Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems
Encyclopedia
The Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) , is an independent, non-profit agency which audits and accredits fixed-wing and rotary wing air medical transport services as well as ground inter-facility critical care services in the U.S. to a set of industry-established criteria. CAMTS has accredited 132 medical transport programs in the U.S. as of June, 2007 as well as three in Canada and one in South Africa.
CAMTS accreditation, once granted, lasts for three years, at which time it can be renewed by being reaudited. Preparation for initial accreditation generally takes from four to six months,, as the process examines all aspects of operations, from management to medical protocols to flight operations.
. Some examples are the states of
Colorado
,
New Jersey
,
New Mexico
,
Utah
,, Michigan and
Washington. According to the rationale used to justify Washington's adopting the accreditation requirements, "Requiring accreditation of air ambulance services provides assurance that the service meets national public safety standards. The accreditation is done by professionals who are qualified to determine air ambulance safety. In addition, compliance with accreditation standards is done on a continual basis by the accrediting organization. Their accreditation standards are periodically revised to reflect the dynamic, changing environment of medical transport with considerable input from all disciplines of the medical profession."
Other states require either CAMTS accreditation or a demonstrated equivalent, such as Rhode Island
and Texas
, which has adopted CAMTS' Accreditation Standards (Sixth Edition, October 2004) as its own. In Texas and Maryland, an operator not wishing to become CAMTS accredited must submit to an equivalent survey by state auditors who are CAMTS-trained. An exception would be the Maryland State Police, who are not accredited. Virginia
, Arizona, Missouri, and Oklahoma
have also adopted CAMTS accreditation standards as their state licensing standards.
Background
CAMTS first enacted its Accreditation Standards in 1991, which were developed by its member organizations as well as with extensive public comment and input. The Standards are the core element to the CAMTS program, which delares that the highest priorities for medical transport services companies are "patient care and safety of the transport environment".CAMTS accreditation, once granted, lasts for three years, at which time it can be renewed by being reaudited. Preparation for initial accreditation generally takes from four to six months,, as the process examines all aspects of operations, from management to medical protocols to flight operations.
CAMTS' member organizations
CAMTS is an "organization of organizations" composed of fourteen member organizations, each of which has representation on the Commission's board of directors. The member organizations are:- Aerospace Medical Association
- Air Medical Physicians Association
- American Academy of PediatricsAmerican Academy of PediatricsThe American Academy of Pediatrics is the major professional association of pediatricians in the United States. The AAP was founded in 1930 by 35 pediatricians to address pediatric healthcare standards. It currently has 60,000 members in primary care and sub-specialist areas...
- American Association of Respiratory Care
- American College of Emergency PhysiciansAmerican College of Emergency PhysiciansThe American College of Emergency Physicians is the first and largest professional organization of emergency medicine physicians in the United States. It was founded in 1968 and is now headquartered in Irving, Texas. As of 2009 ACEP has over 28,000 physician members.The college exists to support...
- Association of Air Medical Services
- International Association of Flight Paramedics
- National Air Transportation Association
- National Association of Air Medical Communications Specialists
- National Association of State EMS Directors
- National EMS Pilots Association
- Air and Surface Transport Nurses Association
Requirement for accreditation
While in principle CAMTS accreditation is voluntary, a number of government jurisdictions require companies providing medical transportation services to have CAMTS accreditation in order to be licensed to operate. This is an increasing trend as state health services agencies address the issues surrounding the safety of emergency medical services flightsSafety of emergency medical services flights
The safety of emergency medical services flights has become a topic of public interest in the United States, with the expansion of emergency medical services aviation operations, such as air ambulance and MEDEVAC, and the increasing frequency of related accidents.-Background:Emergency medical...
. Some examples are the states of
Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
,
New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
,
New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
,
Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
,, Michigan and
Washington. According to the rationale used to justify Washington's adopting the accreditation requirements, "Requiring accreditation of air ambulance services provides assurance that the service meets national public safety standards. The accreditation is done by professionals who are qualified to determine air ambulance safety. In addition, compliance with accreditation standards is done on a continual basis by the accrediting organization. Their accreditation standards are periodically revised to reflect the dynamic, changing environment of medical transport with considerable input from all disciplines of the medical profession."
Other states require either CAMTS accreditation or a demonstrated equivalent, such as Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, which has adopted CAMTS' Accreditation Standards (Sixth Edition, October 2004) as its own. In Texas and Maryland, an operator not wishing to become CAMTS accredited must submit to an equivalent survey by state auditors who are CAMTS-trained. An exception would be the Maryland State Police, who are not accredited. Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, Arizona, Missouri, and Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
have also adopted CAMTS accreditation standards as their state licensing standards.
Notable accredited programs
- Air EvacAir Evac (airline)AIR EVAC ARIZONA is a wholly owned subsidiary of Petroleum Helicopters, Inc. PHI Air Medical, is a Medevac operator that provides services across Arizona, United States, Canada, Mexico. A provider of 80 helicopters, Air Evac also uses five King Air B200 airplanes for long range stable emergencies....
- ARCH Air Medical ServiceARCH Air Medical ServiceARCH Air Medical Service is an emergency medical service that provides critical care air ambulance service in Missouri, Illinois, and the surrounding regions. Air ambulance programs offer transport by helicopter or fixed-wing aircraft. ARCH Air was the twelfth program in the U.S...
- Lifestar Air Medical ServicesEmergycareEmergyCare was started in 1983 as a non-profit ambulance service for the city of Erie, Pennsylvania. The service has support from UPMC Hamot medical center and Saint Vincent Health Center, both in Erie. EmergyCare currently has divisions in Erie, Titusville, Warren and Kane. They are also co-owners...
- Memorial Hermann Life FlightLife FlightMemorial Hermann Life Flight is an air medical transport service based in Houston, Texas. Life Flight flies into 12th floor of the John S. Dunn Heli-Stop atop Memorial Hermann Hospital in the Texas Medical Center. It was founded in 1976.-History:...
- LifeMed Alaska, LLC
- STAT MedevacSTAT MedevacSTAT MedEvac is a service of the Center for Emergency Medicine of Western Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The primary function of STAT MedEvac is to provide air medical transport for patients with an injury or critical illness...
- Air Ambulance Professionals, Inc.
- AirMed InternationalAirMed InternationalAirMed International, LLC, based in Birmingham, Alabama, is a fee for service air ambulance airline. The company was founded in 1987 as MEDjet International and renamed AirMed International in 2003. AirMed offers international service to all countries except for Iraq, North Korea, and Libya...