly oversees.
Clinical Systems
The Clinical Systems Section oversees coordinates all aspects of systems (to include stroke and trauma) of care within the State as well as well as protocol oversight and specialized services such as mobile integrated health and critical care. This section is currently made up of two full time personnel. The Clinical Systems section coordinates and oversees the development of the NH Patient Care Protocols for approval by the NH EMS Medical Control Board. Included in the protocols are the prerequisite protocols: Advanced Sepsis, Immunizations, Inter-facility Transfers, Mobile Integrated Healthcare, Rapid Sequence Intubation and Surgical cricothyrotomy, all of which require additional oversight and management. The Trauma Medical Review Committee (TMRC) falls under Clinical Systems which oversees the establishment of the NH Trauma System and ensures the continuous improvement of the system. The trauma registry is managed by Clinical Systems. Clinical Systems also participates in the NH Stroke Collaborative and Resuscitation Academy, as well as serving as the liaison to the Board of Pharmacy and oversight of the controlled substance agreements for EMS Units. Clinical Systems sits on the various fatality committees for the state including Child Fatality, Sudden Unexplained Infant Death, Sudden Death in Youth, Domestic Violence Fatalities and Elderly and Incapacitated Adult Fatalities. These reviews work towards identifying risk factors related to the death and makes recommendations aimed at improving systematic responses in an effort to prevent similar deaths in the future.
Data Management
The Emergency Services Data Management team manages the statewide ePCR system TEMSIS and all resultant data in the system. This section is currently made up of three full time and two part time personnel. This includes system management and configuration the system, the run form used, data values that support the operational needs of EMS and meet national standards, and support for users. The team works with da-ta from the system, providing de-identified aggregate data for projects such as the opioid crisis, motor vehicle data for highway safety grants and projects, trauma data for the TMRC, pediatric data for EMS-C programs and data to support protocol review by the MCB. The team also works closely with services, medical directors and hospital coordinators to develop and manage performance and quality improvement programs, assisting over 10% of the states EMS services to start programs in the last year.
Beginning in late February 2019, the team started implementing a new software system to manage all EMS license records as well as all Division training and education records and user profiles that will be pushed to TEMSIS to re-main up-to-date. All state stakeholders using the services of the Division we be able to create their own online ac-count and manage all of their own course and license applications and license and training records. The new system will vastly improve the timeliness and efficiency in the Divisions ability to support and provide customer services to our stakeholders. The team will also begin implementing an expansion of the TEMSIS system to include an integrated NFIRS system into one state system to provide at statement Emergency Services Reporting system for both EMS and Fire. The Division will be working with stakeholders and the Fire Marshal’s office over the summer to implement this system addition.
Emergency Medical Services Training
The EMS Training section is responsible for all aspects of Division run EMS training in the State and include EMR/EMT initial programs, standardized classes and continuing education classes as well as our simulation program. This section is currently made up of one full time and ten part time personnel. As of 2019 the state has begun offering state run emergency medical responder courses through the state to augment currently run private classes. In addition to this offering, the state continues to run continuing education both during the day and in the evening as well as during the week and on weekends to facilitate offerings that will be beneficial to our diverse providers.
Special Projects
The Division’s Special Projects team has been actively working alongside of the Coordinating Board’s Workgroup for IC Renewal & EMS Education. The concept of Educational Training Agencies and a State EMS Instructor License has been under development for nearly a year. More information will be available soon on both of these concepts and how they will benefit the current Instructor /Coordinator program here in the State.
