The G&A Way

S3E3 - Getting to The “WHY” in EMS CQI

Most EMS CQI programs spend most of their time looking for what went wrong on a call. If you really want to turbocharge your CQI program, dive deeper and get to the “Why”.  Errors occur for many reasons but to truly fix an issue, having a complete and thorough understanding of Why something occurred allows you to create a more meaningful and impactful solution. Get to the root cause of your agency’s CQI issues by understanding the Why.

In this episode Paul and Kevin discuss why providers do what they do, how to get them to open up about the real challenges they had on a call, and why understanding the Why results is a better CQI process.

S3E2 - EMS CQI: Handling the Difficult Employee

Paul and Kevin discuss the challenges of performing CQI with providers who are difficult to work with. Learn how to identify these individuals and what you can do to gain their trust and improve their patient care.

S3E1 - Does your EMS agency use a Round Robin CQI process?

Many agencies use a "round robin" style of CQI in their EMS CQI program. What is "round robin" you ask? And is this the right fit for your organization? Paul and Kevin explain what the round robin style of CQI is, and what things you may want to consider before employing this type of process. 

S2E9 - Working the Bias Out of Your EMS CQI Program

Bias in your EMS CQI program can be a quality killer. Even agencies with the best of intentions have some degree of bias in it, that’s just human nature. There are ways however to minimize the effects of bias on your process that will enhance your efforts and minimize the complaints and dissatisfaction that come with a biased CQI program. In this episode, Paul and Kevin discuss how bias can negatively impact your patient care quality and what to do about it.

S2E8 - Sepsis And The Unwary EMS Provider

While not sexy, sepsis is a common and potentially life-threatening condition. Do your field providers understand sepsis and does your CQI process recognize missed sepsis treatment opportunities? In this episode, Paul and Kevin discuss the challenges providers have in recognizing and treating sepsis, and what CQI managers need to be on the lookout for to prevent negative patient outcomes.

S2E7 - How to CQI audit an EMS run report

In this episode, Paul and Kevin speak with guest Jerry Bardwell on how to perform an audit of an EMS run report for CQI purposes. Understanding how to “read between the lines” can provide valuable insight into whether a call was performed to perfection, or whether there is room for improvement. You won’t want to miss this episode.

S2E6 - Do your providers bring all their equipment to the patient’s side?

Many providers still do not bring all their equipment to the patient’s side despite regulatory bodies attempts to change this practice. In this episode Paul and Kevin discuss why it is important to do, how to identify if this is an issue, and how to find and fix cases where providers fail to do so.

S2E5 - CQI Lessons From The Catskills EMS Incident

Bad patient care and customer service don’t usually happen in a vacuum. Can your CQI program identify and predict provider behaviors that may land your organization on the evening news? In this episode Paul and Kevin discuss how CQI can help prevent high visibility incidents and how your CQI program can be a leading indicator for such preventable behaviors.

S2E4 – CQI And The Stroke Patient: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Stroke CQI is about more than just giving a stroke alert and doing a stroke assessment. Join Paul and Kevin as they discuss the various intricate details of performing CQI on The CVA patient and what errors providers make that should be identified and addressed

S2E3 - Moving Your Patient Safely: Why We Need To Document The Details Of How We Move Our Patients

Paul and Kevin discuss why medical directors and regulatory agencies are requiring more detail in the documentation of how patients are moved. Learn why how you move the patient is the newest frontier in proper documentation and how to get providers to give you the data you need.

S2E2 - The Provider Induced Patient Refusal

Providers who actively solicit a patient refusal in the field is about as high a risk activity that can cause adverse patient outcomes and potentially lawsuits. In this episode Paul and Kevin discuss the provider induced patient refusal (PIPR) and discuss ways for EMS CQI professionals to minimize this risk.

S2E1 - Timely Topics in EMS CQI: The ACS Patient

In the season 2 opener, Paul and Kevin discuss the ACS patient and how EMS CQI programs can better understand the challenges and solutions to successfully identify improvement opportunities for ACS patients.

Episode 16 - The G&A Way Podcast: Season 1, “That’s a Wrap”!

Paul and Kevin discuss season 1 and how the G&A Way Podcast came to be, a retrospective review of the topics in season 1, and some teasers on what to expect in season 2.

Episode 15 - In Search of Excellence: The EMS 1%’ers

Paul and Kevin discuss the attributes and qualities of EMS 1%’ers. How do the 1%’ers act and what are the traits to look for when hiring the best-of-the-best to work for your organization?

Episode 14 - CQI Coordinator: The Therapist Will See You Now!

Paul and Kevin discuss how providers performance can, and is, affected by factors both known and unknown that lead them to under-perform. Understanding what impacts their behavior can help the CQI coordinator tailor their technique to get optimal performance from every provider.

Episode 13 - Your On-Base percentage: CQI The Moneyball Way

Standard QA/QI thinking is medieval. It asks all the wrong questions. In this episode Paul and Kevin talk about the movie Moneyball and how tracking a single key performance score is easier and more predictive of overall quality of care than trying to monitor dozens of individual measures.

Episode 12 - Timely Topics in EMS CQI: The ALS Downgrade Note

In this Episode, Paul and Kevin discuss the common phenomenon, ALS Triaging to BLS and the risks involved, without proper supporting documentation, to the patient, the provider, and the EMS agency.

Episode 11 - Did not know I could outsource EMS CQI

Paul and Kevin discuss the answer to the questions, "Why I can't get my EMS CQI right in-house" and “I didn’t know I could outsource EMS CQI”. Learn how outsourcing your EMS CQI program with Girard & Associates can benefit you, your agency and staff using the "G&A 4C's" of EMS CQI.

Episode 10 - ”Put a Lawyer on Speed Dial!”

On this episode Paul and Kevin discuss whether you are an EMS provider or an EMS Agency, put a lawyer on speed dial.  You are one complaint away from unbridled anxiety, stress, career long embarrassment, and even lawsuits. 

Episode 9 - Where Should EMS CQI Fall on The Organizational Chart

Paul and Kevin discuss where CQI should fall on an EMS service’s organizational chart and how CQI officers can still be effective even if they are not in the formal structure of the organization.