EMS System Review - State of New Jersey

State of New Jersey, DHSS, OEMSConsulting Services: EMS System ReviewVI. AIR MEDICAL EMS (JEMSTAR)This chapter reports on the status of air medical EMS in New Jersey, with specialemphasis on the JEMSTAR program. We evaluated air medical response, oversight and financialimplications. Several decisions must be made concerning the future of Air Medical EMS in NewJersey. Guidance on these issues is provided in this chapter.Air Medical EMS ResponseAir Medical EMS response is provided primarily by state air medical transport programthat is augmented by private air medical transport agencies.JEMSTAR – Air Medical EMS response is provided by a joint venture between the NewJersey State Police (NJSP) and contracts DHSS who is with ALS programs for the medicalcomponent. Known as JEMSTAR, the program was established by legislation in 1988. The NJSPprovides the aircraft and two pilots per helicopter and DHSS provides grants to the ALSprograms provide two flight nurses or one flight nurse and one flight paramedic. Theirresponsibilities include response to out-of-hospital emergencies, critical care transports and somelaw enforcement duties. Air Medical transportation is also provided by private agencies that arelicensed to provide back-up service for JEMSTAR for on-scene emergencies. They are alsopermitted to do inter-hospital transfers regardless of JEMSTAR’s status. Of these licensedagencies, three are located in New Jersey.In 2004 and 2005, JEMSTAR responded to 6,186 requests for services, about 3,000 peryear or 8 per day. Of these responses, 1686 (27 percent) resulted in cancellation, 983 (16percent) were for non-emergency missions and 2770 (45 percent) for out-of-hospital missionsrequiring transports.Air Medical response is provided by two helicopters, both Sikorsky S-76B helicopterscapable of traveling at 175 MPH. One helicopter is responsible for Northern New Jersey and theother for Southern New Jersey.JEMSTAR is funded by state motor vehicles registration funds and collection of fees forthe medical care transport. transport. $3.00 of each auto registration fee goes to the NJSP tofinance the helicopter service except for $2.5 million that is split between the two provideragencies. All flights are billed at $1,337 regardless of third-party coverage.NorthStar – The northern New Jersey aircraft is known as NorthStar and is located atSomerset Airport, with medical care provided by personnel from the EMS Department of theUniversity of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) Hospital. Medical direction isprovided by the Level I Trauma Center at UMDNJ.TriData, a Division of 96September 2007System Planning Corporation