Public Relations
Customer and Community Service
There is not a single known instance of accepting or rejecting an emergency patient transport based upon the patient's ability to pay. Members of the team are never placed in circumstances of having to consider the patient's financial and/or insurance status, but rather are held to the AirMed standard to "Do the RIGHT thing and we'll work the rest out later!"
Team members provide clear and honest documentation about the appropriateness of air transport based upon the patient's condition and/or accepted criteria and billing is done in a timely manner. Marketing based upon integrity and outstanding patient care has proven to be the most effective and successful for AirMed.
AirMed's focus on customer and community service is evidenced by the considerable number of educational and other activities in which they participate each year. AirMed is a sponsor of the Utah Association of EMTs Annual Conference and provides approximately 75 outreach education courses each year.
In 1992, AirMed established its rather unique "Ride-a-Long" Program, which allows approximately 200 EMS providers annually the opportunity to spend a shift flying with the air medical team.
Because of the importance AirMed places on receiving feedback about the care and services we provide, surveys are sent out after each inter facility transport so that the medical personnel at the referring facility can offer comments and suggestions for improvement. These surveys can simply be faxed back to the AirMed Flight Center for review so that problems, trends, etc. can be identified and rectified.
In response to requests from a large variety of "customers" along the Wasatch Front, AirMed provides services for agencies and/or systems not usually assisted by air medical transport teams. For instance, AirMed provides support to local S.W.A.T. agencies with tactically-trained flight nurses. Additionally, AirMed supports the Wasatch Back Country Rescue Association and participates in training with Search and Rescue dogs for the entire North American region.
Because the majority of flights from the local ski resorts are performed by AirMed, we participate in joint training with the ski patrol personnel and offer educational opportunities as needed for these volunteers. Utilizing our fixed-wing aircraft, AirMed also provides transport of blood to small rural communities in Utah which would otherwise be unable to receive this life-saving tool.
AirMed is currently working with the Department of Homeland Security to provide storage of antidote medication packs for immediate distribution in case of a biological terrorism incident. Members of the AirMed team also contribute to community-level Homeland Security efforts by serving as instructors for Certified Emergency Response Team training courses.
AirMed provides continuous support for regional "Don't Drink and Drive" and "Buckle Up" campaigns, and regularly participates in production of high school docudramas and student assemblies.
The Medical Transport Community
AirMed's commitment to the medical transport community as a whole is evidenced by the considerable involvement of its team members on a local, state, national, and international level. In addition to those things listed above, AirMed members serve on the Utah State Bureau of EMS Air Ambulance Sub-Committee, currently filling both the chair and chair-elect positions on that committee.
The list of other committees on which AirMed personnel have served and/or are currently serving is exhaustive: HAI Air Medical Services Committee (including committee chair), HAI Flight Operations and Heliport Advisory Committee, NVG Rule-Making Advisory Committee to the F.A.A., AAMS Core Safety Committee, Air Medical Safety Advisory Committee, Board of Directors of ASTNA, AMPA, NFPA/IAFP and NEMSPA (including past-presidents of ASTNA and NFPA/IAFP), Air Medical Leadership Congress (experts and White Paper author), Air Medical Journal Editorial Board (including associate editor and incoming co-editor), NHTSA Task Force for Development of Inter facility Transport Guidelines, and the NHTSA National EMS Scope of Practice Advisory Committee.
AirMed team members have presented 41 lectures at the AMTC in the last five years, including two Keynote Addresses, and five lectures at the CCTMC. One member of AirMed has lectured at the prestigious AeroSpace Medicine Association Conference, another is a Site Surveyor for CAMTS, and there is an AirMed member on the Air Methods Customer Service Advisory Board (CSAB).
Additionally, AirMed personnel have authored ten peer-reviewed publications, 16 abstracts, eight transport medicine textbook chapters, and 24 non-peer-reviewed articles. AirMed members have also been involved in development and publication of the Air Medical Physician Handbook, the Transport Nurse Advanced Trauma Nurse Course, State of Utah Mass Casualty Response for Air Ambulances, and the Certified Flight Registered Nurse examination.
Awards
Efforts by AirMed team members to improve safety, patient care, and relationships with other transport programs have earned multiple miscellaneous awards:
- AAMS Program of the Year (2006)
- Air Medical Physician Association's Medical Director of the Year (2001)
- AAMS President's Award (2004)
- HAI Outstanding Service Award (2004)
- and Health Professionals of the Year (2002) The State of Utah has also awarded the AirMed program and individual team members an extensive number of awards:
- Paramedic of the Year (1993, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001)
- Nurse of the Year (1995, 2005)
- Physician of the Year (1992, 2002)
- Medical Leader of the Year (2002)
- multiple "Incident of the Year" awards in the Air Medical, Pediatric, and Overall categories
Research
While these awards have been well-deserved, they serve as a constant reminder of the responsibility we have to continue our efforts to improve rather than being satisfied with past successes. AirMed is a leader in air medical transport research, which is a further evidence of the program's commitment to the entire transport community. AirMed has conducted research in adult and pediatric out-of-hospital rapid sequence intubation (RSI) and the use of the intubating laryngeal mask airway as a rescue device for failed intubation.
AirMed is a strong example of a progressive air-medical program. AirMed is actively involved on multiple fronts to expand and define the field of air-medicine. Innovation, integrity, safety, and quality.. these attributes are the cornerstones of AirMed at the University of Utah Hospital, a recipient of the AAMS 2006 Program of the Year Award.
