S2:E15 - "If you’ve seen one EMS system, you’ve seen one EMS system - A discussion with Emily Bergquist about Michigan’s unique EMS system." Recorded December 11, 2020

In this episode, we welcome Emily Bergquist, MSA, Paramedic I/C (BergquistE@michigan.gov) to compare and contrast Michigan to other US state EMS systems.  Emily is the Medical Control Authority Coordinator for the State of Michigan Bureau of EMS, Trauma and Preparedness.  She is the one at the State EMS office that works on all of the protocols and supports the MCAs to assure that the multitude of Michigan’s EMS systems function the way that they’re supposed to. 

The spectrum of EMS system styles, organizational structures, and response methods in this country is vast.  In addition, each system faces a unique set of conditions, such as the specific geographic area, the citizen demographics, the number and level of EMS personnel, the number of hospitals, and the distance between citizens and the hospitals.  This is why there’s so much truth behind the old saying, “If you’ve seen one EMS system, you’ve seen one EMS system.”  This sentiment couldn’t be truer in the State of Michigan. 

In Michigan, our State EMS office communicates with the various constituent EMS systems, agencies and providers by way of a Medical Control Authority, or an MCA.  An MCA is a quasi-governmental body that maintains EMS standards, regulations and protocols within a defined geographic area.  Per the state law, an MCA is funded by all of the hospitals within that geographic area that receive EMS patients.  In a bit of an oversimplification, an MCAs job is to coordinate the EMS system and establish written protocols for its EMS agencies as well as ensure physicians, hospital staff, and providers are educated on the protocols.  This is a very unique structure with its own set of strengths and weaknesses. 

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