Opinions on a Memo

[meekosan]

I'm looking for people's opinions on something...mind you, someone already started the ball rolling on getting this rectified, but still want opinions nonetheless..

You walk into work and a memo stating the following is posted for BLS crews:

***ATTENTION***

As you may already be aware, you will not get a face-sheet for dialysis patients, or any other

Comments

[macforme]

YIKES.
I would be WAY afraid of that. BIG TIME. SO if something happens during your transport, you're basically screwed. You have no idea who the patient is etc?

I'm concerned.. this does not sound very safe or legal..I am assuming you are in NJ, if so, call NJ EMS and talk to Candace Gardner..

You are welcome to Email me if you have issues that you don't want to post here:

EMTbEduc8r@optonline.net

[meekosan]

All I can say is that a call was made to the state already. A "Christopher Tams" was spoken to according to my source.

And how did you know it was NJ?

[macforme]

Oh! I know Chris very well..

[macforme]

Sneaking suspicion...

[dr3m4n]

I've had a similar problem. The dialysis centers where our frequent flyers go generally don't have face-sheets for our patients, so what the crews do is that the crew who takes the patient to dialysis usually has all the information from the face-sheet at the originating facility and they leave a copy of the run-sheet with the dialysis staff for the crew to use when they come pick the patient up.

It's definitely better to have a face-sheet, though, so hopefully something will come out of having spoken with the state.

Yay for Jersey!

[meekosan]

That would work, *if* the original had access to the information. Those 3 facilities, we are prohibited from asking for it.

[anathelia]

lol do you work in north jersey? Where I work for started doing this not too long ago... it's a bitch because most of the time the dispatchers don't really want to deal with anyone... lol.

[meekosan]

*grins* yes...i know where you work.

[lostmyambition]

how are you prohibited from asking for the face sheet/hx/rx/allergies? you are a health care provider, continuing the care of the patient. it does not violate privacy rights. i guess i am just a little confused on how the dialysis place gets away with that.

[meekosan]

It's not the dialysis center. It's the SNF that the patients come from. I'm very much aware it isn't a violation of privacy. What shocked me was when I gave my report to a facility,I said " I don't know this I don't know that and this is why" The RN looked at me dumbfounded, and said we (as in the crew) need that information. I was nearly floored because that was honestly the first time a dialysis facility acknowledged us like that.

[lostmyambition]

see, thats even more baffling to me that the SNF doesn't have to give you any information. this, to me, is a complete breach in care. when they don't properly transfer the care of the patient to you, i.e. by giving you a report, they make themselves liable when the patient crashes and you have no information to work with or give the receiving facility, where ever it may be. it would even make your service liable because in a way they have, in effect, ordered you not to ask and the dispatchers probably don't have the requested information, nor are they probably updated with new diagnosis and treatments.

[steven1534]

I've refused to take a patient until I was given info...its a non-emerg prescheduled trip so I told them I would wait outside until they changed their mind...but that was back in the day when I was ornery and BLS...

[brendo]

This is one of many good reasons for, if not ePCR, than MDTs like the ones I've used. They display pickup, destination, run number, records times, and displays patient name, address, SSN, PCP, insurance companies and numbers, and the last 5 times s/he was picked up. It even has a mapping function that shows a line with the computer's chosen route from where you are to the next point (dispatch to pickup, then pickup to destination once you hit the Transport button) and your position.