Chippewa Valley Technical College in Eau Claire will host a Community Paramedicine Forum on Monday, July 20.  The event is sponsored by the Wisconsin Office of Rural Health.

The day will include news and updates on community paramedicine in Wisconsin, a health care model designed to improve access to and quality of care in rural and urban communities.

Presentations include:

EMS, hospitals, providers, and local and state elected officials are among those who should find the Forum helpful.

The Forum will be in Room 103A of the Chippewa Valley Technical College Business Education Center, 620 W. Clairemont Ave, Eau Claire.  The $25 registration fee includes continental breakfast and lunch.

The license renewal time period was from November 1, 2013, to June 30, 2014.

The survey is open through Friday, June 26, 2015. Participant responses are completely anonymous.

This webcast discusses chain of custody, drug diversion, and best practices

>> Click to listen now to this webcast interview

Where is your ambulance service most at risk with drug diversion (theft of a controlled narcotics)?

What is your procedure if drugs go missing or the inventory count is off?

Are you routinely checking to make sure box packaging and drug containers haven't been tampered with?

What is the most common weakest link in any drug control program?  (hint:  unwitnessed wasting)

What is best for inventory management and security - a snap lock or zip tie lock?  (Hint:  one lock failed and the other didn't in deterring drug diversion.)

Did you know a DEA registration number is required for each physical location where controlled narcotics are stored?  A two station system requires two different DEA numbers.

While an ambulance service should trust its employees, sometimes the temptation for an employee to steal is too great!  Employee theft is one thing, but diverting controlled narcotics is another that raises the severity of the crime.  According to the DEA, theft of controlled narcotics most often happens when an employee suffers an injury and is taken off the prescribed pain medicine when under the care of a physician. Unfortunately, when it comes to drug diversion, it's not a matter of if something will happen, but when.  Thinking about this is the kind of stuff that gives an ambulance director sleepless nights.

We answered all the questions that led into this post and many others too during our live broadcast of Wisconsin EMS Live regarding EMS controlled narcotics, system management and drug diversion on Tuesday, June 9.  The program was recorded.

Our guests included Drug Enforcement Agency Wisconsin Supervisor Kathy Federico, Wisconsin Ambulance Inspector Paul Schilling, and Baraboo District Ambulance Chief Dana Sechler and Deputy Chief John Rago.

Listen as Dana and John share their recent event catching an employee diverting drugs, and what they did and learned from this experience.

Recommendations from the live show:

>> Click to review Wisconsin EMS Controlled Substance Management  Procedure.

>> Click for a source recommended by Baraboo District Ambulance to purchase biometric safe locks.

Most importantly, test your controlled narcotics procedures and system.  With all good intentions, and what maybe surprising results, throw inventory counts off, visibly tamper and reseal box packaging, open inventory tags - even ask employees to sign as a "witness" to an unwitnessed wasting of narcs.  It's all for the better of your system and minimizing risk.  Find ways to test your system and manage the weakest link - where are you most vulnerable?

Show co-hosts included Joe Covelli, Patrick Ryan and Dan Williams.  The full episode is 60 minutes. >> Click to listen now to this webcast interview.

Don’t miss a beat of the action – listen to Wisconsin EMS Live.  Also, check the archive for all past show episodes.

Ryan Brothers Ambulance in Madison announced it signed a distance learning agreement with Hennepin Technical College in Minneapolis.  The effort shows great collaboration between the two organizations to bring Community Paramedicine to Wisconsin. 

The online classes will be held Thursday evenings beginning August 13, 2015.  The class will be distance learning, with one Skills Day to be held in Madison, Wisconsin in October.  The class is open to those interested.

>> Click for Ryan Brothers class information and course fee.

>> Click for Hennepin Technical College CP brochure.

As we've previously reported, out of 1,000 community paramedics trained in the United States right now, Minnesota's Hennepin Technical College has trained 600 of them.

The patients typically are confined to their beds and can't be moved in a wheelchair, so they need the service that ambulances and emergency medical technicians can offer.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is now seven months into a pilot program designed to weed out fraud in ambulance service for nonemergencies.

The agency -- and some transportation companies -- say tougher compliance is doing the trick and saving taxpayers money. But other operators say it is going overboard and putting patients' lives at risk.

What's all the fuss about?  States with the biggest increase in nonemergency ambulance trips, 2002-2011:

1. California: +554 percent

2. Georgia: +301 percent

3. South Carolina: +218 percent

4. Indiana: +183 percent

5. Pennsylvania: +159 percent

6. New Jersey: +144 percent

U.S.: +94 percent

>> Read more

Rep. Novak explains, "The residents of Gratiot and South Wayne are obviously very concerned over the thought that it might take up to 30 minutes for a Wisconsin ambulance to arrive at their home."

At present, an Illinois ambulance can no longer cross the stateline, because its volunteer staff doesn't possess a certificate that Wisconsin requires.

In his testimony today, Novak explains the National Registry Certificate has nothing to do with the quality of service, it simply makes it easier for agencies to cross state lines. Illinois doesn't require it. Novak's bill looks to make an exemption for out-of-state ambulance services that make 10 or less transports per year in Wisconsin.

Novak says, "Warren, Illinois, will only be dispatched in emergency situations. And I believe between DHS and the sheriff, we'll be able to keep track of when Warren will be dispatched out."

>> Click for video news story.

Community paramedicine is all the buzz in Wisconsin EMS right now.  We are learning a lot from our EMS friends in Minnesota, Texas, and elsewhere.  On May 25, Nevada became the newest state to pass CP legislation. 

Minnesota is years ahead of Wisconsin in developing community CP programs, legislation, curriculum, training, and licensing personnel.  Minnesota has extended to Wisconsin their assistance, so we can shorten the learning curve, get caught up, and use best practices they've already vetted as successful.  As we've previously reported, out of 1,000 community paramedics trained in the United States right now, Minnesota's Hennepin Technical College has trained 600 of them.

This past week we have fielded a lot of questions about CP and ways for those interested to get involved.  Here's my top six suggestions:

1. Sign up for the Rural Health CP list serve.  The link is https://lists.wisc.edu/read/all_forums/subscribe?name=cp.  I believe there are over 150 signed up to get information on CP.

2. PAAW created a webpage dedicated to serve as a central point of communication and information for those interested in CP.  The link is http://paaw.us/cp.

3. We've done several interviews on CP.  The two most recent are at these locations by two people leading CP in Minnesota and nationally.
a. Buck McAlpin from Minnesota (click here for audio interview)
b. Gary Wingrove from Mayo Clinic (click here for audio interview)

4.  The Paramedic Systems of Wisconsin conference in Green Bay on Thursday, Sept. 24 will include Minnesota's Buck McAlpin as a presenter speaking on CP.  PAAW is sponsoring his presentation.  The conference website is http://psow.org/.  The conference schedule will be announced sometime in July or early August.

5. PAAW President Patrick Ryan hosts every other Friday a CP conference call.  The next call is Friday, June 5 starting at 9:00 a.m.  The call in number is 646-929-1081.  The calls are also recorded and posted at the website noted above as item 2.  There have been 35 to 40 participants on a regular basis the past few months.  To be added to the call reminder list, contact Patrick at email president@paaw.us.

6. Wisconsin CP legislation in is draft form largely being discussed and driven by the group noted above as item 5.

Accept this posting as your invitation to join the CP conversation.

Our guests include Drug Enforcement Agency Wisconsin Supervisor Kathy Federico, Wisconsin Ambulance Inspector Paul Schilling, and Baraboo District Ambulance Chief Dana Sechler and Deputy Chief John Rago.

Join co-hosts Chris Anderson, Joe Covelli, Patrick Ryan and Dan Williams for the conversation.

The episode is scheduled to run 60 minutes.  As always your questions and emails will be taken during the live show.  Should you miss it each show is recorded, so just look in the archive.

There are about 1,000 paramedics in the United States now that have completed a Community Paramedic curriculum, roughly 600 of them trained by Hennepin Technical College in Minneapolis.  Many of their distance learning CP classes are full with students from the US and abroad.

>> Click to listen to the audio webcast with Gary Wingrove.

Each person nominated is presented with Wisconsin Stars of Life honors!

Take this opportunity to reward and celebrate an employee, volunteer, or community citizen who exemplifies the everyday spirit and commitment of a Star of Life.

You do not need to be a member of PAAW to submit a nomination application.  All nominations are welcome.

One person from the group of 2015 honorees will be selected and advance to represent Wisconsin.  This individual will be recognized at the National Stars of Life program in Washington, D.C., April 11 to 13, 2016.  PAAW will provide a $750 travel voucher, and the American Ambulance Association Foundation will provide a grant for hotel and event registration fees for the Star, Star's guest, and host (employer).

The Professional Ambulance Association of Wisconsin's Stars of Life celebration is the most rewarding and exciting Wisconsin event in our field and is modeled after the American Ambulance Association's national Stars program.

The 2015 event will be the ninth time PAAW has proudly presented the Wisconsin Stars of Life program.  This special event recognizes and honors the dedication of ambulance service professionals - people that stand out in every area of our field.  You choose your "Star." These are the people who will be recognized in a series of celebratory events.

The schedule of events includes a welcome reception at Green Bay Packers Lambeau Field Atrium and dinner and awards program during the Paramedic Systems of Wisconsin (PSOW) conference.  In addition, Stars gather at the State Capitol for a one-day event in Madison in October/November 2015 to be recognized before the senate and assembly, and to meet their local elected leaders for one-on-one meetings.

To nominate someone deserving of this high honor, just download the registration packet.  Each person nominated is presented Wisconsin Stars of Life honors.  The deadline to submit is August 1, 2015.

>> Click for Stars of Life 2015 webpage.

>> Click for schedule of events.

>> Click for Stars of Life 2015 nomination application.