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How EMSA Works
EMSA is a public trust authority of the City of Tulsa and City of Oklahoma City governments.
It is the Authority's charged duty to ensure that the cities we serve receive the highest
quality of emergency medical service at the best possible price. There are several entities
that work together in the EMSA system, including:
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The Authority. EMSA, the Authority, provides independent business oversight and
ensures compliance of a private ambulance service chosen to operate in the service
area. The Authority does not provide ambulance service, but rather acts as an
informed and impartial buyer of service for the cities it represents. The Authority
also owns ambulances and other capital equipment used by the private contractor to
provide service. EMSA also manages agreements, maintains patient records, bills and
collects, purchases goods and services and manages the TotalCare ambulance
subscription program and makes policy recommendations.
Employees of the Authority report to and follow the direction of the 11-member
EMSA Board of Trustees. Eight of the 11 trustees are appointed by the mayors of
Tulsa and Oklahoma City.
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City of Oklahoma City and City of Tulsa. In addition to appointing individuals to serve
on the EMSA Board of Trustees, the Cities must approve any changes to EMSA Trust
Agreement, which governs EMSA operations.
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The medical director. An independent medical director provides medical oversight of
the private ambulance company selected by the Authority and first responders
(firefighters assisting in patient assessment and stabilization). The medical director
conducts routine audits and testing of all medics practicing in the system, writes seamless
protocols to ensure the continuity of care between first responders and transport medics,
researches new treatment modalities and evaluates complaints.
The medical director reports to the Medical Control Board, an organization composed of
nine community physicians (eight of whom work in metropolitan hospital emergency
departments) who serve voluntarily.
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The contracted provider. Since 1998, Paramedics Plus LLC has provided ambulance
service for the Authority. Paramedics Plus is committed, by contract, to meet response
times and other standards set forth by the Authority and the medical director.
Paramedics Plus is a wholly-owned subsidiary of East Texas Medical Center (ETMC),
based in Tyler, Texas. ETMC is a not-for-profit organization that operates the nation's
second-largest rural EMS system with a service area spanning more than 17,000 square miles.
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