Measuring how well we are doing

In this special edition of EMS One-Stop, host Rob Lawrence discusses the Joint Position Statement on EMS Performance Measures – Beyond Response Times published yesterday by the leading EMS and public policy associations with Matt Zavadsky, MS-HSA, EMT, vice president of PWW|AG, and one of the primary authors of the position statement. Rob and Matt discuss the statement in detail, examining all of the recommended metrics, the reasons for placing them in the paper and why response times are not recommended as a primary measure of system performance. Rob and Matt begin by discussing the signatories of the statement – in particular, the sign off from the International City/County Managers Association (ICMA) and the pivotal role they play in ensuring EMS delivery in their communities. The many associations that joined the statement recommend that communities and governments modernize EMS performance assessments by evaluating various domains with key performance indicators (KPIs). These KPIs should be measured, tracked over time, benchmarked against similar EMS systems or national data and regularly published for local community stakeholders.