Clarifying site visits

While the information contained in this news article was current and accurate when we posted it, it may not necessarily represent current WVOEMS policy or procedure. If you have any questions, please contact our office at 304-558-3956.

Posted: Monday, December 22, 2008 3:39 PM

Effective January 1, 2009, the State Office will be updating the licensing inspection process . The inspections should be expected to last 3-4 hours for smaller agencies and up to 8 hours for larger agencies. We will be visiting all stations and the communications center during these inspections. Some of the changes you will see include the following:

• Inspection of personnel files for current information. Requirement III, "Reports and Records" states, "The EMS agency shall maintain all records as required by this rule and all other applicable rules, regulations and standards." Under this Requirement in the Licensure Manual, item #2 states, "Personnel records provide documentation of training and qualifications held for the position including evidence of certification". Therefore, any files missing current credentials may result in the agency failing to meet Requirement III.
• If your agency has any rapid response affiliates who operate under your operating license, those agencies are subject to inspection also. Affiliates should have written agreements with the "parent" agency. There should be evidence of the QA process as well as the medical director's involvement with the affiliates in order to achieve the maximum points in the Medical Director portion of the Standards.
• You will begin seeing a new format for the reports following inspections. We feel that this new format will be easier to read and will include our suggestions for areas where we feel improvement can be made.
• We will be placing more emphasis on safety for responders and patients. Policies should be in place regarding personnel safety and patient safety. Please have these documents available at the time of inspection.

Please become familiar with the Licensure Manual which is available under the Regulations Section of our website. This manual outlines all Requirements and Standards and provides guidelines as to what will be looked at during inspections. Should you have any further questions, please feel free to contact this Office.

W. Curtis Thomas
Agency Licensing Coordinator