Ambulance

Focus on NAEMT (National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians)
Good luck,
Chuck!
As Conrad (Chuck) T. Kearns steps down as president of NAEMT, Ambulance Today’s Joe Smith caught up
with him for a quick review of his time as president and his wishes for NAEMT as it goes forward under
NAEMT president-elect Dennis Rowe. Ambulance Today would like to wish Chuck all the best in the future!
Joe Smith: How have you enjoyed
your time as President of NAEMT
– can you tell us a little about what
the role involves and the demands it
makes on you?
Chuck Kearns: I have greatly enjoyed my
time as NAEMT President - I must admit
however that the time demands were
greater than I anticipated. Between the
frequent trips to attend meetings with other
associations, to signing contracts, chairing
meetings and making many phone calls,
being a volunteer leader of such a large and
dynamic organization is quite challenging.
JS: NAEMT is going through a
period of notable growth right now
and is, for example, offering an even
wider menu of training development
options to its members. So, what
have been the highlights of your
presidency in terms of NAEMT’s
development?
CK: The growth in our world-wide
membership and the expansion of our
educational courses. We’ve added
thousands of members and almost doubled
our course offerings in the last several years.
JS: How has American prehospital
care changed during your
presidency? Does NAEMT face the
same challenges representing its
membership now or are new issues
appearing which change the focus
of your organisation? I ask this in
light of developments such as the
Winter 2016 | Ambulancetoday
implementation of Obama-care and
the impact this has been having on
EMS deliverers across the states.
CK: On the positive side, we’ve seen rapid
growth in Mobile Integrated Healthcare –
Community Paramedics and their practice
to reduce unnecessary ambulance runs
and hospital readmissions. On the negative
side, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which
many of us call the UN-affordable Care Act,
has caused a rise in insurance deductible
amounts. A patient’s insurance doesn’t
engage until patients pay higher amounts out
of pocket up front. So, ambulance providers
have found it harder to collect payment for
our services and it has increased our bad
debt.
JS: What do you think are going to
be the major challenges for American
EMS in the immediate future?
CK: We have to be looking for more ways
to be safer in our medical practices and
be more efficient in the face of shrinking
reimbursements.
JS: What are your own plans for the
future - will you remain active in
NAEMT as past-president?
CK: Yes, I look forward to the next two
years serving as Immediate Past President
and helping President Rowe advance his
agenda and our association’s goals.
To find out more about NAEMT
visit: www.naemt.org
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