The accredited agency must be able to clearly delineate its ownership and organizational structure, show that it maintains all required licenses and contracts to do business, demonstrate its strategic planning and budgeting processes, provide evidence of legal review of its policy/procedure manuals, show how it educates its managers and supervisors…
FAQ Category: Accreditation Related
Efficient call taking, effective resource deployment, and continuous communications capabilities are required to operate an effective EMS agency. The CAAS-accredited agency must have policies developed and reviewed with input from the Medical Director. Policies include exacting call-taking standards which document time events from time of request through the time the…
How does accreditation address communications?
The accredited agency must prove that its vehicles meet all required federal, state, and/or local specifications and that the vehicles are cleaned and maintained to strict standards. The agency must have a preventive maintenance program, with records of all scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, for both the vehicles and the durable…
How does accreditation affect the agency’s equipment and facilities?
Comprehensive safety standards are required of accredited agencies, shielding patients, the employees, and the agency itself from unnecessary risk. There must be evidence of driving standards, a driver training program, proper use of safety restraints for patients and crews, and strict written policies to follow in case of vehicle crashes…
Do accredited agencies operate more safely?
An accredited agency is committed to partnering with communities and health care systems to provide accident prevention and safety education programs. Agency staff participates in public education and safety events. From exacting listings in telephone directories to written policies for handling complaints, donations, and media inquiries, the accredited agency must…
What about community involvement?
A high-quality EMS system depends on cooperation among various types of public safety agencies and all local EMS providers. The CAAS-accredited agency must have preplanned, written processes for dealing with mutual aid requests in which all issues of liability, fees, reciprocity, and communications must be recounted. The agency must also…
Are there requirements for relationships with outside agencies?
Accredited agencies report a strong feeling of pride among their employees – support staff as well as patient care providers – and they share ownership in their company’s success. Employee morale is enhanced by the knowledge that their company has a concern for their safety and training as well as…
How does accreditation impact an agency’s personnel?
Any ambulance operation can claim it is delivering quality service, but the accredited agency can prove it through its written or documented procedures, systems, and reports. An accredited agency will have proven Medical Director involvement in all matters that affect patient care, from protocol development to vehicle equipment, education programs,…
Does accreditation really improve an agency’s patient care?
The standards are very comprehensive, but are flexible enough to relate to agencies of all sizes and types. There are over 100 of them, covering all aspects of ambulance operations. They include standards for agency management; financial management, budgeting and strategic planning; relations with outside agencies; mutual aid and disaster…