Leadership in Emergency Medical Services

Revised and approved by the ACEP Board of Directors June 2000; October 2004; and June 2011
This policy statement originally replaced a Council Resolution with the same name and was approved by the ACEP Board of Directors September 1995 

The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) reaffirms its commitment to physician leadership in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and supports the following principles:

• EMS physician medical directors should actively direct and lead the clinical performance of all EMS systems, serving with recognized ultimate clinical authority.
• EMS physician medical directors should actively guide and advocate for EMS system design that is based on evidence-supported clinical practices and outcomes.
• EMS physician medical directors should actively direct and oversee the operation of EMS communication systems, establishing or modifying dispatch training and protocols and leading the continuous quality improvement program based on evidence-supported practices and outcomes.
• EMS physician medical directors should actively direct and oversee ongoing clinical competency verification programs that serve in determining clinical privileges for individual providers in an EMS system.
• EMS physician medical directors should actively direct and oversee continuous quality improvement activities designed to critically appraise and advance the quality of clinical performance in EMS.
• EMS physician medical directors should actively participate and advocate in development of engaging, evidence-supported education for EMS providers.
• EMS physician medical directors should actively advise and guide the development of certification and scope of practice policies affecting EMS providers at local, state, and national levels.
• EMS physician medical directors should actively monitor and influence issues impacting EMS system funding, reimbursement, and government regulation.
• EMS physician medical directors should actively promote research initiatives involving EMS systems and providers, recognizing that pre-hospital research is an essential element in advancing evidence based medicine within the pre-hospital setting.
• EMS physician medical director leadership should be an integral part of pre-hospital research; thus ACEP supports the further development of federal EMS grants that link distribution of funds for any EMS purpose with the end goal of enhancing the quality of care provided in the pre-hospital environment.