Accreditation

Lancaster EMS has received reaccreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS) for its compliance with national standards of excellence. The original accreditation was obtained in 2005. Lancaster EMS is the only ambulance service in Lancaster County to successfully achieve this accomplishment after the voluntary review process. This review includes completion of a comprehensive application and on-site review by national experts in emergency medical services (EMS). With this achievement, Lancaster EMS becomes only one of six ambulance services to be accredited in the state of Pennsylvania; and only one of just over one hundred in the United States.

CAAS is a non-profit organization which was established to encourage and promote quality patient care in America's medical transportation system. The primary focus of the CAAS standards is high-quality patient care. This is accomplished by establishing national standards which address the delivery of patient care, the ambulance service's total operation and its relationship with other agencies, the general public, and the medical community. CAAS standards often exceed state or local licensing requirements. Accreditation is renewed every three years.

C. Robert May, Executive Director, said "accreditation represents our firm commitment to our patients and to our community. We continuously strive to do our very best and we view accreditation as another step toward excellence."

"Our staff has been key to our success in achieving reaccreditation. I believe that it provides the sense of prestige and pride to work for an accredited ambulance service provider. Everyone at Lancaster EMS played a valuable role in our ability to meet the Commission's high standards. We have achieved accreditation but I believe it can only be a stimulus for continued improvement."

Lancaster EMS renewed its CAAS accreditation in January 2008 and is scheduled to be re-surveyed in 2011.

Questions about CAAS accreditation can be directed to C. Robert May at bob_may@lemsa.com

You may learn more about CAAS at: www.caas.org