Operation PAR Agreement

Operation PAR, (Parental Awareness and Responsibility) in collaboration with the Sheriff's Office and the Juvenile Justice System opened their operations at the Pinellas Juvenile Assessment Center (PJAC) on December 7, 1995.

In order for Operation PAR to comply with the rules that govern centers of this nature, any client involved in a "take down" (physical custody and handling) must be medically evaluated within 20 minutes. The PJAC does not have nursing or medical personnel on staff. Under this agreement, SUNSTAR provides medical personnel to perform an evaluation of clients who are involved in a take down or have minor, non-life-threatening complaints. The agreement helps reduce unnecessary EMS system emergency responses.

The program is monitored through a quality assurance review completed for each response. The aspects of care we study are dependant upon PJAC's input, concerns and contract requirements. We currently track and assess response time, occurrence of 9-1-1 activation either by PJAC or the Sunstar Communication Center, assessment form versus PCR completion on response, necessity and appropriateness of transports, consults with Medical Control, and reason for evaluation request (take down or medical). Data is compiled at the end of each month and reported to PJAC via written report by the 10th of the following month. More specific and detailed analysis of the data can be reported upon the request of PJAC. Our Critical Care Transport/Special Services Manager oversees the quality assurance of this program. Any areas needing attention or improvement are quickly identified with the appropriate party. Areas of concern are then closely monitored until expected performance compliance is achieved.

Intermediate Care Transport Agreements

This agreement was initially developed to serve the needs of the Mease Morton Plant Health Care Cardiac Catherization Lab. Intermediate Care Transport (ICT) provides a level of care higher than Advanced Life Support (ALS), but less than Critical Care Transport (CCT). ICT provides Mease Morton Plant Health Care (MMPHC) with a dedicated ambulance staffed with an SUNSTAR qualified, Pinellas County certified registered nurse to accompany the patient during transport, with an IV pump and pulse oximetry provided by SUNSTAR. The program prevents MMPHC from having to send their own staff and equipment and ensures that patients arrive at Morton Plant as scheduled for cardiac catherization.

The success of this program is monitored through a quality assurance review conducted on each ICT call. The aspects of care studied are dependant upon MMPHC's input and concerns, contract requirements, and CCT clinical standards of care. We study results gained from the collected information, including monitoring how the transport information is received, and input into the CAD; the ICT unit response times; patient arrival times at the destination; appropriateness of patient care provided throughout the transport, and timeliness of required notifications. Most of this information is collected on a QA form, completed by the nurse who performs the transport. The Critical Care Transport/Special Services Manager oversees this program and remains in close contact with MMPHC personnel. Follow-up meetings are scheduled at either party's request to discuss ICT performance. To date, ICT has only arrived late for a transport on one occasion out of 410 calls and consistently meets MMPHC's needs. Currently the ICT program is a great success and has the potential for expansion to other hospitals with "special-needs" transfers.

Regional Perinatal Transport Agreement

Bayfront Medical Center is the Regional Perinatal Intensive Care Center (RPICC) in Pinellas County, and receiving women with high-risk pregnancies from outlying hospitals both in the county and beyond. As part of their RPICC requirements, they must coordinate transportation of these women while ensuring that staffing and equipment are appropriate. SUNSTAR entered into a transport agreement with Bayfront in 1995. The Critical Care Transport Unit is exclusively utilized to perform RPICC transports within a 75-mile radius of Bayfront. A quality assurance review is performed on all obstetric patients transported by CCT. The aspects of care studied are dependent on Bayfront's input and concerns; Children's Medical Services regulations; contract requirements, and CCT clinical standards of care.

Data are compiled at the end of the month. The QA results, along with a summary report of the relevant CCT transports are sent to the Director of the OB/GYN Center and the Labor and Delivery Nurse Manager at BayFront by the 15th of the following month. The Critical Care Transport/Special Services Manager oversees the operation of this program and is in regular contact with BayFront to discuss its current state and progress.