Matt Zavadsky Speaks on COVID, Call Volumes and Treat-in-Place Legislation

JEMS Editor Emeritus A.J. Heightman talks with Matt Zavadsky, chief strategic integration officer for MedStar Mobile Health Care (TX) and the present president of NAEMT, about some of the current issues impacting EMS agencies.

It’s an informative episode that touches on:

• The impact of COVID-19 on reduced call for service, reduced transports and increasing cardiac arrest volumes – and how it is affecting services operationally and financially;
• Reduced revenue and some novel, outside-the-box thinking on how to fill financial voids;
• The new era and occupation of contact tracers and how EMS agencies could deploy them and gain revenue for doing so. (State and county health departments have funding for these positions);
• The use of EMS Task Force Teams in Texas to test nursing home facilities and staff – and the impact it is having on reducing mortality;
• The proposed treatment-in-place legislation that was carefully crafted and already has more than 30 Congressional sponsors and hopefully will be attached to the next Congressional Relief Package from Congress (NAEMT, IAFC, AAA and others joined forces to present one united message);
• The need for EMS Agencies to work with their police departments to ensure crew resource management principals are in effect during patient interactions to ensure patients get the care they need – when they need it.