CAMTS Reiterates Position on Transports for COVID-19 Patients

PRESS RELEASE

The Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) released a statement this week regarding medical transports of patients with suspected or diagnosed coronavirus. 

“There has been some misinformation about CAMTS’ position on transporting patients with the virus, and we want to ensure our accredited operators understand CAMTS is not dictating if a service should or should not transport,” said CAMTS Executive Director Eileen Frazer. “We are in the business of taking care of patients. We recognize these are extraordinary times and CAMTS will not penalize services for making temporary changes to continue to provide their vital service.”

The following complete statement was sent to all accredited services on March 24, 2020:

We are receiving many calls and emails about our official position on transporting patients with suspected or diagnosed coronavirus. First, it is NOT our position to dictate whether a patient with suspected or known coronavirus should be transported. Medical transport is an important part of healthcare and transport is the conduit to get the patient to the most appropriate and definitive care. Programs have unique opportunities to address the challenges of transporting patients while keeping staff healthy and able to function with diminishing resources and greater needs. 

As accredited services, there may be times when you just cannot meet the CAMTS Standards. Many professionals on the CAMTS Board of Directors are themselves involved in the same situations and realize these are extraordinary times. We will not penalize programs who need to make temporary changes to continue to provide a service. As best you can, continue to meet standards, especially as they pertain to quality and safety, but do what is right for your patients. As Winston Churchill once said: “It’s not enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what is required.” 

Over the past week, we sent out several blogs with ideas from various accredited services and helpful tips for pilots and mechanics. If you have developed innovative practices that have been effective and want to share—please pass them along and I will post them on our website. We need to help each other and stay connected during these unpredictable times. 

Eileen Frazer, Executive Director
 
Disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the press release above belong solely to the company/vendor/author and do not necessarily reflect those of EMS World or HMP.