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Tue Sep 29 03:51:47 BST 2009

Some large EMS/ambulance agencies hold the official policy --  
developed solely, as near as I can tell, by the lawyers in Risk  
Management -- that any patient who is transported emergently (lights/ 
sirens) to a hospital MUST go to the closest. Only exceptions are for  
STEMI to cath lab, trauma pts going to a trauma center, and peds. The  
theory appears to be that any hospital provides a "higher level of  
care" then EMS, and the only "responsible" thing to do is get the pt  
in front of an MD -- any MD -- as soon as possible.

Obviously this is just one experience, but as with so many things in  
modern medicine, this transport decision may be based on policy  
informed by legal rather than clinical considerations.

Garth
NREMTP

On Sep 28, 2009, at 08:33 , kmattox at aol.com wrote:

>> From what I have read and experienced, this policy to stop at the  
>> nearest
> facility should be changed.  It is based on some old desires to not  
> loose
> business, even though the closest facility often does not have the
> appropriate  expertese.
>
> k
>
>
>
>
>
> In a message dated 9/28/2009 10:14:05 A.M. Central Daylight Time,
> Krin135 at aol.com writes:
>
> Virtually all of the Basic only
> squads  I've worked with  in the past 20 years are required by their
> protocols to
> transport to the  nearest facility.
>
>
> --
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