Senators Work to Boost Safety of Air Ambulances
New signs of air ambulance dangers prompt action
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Most Americans would assume helicopter ambulances must be as well-equipped and properly staffed as ground ambulances. However, recent evidence shows that’s not always the case. U.S. Senators Claire McCaskill (D-MO) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) today introduced the Helicopter Medical Services Patient Safety, Protection and Coordination Act to help ensure that medical helicopters provide quality medical care to critically ill or injured patients.
A series of crashes, in which 35 people died last year, has focused attention on the patchwork regulation of helicopter air ambulances. Reports are now calling for changes in the way the industry is regulated.
Helicopter medical service is a growing segment of the country’s emergency medical services network, with most of the growth occurring in the last eight years. Unfortunately, while states have a proven track record of regulating ground ambulance services, their efforts to regulate air ambulance services have been steadily undermined by rulings that cite a 1978 Federal law that did not envision these services.
Medical helicopters are both aircraft and ambulances. The McCaskill-Snowe bill would clarify and affirm the ability of states to regulate the ambulance aspects of this service, while at the same time preserving the role of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to regulate the aviation aspects. The legislation would affirm the ability of states to ensure that onboard medical personnel meet certain training criteria, aircraft are properly equipped and configured for critical care, and that air medical providers properly coordinate their services with health care service providers and the emergency medical services (EMS) network.
“The role of air ambulances is to save lives, so it’s concerning when we hear stories of the opposite happening,” said McCaskill. “Too many of these problems could be prevented, so it’s time we created a better way of overseeing the industry so that meeting medical standards comes before making profits.”
“Tragically, all too often helicopter medical services lack adequate access to the resources they need to deliver quality care to patients in need of critical medical attention,” said Snowe, a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over the issue. “This legislation, on the heels the National Transportation Safety Board's recommendations, will untangle the web of red tape and finally grant states the oversight authority they need to effectively regulate air ambulance services, which in turn, will bolster medical care, eliminate regulatory uncertainty, and ultimately - most importantly - save lives.”
The Helicopter Medical Services Patient Safety, Protection and Coordination Act would allow states to regulate:
* Medical Personnel Qualification and Training: States may require medical personnel aboard helicopter medical services (HMS) aircraft to meet certain qualifications relating to their medical skills (e.g. education, training, certification).
* Medical Equipment and Aircraft Attributes: States may require a HMS provider operating within that state to be properly equipped and configured to facilitate quality critical care delivery.
* Health Care Planning and Quality Requirements: States may require HMS providers to comply with state laws related to health care planning and quality of critical care HMS delivery. For example, states may regulate the number and location of helicopter air ambulances in a state or region and mandate coordination with health care service providers and the EMS network.
* Helicopter Medical Services Access, Delivery and Availability: States may establish destinations of transport, specifications of service requirements and areas, require hours of availability (such as 24/7, weather and safety permitting), impose accreditation requirements, and require service to all persons for whom such services are medically necessary.
Earlier this week, the Flight Safety Foundation released a report outlining the need for substantial reform. The report, commissioned and funded by the helicopter medical services industry, identified eight “very high risk” areas, including the lack of governance framework, lack of clarity around the roles and scope of federal and non-federal entities, and inconsistent interpretation of states’ authority. There were 18 “high risk” areas.
In addition, the National Highway Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has added helicopter medical services to its “Most Wanted” reforms list, and the Institute of Medicine has called for a greater role for states, recommending: “States should assume regulatory oversight of the medical aspects of air medical services, including communications, dispatch, and transport protocols.”
For more information on the coalition of support behind this bill, visit www.patientfirstalliance.org