New paramedicine accreditation standards launched
The standards from the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems are the first of their kind for the industry
The Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) has announced the release of the first national accreditation standards for Community Paramedicine Programs, which reflect months of work with input from some of the national leaders in community paramedic services.
As an accredited Standards Setting Organization through the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), CAMTS follows the ANSI essential elements for establishing new and expanding standards. This includes solicitation and consideration of comments and suggestions for standards development. The draft Community Paramedic Program Accreditation Standards are posted on the CAMTS website (camts.org) and are now open for public comment. An online comment/suggestion form allows for new comments and assures all recommendations are logged and addressed. Feedback is provided to the submitter of each recommended change.
Community paramedicine accreditation
Community paramedicine is a relatively new and expanding field of healthcare focused on providing primary and preventive care to underserved populations. The goals include increasing access to care, improving health and well-being and reducing hospital admissions and re-admissions, emergency room visits and costs. Care providers can come from any area of health care, but most community paramedicine services use paramedics in expanded roles caring for clients in non-emergency situations in their homes or other locations.
CAMTS is also establishing a Community Paramedic Program Accreditation Standards consensus committee that will review and approve any changes. The consensus committee will include representatives from providers, program administration, partners, and users. The draft standards will be available for comments until April 2021 and the final standards will be released in the fall of 2021, with an implementation date of January 1, 2022. Programs that believe they are in substantial compliance with the standards can apply for the voluntary accreditation at that time.