Tri-County Maine EMS - Your Life Support Team

Regional Medical Direction

Rebecca Chagrasulis, MD is the Tri-County EMS Regional Medical Director. She can be contacted by calling the regional EMS office at 207 795-2880.

Notes from the Regional Medical Director July 2011

 1) Please review attached draft of "Maine EMS Interfacility Transfer Decision Tree". This is the result of several months of discussion pertaining to which transfers are appropriate for PIFT. This tool will help both providers and hospitals with Which Patients need Which levels of care. This is extremely important to hospitals due to EMTALA requirements that the Sending Facility is responsible for appropriate personnel and equipment on the transfer.

Please note the Page discussing "Stable", "High potential for instability". This lists examples which should help guide level of transporting provider needed.

2) The protocols are going to the printer after formatting issues are corrected by Maine EMS. The Education Committee is working on an educational module for the protocols, some of which most likely will be in the form of on-line review. I am planning on attending the Education Committee in August. Most likely this roll-out education will be ready by October 1st. The go-live date for the protocols will be either December 1st or sometime in December.

If any of you need to see the draft, let Joanne or myself know, and we'll try to help you out.

3) Dr. Heidi Blake has been added to our list of local medical directors, as she is assuming the role at SMH of local EMS oversight. She is continuing the work with PACE on EKG QI, using the "sticker" approach. The PACE provider puts a sticker on the back of the EKG with their name, interpretation of the rhythm, STEMI Yes or No, ASA given yes or no. The ED providers then over-read those EKG's, and Bob Hand keeps track of the data. We just started this process in April. If any of you are interested in this "sticker", let me know.

4) The Tri-County EMS Airway QI team is not meeting in August, but will continue to meet the second Wednesday of each month at the Tri-County EMS office in Lewiston. We review all airway calls where adjuncts or advanced airways are used. Please come when you can.

Thanks,

Becky Chagrasulis