[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 63 (Friday, April 1, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18934-18935]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-06960]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-2016-0035]


Revision of the Emergency Medical Services Agenda for the Future; 
Request for Information

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 
Department of Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice; request for information.

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SUMMARY: NHTSA, on behalf of the Federal Interagency Committee on 
Emergency Medical Services (FICEMS), is seeking comments from all 
sources (public, private, governmental, academic, professional, public 
interest groups, and other interested parties) on the planned revision 
of the 1996 Emergency Medical Services Agenda for the Future (EMS 
Agenda).
    FICEMS was created (42 U.S.C. 300d-4) by the Secretaries of 
Transportation, Health and Human Services and Homeland Security to, in 
part, ensure coordination among the Federal agencies involved with 
State, local, tribal or regional emergency medical services and 9-1-1 
systems. FICEMS has statutory authority to identify State and local 
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and 9-1-1 needs, to recommend new or 
expanded programs and to identify the ways in which Federal agencies 
can streamline their processes for support of EMS. FICEMS includes 
representatives from the Department of Defense (DoD) Office of the 
Assistant Secretary of Defense--Health Affairs, the Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for 
Preparedness and Response (ASPR), HHS Indian Health Service (IHS), HHS 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), HHS Health Resources 
and Services Administration (HRSA), HHS Centers for Medicare and 
Medicaid Services (CMS), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 
Office of Health Affairs (OHA), DHS U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), 
NHTSA, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and a State EMS 
Director appointed by the Secretary of Transportation.
    On June 19, 2014, FICEMS unanimously approved a motion to proceed 
with a revision of the EMS Agenda, with a focus on data-driven 
approaches to future improvements.
    This followed an April 24, 2014 letter in which the National 
Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council (NEMSAC) issued 
recommendations to NHTSA regarding revision of the EMS Agenda. NEMSAC's 
recommendations were as follows:
     A major revision of the EMS Agenda for the Future should 
be undertaken as soon as possible;
     The revision process should be guided by an external 
entity (not NEMSAC) that will ensure a consensus- and data-driven 
process with broad stakeholder representation. The goal should be to 
replicate the process used to develop the original EMS Agenda for the 
Future, published in 1996;
     The U.S. Department of Transportation should seek 
financial support and assistance from members of FICEMS to accomplish 
this task.
    The purpose of this notice is to solicit comments on the planned 
revision of the EMS Agenda, and to request responses to specific 
questions provided below. This is neither a request for proposals nor 
an invitation for bids.

DATES: It is requested that comments on this announcement be submitted 
by June 30, 2016.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments [identified by Docket No. NHTSA-
2016-0035] through one of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail or Hand Delivery: Docket Management Facility, U.S. 
Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West 
Building, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 
p.m., Monday through Friday, except on Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gamunu Wijetunge, Office of Emergency 
Medical Services, (202) 493-2793, [email protected], located at 
the United States Department of Transportation; 1200 New Jersey Avenue 
SE., NPD-400, Room W44-232, Washington, DC 20590. Office hours are from 
9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    In 1996 NHTSA, in partnership with HRSA, published the EMS Agenda 
(www.ems.gov/pdf/2010/EMSAgendaWeb_7-06-10.pdf). The document created a 
vision for the future of EMS systems in the United States and led to 
EMS system improvements across the Nation. Changes envisioned by the 
EMS Agenda included the National EMS Information System (NEMSIS), the 
``EMS Education Agenda for the Future: A Systems Approach'', universal 
wireless 9-1-1, automatic crash notification, the recognition of EMS as 
a physician sub-specialty, and many others.
    The EMS Agenda included the following vision statement: ``Emergency 
medical services (EMS) of the future will be community-based health 
management that is fully integrated with the overall health care 
system. It will have the ability to identify and modify illness and 
injury risks, provide acute illness and injury care and follow-up, and 
contribute to treatment of chronic conditions and community health 
monitoring. This new entity will be developed from redistribution of 
existing health care resources and will be integrated with other health 
care providers and public health and public safety agencies. It will 
improve community health and result in more appropriate use of acute 
health care resources. EMS will remain the public's emergency medical 
safety net.''
    Furthermore, the EMS Agenda proposed development of the following 
14 EMS attributes:
     Integration of Health Services;
     EMS Research;
     Legislation and Regulation;
     System Finance;
     Human Resources;

[[Page 18935]]

     Medical Direction;
     Education Systems;
     Public Education;
     Prevention;
     Public Access;
     Communication Systems;
     Clinical Care;
     Information Systems;
     Evaluation.
    In 2014, NEMSAC recommended that NHTSA undertake a major revision 
of the EMS Agenda. NHTSA, on behalf of FICEMS, intends to work closely 
with EMS stakeholders in revising the EMS Agenda. It is anticipated the 
revised EMS Agenda will envision the evolution of EMS systems over the 
next 30 years.

Questions on the Proposed Revision of the EMS Agenda

    Responses to the following questions are requested to help plan the 
revision of the EMS Agenda. Please provide references as appropriate.
    1. What are the most critical issues facing EMS systems that should 
be addressed in the revision of the EMS Agenda? Please be as specific 
as possible.
    2. What progress has been made in implementing the EMS Agenda since 
its publication in 1996?
    3. How have you used the EMS Agenda? Please provide specific 
examples.
    4. As an EMS stakeholder, how might the revised EMS Agenda be most 
useful to you?
    5. What significant changes have occurred in EMS systems at the 
national, State and local levels since 1996?
    6. What significant changes will impact EMS systems over the next 
30 years?
    7. How might the revised EMS Agenda support the following FICEMS 
Strategic Plan goals:
    a. Coordinated, regionalized, and accountable EMS and 9-1-1 systems 
that provide safe, high-quality care;
    b. data-driven and evidence-based EMS systems that promote improved 
patient care quality;
    c. EMS systems fully integrated into State, territorial, local, 
tribal, regional, and Federal preparedness planning, response, and 
recovery;
    d. EMS systems that are sustainable, forward looking, and 
integrated with the evolving health care system;
    e. an EMS culture in which safety considerations for patients, 
providers, and the community permeate the full spectrum of activities; 
and
    f. a well-educated and uniformly credentialed EMS workforce.
    8. How could the revised EMS Agenda contribute to enhanced 
emergency medical services for children?
    9. How could the revised EMS Agenda address the future of EMS data 
collection and information sharing?
    10. How could the revised EMS Agenda support data-driven and 
evidence-based improvements in EMS systems?
    11. How could the revised EMS Agenda enhance collaboration among 
EMS systems, health care providers, hospitals, public safety answering 
points, public health, insurers, palliative care and others?
    12. How will innovative patient care delivery and finance models 
impact EMS systems over the next 30 years?
    13. How could the revised EMS Agenda promote community preparedness 
and resilience?
    14. How could the revised EMS Agenda contribute to improved 
coordination for mass casualty incident preparedness and response?
    15. How could the revised EMS Agenda enhance the exchange of 
evidence based practices between military and civilian medicine?
    16. How could the revised EMS Agenda support the seamless and 
unimpeded transfer of military EMS personnel to roles as civilian EMS 
providers?
    17. How could the revised EMS Agenda support interstate 
credentialing of EMS personnel?
    18. How could the revised EMS Agenda support improved patient 
outcomes in rural and frontier communities?
    19. How could the revised EMS Agenda contribute to improved EMS 
education systems at the local, State, and national levels?
    20. How could the revised EMS Agenda lead to improved EMS systems 
in tribal communities?
    21. How could the revised EMS Agenda promote a culture of safety 
among EMS personnel, agencies and organizations?
    22. Are there additional EMS attributes that should be included in 
the revised EMS Agenda? If so, please provide an explanation for why 
these additional EMS attributes should be included.
    23. Are there EMS attributes in the EMS Agenda that should be 
eliminated from the revised edition? If so, please provide an 
explanation for why these EMS attributes should be eliminated.
    24. What are your suggestions for the process that should be used 
in revising the EMS Agenda?
    25. What specific agencies/organizations/entities are essential to 
involve, in a revision of the EMS Agenda?
    26. Do you have any additional comments regarding the revision of 
the EMS Agenda?

    Issued on: March 22, 2016.
Jeffrey P. Michael,
Associate Administrator, Research and Program Development.
[FR Doc. 2016-06960 Filed 3-31-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-59-P