Ft Worth Times

Members of the Fort Worth City Council’s Ad Hoc Committee on Emergency Medical Response received feedback from area hospital CEOs, as well as a project update from consultants Fitch & Associates at their meeting Tuesday, Dec.12.

Among the information conveyed was the fact that MedStar is no longer in need of transitional funding from the City of Fort Worth to maintain service levels.

Additionally, 10 area hospital CEOs were asked to share their experiences with MedStar’s services from the perspectives of:

• Administration.
• Interfacility transports.
• Medical protocols.
• Volume and data.
• Ways to provide input for improvement.

CEOs broadly reported satisfaction with MedStar’s performance in patient care and quality but expressed the need to see improvement in MedStar’s billing timeliness and a need for continued dialogue over how to handle nonemergency interfacility transports.

Additionally, EMS Ad Hoc committee members received a project update from Fitch & Associates, the consultants selected to determine the best path forward for the City of Fort Worth’s EMS system through a comprehensive study. Their update focused on the 911 dispatch system and how a call from a resident flows through the system from Police to Fire and EMS, and highlighted matters for review.

Fitch acknowledged the work being done by the 911 Working Group that is focused on co-location of the three current dispatch centers, enhancing dispatch with 311 and mental health services, and providing a better overall experience for users of the service.

The City and Fitch will continue to examine EMS response times. Their focus will be on identifying any redundancies in the local 911 response system to find opportunities for improvement with the currently segmented Fire, Police and EMS systems.

Finally, committee members were advised that the MedStar board of directors approved a fiscal year 2024 balanced budget without the need for the previously proposed $4.2 million in transitional funding. The committee requested additional information on the details that went into balancing the budget, which will be provided at the January 23 EMS Ad Hoc Committee meeting. Those funds, contained in the FY2024 City budget, will remain available should the need arise, although allocation would require additional action by the mayor and City Council.

The Fort Worth City Council awarded the contract for the EMS study to Fitch & Associates on Oct. 31. Fitch is a well-known public safety consulting firm and has worked with various Texas municipalities and public-sector clients. Their ongoing evaluation of the EMS system will include a review of MedStar’s current organizational structure, processes, financials, call volume, facilities and member city needs.

The Ad Hoc Committee, appointed by Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker, is chaired by Councilmember Carlos Flores and includes Councilmembers Macy Hill, Jared Williams, Elizabeth Beck and Charles Lauersdorf.

View the full meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee on Emergency Medical Response.

Original source can be found here.