Safety

Safety

REACH Air Medical Services is honored to be recognized by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Service (CAMTS), an independent authority which sets high and exacting standards regarding patient care and safety in the airborne environment.

Safety is the Ultimate Expression of Patient Care

One of the practices that maintains our clear focus on safety is embracing and leveraging technology, which includes keeping pace with all pertinent changes and developments. For example, we use Baldwin’s SMSLite™, an IS-BAO registered Safety Management System. IS-BAO, the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations, is a code of best practices developed by companies across four continents and a voluntary professional safety standard.

Admittedly, REACH casts an extremely wide net when it comes to safety. Choosing a life-saving mission within a high-risk industry compels us to pay attention to everything. No issue or event is “too small” to warrant attention. If there is any chance whatsoever that safety might be compromised or if there is a potential risk to anyone—patient, customer, crew, community—we consider it a big deal. “Unsafe” can show up in countless forms, from a major mechanical failure to a slippery walkway to inadequate resources to complacency and fatigue. We monitor our surroundings; we monitor ourselves and we monitor one another.

Open communication and an environment of trust and respect are also prerequisites to safety. REACH applies “just culture” principles across the board, and non-punitive reporting is the backbone of our program. Every single REACH employee truly goes beyond, and we gratefully acknowledge their commitment to sharing all safety-related incidents or concerns. Because of their diligence, we remain available to carry out our mission around the clock. Because of their diligence, lives are saved.

CAMTS Accredited

Since 1998, REACH has been accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS), which is the gold standard for patient care and safety in the medical transport industry. This achievement involves a voluntary evaluation of compliance with accreditation standards by an independent entity. REACH is proud to maintain full accreditation for the care and transport of critical adult, pediatric, obstetric and neonatal patients.

The CAMTS board has consistently and specifically sited areas of “excellence” or “acknowledgment” within REACH’s administrative, clinical, aviation, maintenance, quality and safety, EMS community outreach and human resource programs.