EMS Patients, Partners, and the Community

The primary goal of the Rural Community Ambulance Agency Transformation Readiness Assessment and associated resources is to help ambulance agency leaders in rural America assess the state of their agency’s readiness in the core competency areas created following the Small Rural Hospital Blueprint for Performance Excellence and Value, adapted specifically for rural ambulance agencies from the Baldridge Excellence Framework for Health Care.

Patients, Partners, and the Community core competencies for the ambulance agency include:

• The agency participates in a community health assessment process to identify both strengths and needs to best serve the people in the community. 
• Staff receives ongoing education and support for effectively engaging multiple community stakeholders to coordinate transitions of care aimed at reducing hospital readmissions, unnecessary 911 response, Emergency Department (ED) utilization, and improving wellness. 
• The agency has a strategy to provide health assessments and education to the community at events such as a county fair, and on a scheduled basis at places like community centers. 
• Staff coordinates care with multiple stakeholders to address a patient's underlying needs and social determinants of health.

Resources for Rural Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Patients, Partners, and the Community

Moving from Loaded Miles to Value-Based Models: Flex Program Support for Rural Emergency Care

National Rural Health Resource Center (The Center)

Rural Emergency Medical Services Integration Guide

The Center

Community Health Needs Assessments: Resources for Community Paramedicine & Mobile Integrated Healthcare

NASEMSO

Improving Population Health by Working with Communities: Action Guide 3.0 

National Quality Forum (NQF)

The Rural Community Paramedicine Toolkit

Rural Health Information Hub (RHIhub)

Engaging Your Board and Community in Value-Based Care Conversations

Rural Health Value

Rural Health Disparities, Population Health, and Rural Culture

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

From Vision to Action: Measures to Mobilize a Culture of Health

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Population Health in Rural Communities

National Rural Health Association (NRHA)

Hospital-based Strategies for Creating a Culture of Health

Health Research & Educational Trust (HRET), American Hospital Association

Understanding and Addressing Social Determinants of Health: A Guide for Rural Health Care Leaders 

Rural Health Value

Social Determinants of Health Assessment Tools

Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS)

A Guide for Rural Hospitals to Identify Populations and Shift to Population Health (1.13 MB)

The Center