EMS Compass Seeks Public Input on Performance Measure Development
June 11, 2015
EMS Compass, a national initiative to improve systems of care though meaningful performance measurement, will host a series of webinars June 15‐18, 2015.The webinars are the best way for members of the EMS community and other stakeholders to provide feedback on the quality and performance measures topics under consideration for further development and testing.
Throughout the month of May 2015, EMS Compass held an open “Call for Measures,” and more than 300 measures were submitted through the initiative web site, www.emscompass.org. Now is the public’s chance to discuss the measures that were proposed and, within the context of the 10 domains, provide input that will help the EMS Compass team prioritize the clinical areas and topics addressed. This input will be used by the initiative to evaluate the measures based on criteria such as their importance for EMS to measure and report to their communities and patients, the ability of EMS systems to collect and analyze the data, and the evidence supporting the validity of the measure.
“Input from the entire EMS community allows us to ensure that the EMS Compass quality and performance measures will be relevant and useful for the diverse EMS systems we have across the nation,” said Bob Bass, M.D., Chair of the EMS Compass Steering Committee. “The result of this initiative will provide local EMS systems with a way to demonstrate their value in the community and quality for their patients leading to continuous improvement, resulting in high quality patient care and safe, efficient services.”
The 10 webinars will be organized by type of performance measure domain, or related area of interest. Members of the EMS Compass Initiative will lead the webinars, which will focus on discussing the specific types of measures that have been proposed and receiving community input.
“The EMS Compass team has been very excited by the level of interest and participation from the entire EMS community,” said Dia Gainor, executive director of the National Association of State EMS Officials, which is managing the initiative.
Webinar schedule:
| Patient and Family Engagement | June 15, Noon EDT |
| Patient Safety | June 15, 4 p.m. EDT |
| Care Coordination | June 16, Noon EDT |
| Population/Public Health | June 16, 2 p.m. EDT |
| Efficient Use of Healthcare Resources | June 16, 4 p.m. EDT |
| Clinical Process/Effectiveness | June 17, Noon EDT |
| EMS Workforce | June 17, 2 p.m. EDT |
| EMS Fleet | June 17, 4 p.m. EDT |
| EMS Data | June 18, 2 p.m. EDT |
| EMS Finance | June 18, 4 p.m. EDT |
Learn more and register for a webinar at www.EMSCompass.org.
About EMS Compass
The EMS Compass initiative launched in 2014 with funding and guidance provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) through a cooperative agreement with NASEMSO. Although funded as a two‐year project, the goal of EMS Compass is not just to create and evaluate performance measures, but to develop a system for designing performance measures that can live on well beyond the timeline of the current initiative.
The EMS Compass performance measures will be based on the latest National EMS Information System (NEMSIS) compliant data points and will allow EMS agencies to use local and state data meaningfully to improve care.
For more information about EMS Compass or to volunteer to be involved in the national effort, sign up to receive updates at www.emscompass.org, and follow the initiative on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter (@EMSCompass).
