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North Dakota EMS director warns of aging workforce, low reimbursements and training gaps
Summary
State Emergency Medical Systems director Chris Price told lawmakers that North Dakota's EMS workforce is aging, ambulance call volumes are rising, and many rural ambulance services have low call volumes and fail to meet response-time standards, leaving some services at financial risk.
The state's emergency medical services unit told the Emergency Response Services Committee that EMS staffing and finances are under strain and that rural services are particularly vulnerable. Chris Price, director of the Emergency Medical Systems unit at the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services, said last year ground ambulance services in the state completed roughly 95,617 ambulance runs; only 56 percent of 9-1-1 responses resulted in transport to a hospital, leaving many calls non‑reimbursable under current payment rules.
Price said the workforce is aging: about 20 percent of licensed EMS providers are 55 or older; 12 percent are 60 or older. That…
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