Washoe County Health District Applauds Work and Innovation of REMSA Health
Results of the Market Survey Requirement Between REMSA Health and the Washoe County Health District Confirm Continued Service by REMSA Health
Contributed by: Dean C. Dow, President and CEO, REMSA Health
Recently, REMSA Health completed a market survey to compare our ground ambulance transport services to other agencies in order to continue our contractual agreement with the Washoe County Health District. I am grateful for and proud of the work REMSA Health Ground Operations healthcare providers and staff do every day. Their contributions directly impacted the success of the market survey.
Summary
REMSA Health holds a franchise agreement with Washoe County as the exclusive provider of ambulance transport services to Sparks, Reno and unincorporated areas of Washoe County. Per the “Amended and Restated Franchise Agreement for Ambulance Service” that REMSA Health has with the Washoe County Health District, the organization is required to periodically undertake a market survey in which REMSA Health is compared to EMS agencies across the country and Canada. This requirement ensures that the services provided, optimize the quality and experience of care and achieve economic efficiency. The 2021 market survey was completed earlier this year by Fitch & Associates, a third-party vendor, and it was determined by the Washoe County Health District that REMSA Health is competitive on services and cost; therefore no competitive bid is required for REMSA Health to continue to operate, with no changes, under the current agreement.
Why This Matters to You
This market study affirms that REMSA Health provides exceptional value to the citizens of Washoe County by performing at or above EMS industry best practices in key areas including response time, clinical care, safety, patient experience, and finance and reimbursement. From the second a medically-trained REMSA Health dispatcher answers your 911 call to the moment the paramedics and EMTs arrive at your location, REMSA Health pairs expertise with compassion. When the healthcare team assesses your medical needs and provides patient navigation or when appropriate, transport to a healthcare facility, we are focused on providing innovative solutions that improve the health of the community.
A More Detailed Look at the Market Survey
For this survey, REMSA Health was compared to 20 similar and dissimilar EMS agencies. A sample of comparison agencies include: Orlando Fire Department, Cleveland Fire Department EMS, Richmond Ambulance Authority, Vancouver EMS and Pinellas County Fire Department. The survey included a three-day, on-site visit to REMSA Health, as well as 108 questions across 14 categories including: Accreditation, Communications, Response Time Reliability, Production Capacity, Clinical Care, Patient Experience, Safety, Community Outreach, Workforce Focus, Leadership, Operations, Fleet, Finance/Reimbursement, and COVID-19 Hospital Turnaround Times. The goal was to do a competitive market survey while analyzing the EMS system including dispatch data. The consultants created their own optimized deployment model, and compared it to REMSA Health’s current model. The overall percentage scores of all agencies included in this study ranged from 38% to 84.3%. The overall mean percent score for the 20 agencies was 63.8%. REMSA Health’s overall score of 84.3% ranked first – ahead of UMC Health in Lubbock, TX and Sunstar EMS in Largo, FL. Although REMSA Health scored first, or very high, in many categories, areas of improvement were also identified and include accreditation status, linking clinical care services to the statewide Health Information Exchange, and National Registry Requirements. The market survey provided the Washoe County District Board of Health with enough information to conclude that REMSA Health is operating extremely well in terms of quality, experience of care, and economic efficiency. The board applauded the work and innovation being done especially during the pandemic and found no reason to place the contract out to competitive bid. Per REMSA Health’s “Amended and Restated Franchise Agreement for Ambulance Service” with the Washoe County Health District, REMSA Health shall undertake another market survey in 2027.
