The Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS) Announces a Revision of Its Gold Standards for Ambulance Accreditation - June 04

At its April 14, 2004, meeting, the CAAS Board of Directors unanimously approved a 2004 revision of its standards for ambulance accreditation.

June 30, 2004 -  At its April 14, 2004, meeting, the CAAS Board of Directors unanimously approved a 2004 revision of its standards for ambulance accreditation. Under review since 2002, the CAAS Standards, Version 2.4, now include a mechanism to accredit ground Inter-Facility Transport (IFT) and Specialty Care Transport (SCT) agencies. During the revision process, multiple areas in the overall standards that required refinement were also identified, and these ideas were incorporated as well as other minor revisions that had been recommended. New and reaccrediting agencies will have the obligation of applying the new standards, as appropriate, for any application submissions made after June 1, 2005.

Bill Jermyn, DO, FACEP, ACEP representative to the CAAS Board of Directors, ably chaired the IFT/SCT Task Force. Six sub-committee chairs provided expert advice in the development of the new standards. They include: Jack Grandey, Program Director for FirstHealth of the Carolinas, Critical Care Transport, in Pinehurst, NC; Brian O’Neill, Vice-President, Emergency Systems, Center for Emergency Services-North Shore/Long Island and Jewish Health System, Syosset, NY; Heather Martin, Training Officer, West Des Moines EMS, Wes Des Moines, IA; Diane Baker, Nurse Manager, CARE Ambulance Service, Inc., Anaheim, CA; Patricia Peltier, AMR Project Manager Southwest Region, San Diego, CA; and Jon Krohmer, MD, FACEP, Medical Director, Kent County EMS, Grand Rapids, MI. CAAS also thanks C.T. Kearns, Executive Director, Pinellas Co. EMS Authority, Largo, FL; and Debbie Vass, Sunstar EMS, Largo, FL, for their valuable insights. As always, thanks are due to Troy Hogue, CAAS Standards Chair, and the revision committee for their dedication in keeping the CAAS Standards current.

The new CAAS Standards, Version 2.4, can be ordered on-line at www.caas.org or may be ordered from staff headquarters by writing to CAAS, 1926 Waukegan Road, Suite 1, Glenview, IL 60025. Agencies interested in learning more about the benefits of accreditation may also request a free copy of the “What Is the Value of Ambulance Accreditation?” brochure.

For an in-depth introduction to the CAAS accreditation process, agency representatives can attend one of three full-day accreditation seminars to be held July 24th, 2004, in Boston, Massachusetts; August 1st, 2004, in Weston, Florida; and October 20th, 2004, in Atlanta, Georgia. Details are available on the CAAS web site or by calling Meredith Hellestrae or Alexandra Pleshkewych at (847) 657-6828.