Nov 25, 2008 6:29 pm US/Eastern
Panel Makes Suggestions For Medevac Program
LINTHICUM, Md. (WJZ) ―
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The deadliest Medevac crash in Maryland history shattered lives and rocked the emergency medical system. Now an expert panel says there are too many medical choppers here.
The deadliest Medevac crash in Maryland history shattered lives and rocked the emergency medical system. Now an expert panel says there are too many medical choppers here and too many patients being transported.
Mike Hellgren has the latest on the investigation.
The devastating Medevac crash has prompted intense scrutiny of the entire system. A panel of experts decided a big problem may be that too many injured patients are being flown when they should be taken by ambulances on the ground.
"That's not the same as saying we're going to define how many dollars you're going to spend on helicopters or where those helicopters are going to be located," said panel member Dr. John Morris.
Right now, they're located at bases around the state.
"We could have as excellent a trauma system outcome with fewer helicopters," said Delegate Dan Morhaim.
In addition to reducing flights, the panel says Medevac should conform to stricter commercial aviation standards rather than the general standards they use now and consider adding a second paramedic on flights.
"We had an exceptional panel and they worked very hard to give us what I think are state-of-the-art recommendations," said Dr. Robert Bass.
Dispatch recordings from just before the crash have only sparked more controversy over whether Medevac is overused.
Dispatch: "You guys able to fly for a mission?"
Pilot Bunker: "Where?"
Dispatch: "Charles County. Waldorf. Where else? Those guys never want to drive to the hospital."
The crash's only survivor, Jordan Wells, spent weeks in Shock Trauma.
"I don't know the protocol for who should be lifted in a helicopter or not but the person in the ambulance told me they were going to take me on the helicopter," Wells said.
The recommendations are not binding. They'll go before two EMS boards, who will make the final decision.
"By addressing the recommendations that we've made, you have the opportunity to make a really good system better," Dr. Morris said.
It's just the first step in a critical review after the deadliest crash in the program's history.
Critics say the panel was not diverse enough. It mainly included doctors and not aviation experts or nurses. Also, it only addressed when choppers should be used and didn't delve into a problem the NTSB identified in its preliminary report: that the air traffic controller at Andrews did not know how to handle the type of emergency landing the pilot requested before the crash and was not required to have that training.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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