September 9, 2024 – The Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) is proud to announce the release of a draft of the second edition of national accreditation standards for Mobile Integrated Healthcare (MIH) Programs. The first edition of the MIH Standards was published in April 2022. The MIH standards reflect several years work from national leaders in mobile integrated health services. According to Dudley Smith, Associate Executive of CAMTS, “We don’t look at these as “our” standards, but as MIH standards that are developed by those that do the job every day. Regardless of the type of program you are, or even if you never plan to seek accreditation, we greatly value and appreciate the comments and suggestions we receive from these dedicated care providers, administrators and patients.”
These standards represent a collaborative work intended to recognize the future of both paramedicine and integrated approaches to the delivery of the entire spectrum of care from social services to advanced clinical specialties. Input from both practitioners and leaders is vital to ensuring the standards recognize the pioneering work being done across the US and around the world.
MIH is a relatively new, evolving, and expanding field of healthcare focused on providing primary and preventive care to underserved populations. The goals include increasing access to care, improving health and well-being and reducing hospital admissions and re-admissions, emergency room visits, and costs. Care providers can come from any area of health care, but most community MIH services use paramedics in expanded roles caring for clients in non- emergency situations in their homes or other locations.
As an accredited Standards Setting Organization through the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), CAMTS follows the ANSI essential elements for establishing new and expanding standards. This includes solicitation and consideration of comments as well as suggestions for standards development. The draft of the second edition of the CAMTS MIH Program Accreditation Standards is now posted on the CAMTS website (camts.org) and is open for public comments. An online comment/suggestion form allows for new comments and assures all recommendations are logged and addressed.
Updated draft standards, as well as feedback from comments received, will be posted on the website periodically until the final version is approved by the CAMTS MIH Program Standards
Committee and the CAMTS Board. The final standards are expected to be released in mid- 2025. Programs that believe they are in substantial compliance with the standards can apply for the voluntary accreditation. The application process and requirements can also be found on the CAMTS website. CAMTS will also have copies at their booth at the EMS World Expo and MIH pre-conference at the Las Vegas Convention Center, September 9-13, 2024.
The Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) is dedicated to improving the quality of patient care and safety for services providing rotorwing, fixed wing and ground transport systems, as well as medical escort, special operations/medical retrieval, and mobile integrated healthcare/community paramedicine. To achieve accreditation by CAMTS, medical programs must adhere to CAMTS’s standards, developed, and continually improved by a board of highly skilled and experienced medical and medical transportation professionals. Adherence to these standards, which are above and beyond regulatory requirements, are audited every three years to assure program compliance to remain accredited by CAMTS. Nearly 200 services have achieved CAMTS accreditation. For more information, visit www.camts.org.
Founded in 1918, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private, not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting the United States voluntary standards and conformity assessment system and strengthening its impact, both domestically and internationally. The ANSI mission is to enhance both the global competitiveness of United States business and quality of life by promoting and facilitating voluntary consensus standards and conformity assessment systems and safeguarding their integrity.
