Tri-Community South EMS Earns CAAS Reaccreditation
The CAAS Board of Directors voted unanimously to award the accreditation at their June 29, 2021 meeting. In early June, CAAS evaluators inspected the system's records, vehicles and facilities, and interviewed personnel. Their inspection of Tri-Community South EMS showed full compliance with all CAAS accreditation standards.
Tri-Community South EMS is one of five services in Pennsylvania, and one of the very few municipally-owned serves in the nation, to achieve this accreditation. The accreditation process is open to all types of ambulance services including private, fire-based, public authority, municipal third-service, regulated public utility and inter-facility transport, among others. At present, only 178 ambulance services in the United States, Canada and the West Indies have CAAS accreditation.
To achieve reaccreditation, Tri-Community South demonstrated that its policies, procedures and documentation continue to meet the accreditation standard, and that continuous quality improvement processes and accurate data about system performance have helped the system better meet the needs of the community. The accreditation granted to Tri-Community South EMS is for three years, the longest period for which CAAS grants accreditation. It shows Tri-Community South EMS met or exceeded the most stringent standards in all operational and administrative areas, in personnel, equipment, policies and procedures, documentation, and community responsibility. Tri-Community South EMS has maintained accreditation continuously since April 2006.
CAAS is an independent, non-profit organization comprised of EMS and health care experts, established to encourage and promote quality patient care in America's medical transportation system. The primary focus of the commission's standards is high-quality patient care. This is accomplished by establishing national standards which not only address the delivery of patient care but also the ambulance service's total operation and its relationships with other agencies, the general public and the medical community. The commission's standards often exceed state or local licensing requirements.
Several states now recognize CAAS accreditation as evidence of qualification for state licensure. Pennsylvania does not do this, so in February, Tri-Community South EMS also completed its triennial state licensure inspection. This inspection is conducted by the regional EMS council to ensure that the service complies with all state laws and regulations, and that the personnel and equipment meet all state standards.
For more information, visit the Tri-Community South EMS website or call 412-831-3710 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.