In the fall of 2012, the Monroe County Emergency Medical Services Administrator, Tim Czapranski, engaged Fitch & Associates to conduct a comprehensive study of the Monroe County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system. The study results were released on February 18th and CHS Healthcare disagrees with the results on the grounds that the data used was clearly inaccurate as it relates to our response times and quality of care.

In 2011, CHS Healthcare responded to 5,961 calls not 7,610 as the study suggests. Our 90th percentile response time to high priority calls (chest pain, trouble breathing, loss of consciousness, etc.) is between 5 and 7 minutes, not 15 minutes as indicated in this study. We are committed to the highest standards of patient care and professional benchmarking within our industry, and to that end, we track and report response times, along with other quality metrics, to our Board of Directors each month.

CHS Healthcare has been providing high-quality EMS since 1962. We conduct patient surveys, review all our patient charts for quality assurance, and have a contract with the University of Rochester Medical Center to provide us with an Emergency Medicine certified physician who serves as our Medical Director and monitors the quality of our patient care.

While this study was methodologically flawed, CHS Healthcare supports the concept that Emergency Medical Services agencies within Monroe County should collaborate to improve the care of ill and injured patients in our area. We routinely work with our neighboring communities to ensure the highest quality care and service delivery to our residents. A larger dialogue at the County level is valuable, and we are committed to being a part of future discussions.

If you have questions about the service that is provided to the community by CHS Healthcare, please feel free to call the President or Chief.

Sincerely,

Tracey Wenzel, President Reg Allen, Chief