Ems Blogging | Medic Madness

How the internet has made me a better Paramedic

The blinders are off and I have seen the light! For the longest time I had a very closed-minded view of EMS and how it should be run. Having worked in a single-medic private based EMS system my entire career, I haven’t had much opportunity to see other ways of delivering patient care. While I still remain partial to my system, I have a new found respect for the many differences and similarities that we all share. Ever since I started this blog and started yapping away on Twitter, I have met many respectable EMS professionals and have had the opportunity to share and listen to great ideas.

Happy Medic’s Blog opened my eyes to a fire-based EMS system that is actually quite similar to the system that I currently work in. Until recently, I would cringe at the words “fire-based EMS”. Well…..I still kinda do, but I have a lot of respect for Justin and the work that he has done to promote the concept of EMS 2.0. He has shown me that it is possible (although difficult) to be a good paramedic and firefighter at the same time.

Reading Ambo Driver’s blog has made for some good laughs and valuable lessons learned. For example; his article about spinal immobilization made me read further on the subject and really rethink my “c-spine everyone” mentality. I have been able to use his many years of experience and expertise to improve my practice in the field.

Mark Glencorse has really opened my eyes to a different kind of EMS system with his Medic999 Blog. For the first time, he showed me that other systems have options to advise and even deny people transport to an ER by ambulance! This is something unheard of in my area. Reading his blog has shown me that patient advocacy doesn’t always consist of transporting everyone to the hospital. I have also found it very interesting to read that while fire departments in the United States are standing in line to start providing paramedic-level service, fire departments in Europe are doing everything they can to stay out of EMS all together! It’s just another example of people working differently to achieve the same goal.

I recently started to read MsParamedic’s blog, which grabbed my attention when I read her article about scene safety. It really drove home the fact that we are not invincible. I was able to relate as I had a very similar experience. Her post brought me back to that time and made me remember how important it is to make sure that myself and my partner are safe and make it home at night.

Having the opportunity to be a guest on the EMS Garage (or Happy Hour if you will) was a wonderful experience. I learned a lot by speaking with all of the experienced EMS professionals on the show. Hearing everyones takes on fire-based EMS and the future of EMS in general was quite the experience. It is something that I hope to do again in the near future.

Last and certainly not least, I must give major thanks to hard work put into the Chronicles of EMS. Following the project has really shown me that we are all after the same goal. I think that it is a wonderful way to connect EMS professionals from around the globe in an effort to perfect the important job that we do. It is truly the beginning of a new era. As the project grows and more people become involved, we will see EMS 2.0 transform from an idea to reality.

I read so many blogs everyday that I would be nearly impossible to list what I have gained from everyone. I can only hope that my posts and contributions will someday attribute to another EMS professional’s knowledge base. Thank you all for everything you do for not only EMS professionals, but the patients that you serve as well.

Keep up the good work!

HIPAA vs EMS Bloggers

Yes I’m bringing up the much feared “H” word…..but for a good reason!

I read various EMS-related blogs and Twitter posts every day. Most come with some pretty interesting stories about calls ran. Unfortunately, some are a little too detailed and have the potential to get some people in trouble. I know this because I speak from first hand experience.

Being guilty of sharing my calls for the day with the world, I have been known to give out a little too much information. On one occasion, my boss actually called me into his office because he received a complaint about a story I posted on my blog. Luckily it just amounted to me pulling the post off my blog and no real damage was done. However, had it have been pushed any further, I could have easily been fined thousands of dollars. My employer would have also been fined, which would have probably translated into me being unemployed.

Many EMS bloggers violate HIPAA and don’t even know it. There is a huge misconception that leaving out patient names protects us from privacy laws. The truth is, you have to pretty much leave out any details that could even remotely link the story to a patient. For example; if the patient can read your blog and identify the story as being their incident, then HIPAA has been violated.

So how do I HIPAA-Proof my blog?

The only way to make your blog 100% compliant is to just not reference calls without a patient’s permission. If you read my blog, you obviously know this is not how I practice. I do however, take several steps to minimize my risks.

First and foremost, NEVER use patient names, addresses, pictures, etc. Anything that directly links your story to the patient is just an attorneys payday waiting to happen. Making up fake names or not using names at all is an easy way around this.

We all like to brag about who we work for right? Well don’t do it. Don’t even mention what agency or company you work for. Doing so places yourself and your employer at risk. This goes for the entire blog, not just the story.

Don’t talk about where you work, or even where you live. Be vague when discussing your location. Use terms like “Southern California” rather than “Los Angeles California”. This also applies to the entire blog.

Don’t get detailed when discussing call locations. Describing your scene as “Chili’s Restaurant on 4th street”, is a bad idea. Instead either make up a fake establishment or just don’t even mention any business names.

Blogging is like journalism, so aren’t I covered under the “freedom of the press?”

No, no and hell no.

Sure Geraldo Rivera can pretty much say anything he wants on TV and be covered under the constitution, but Geraldo isn’t a paramedic (thank god). We are healthcare providers and we sign HIPAA agreements when we go through school and start employment. As a matter of fact, posting protected information on the internet is about the worst way you can violate privacy laws.

Don’t get me wrong people, I love reading about how you intubated 2 people at the same time or successfully stuck an IV in someones earlobe. Just please be careful and protect yourself!

If anyone is interested, more HIPAA information can be found at http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy.

How the internet has made me a better Paramedic

HIPAA vs EMS Bloggers

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