Feasibility question...bring on the smart kids...

[flight-lp]

i'll keep this one brief as I am running on minimal sleep.............

I'm a step ahead of you. Late last year I did a feasibility study in Houston for this same idea. Problems that were identified were..............

1. Finances

2. Retainability, you will have to have a "purchase clause" should a company wish to employ the medic. i.e. they make an offer just above what you do and the employee decides to take it. Many agencies here have a stipulation that a company has to "buy" the employee to hire them as an internal employee.

3. Finances

4. Protocols, here each individual company has its own protocols. Not all medical directors were willing to allow non internally trained employees to operate under their protocols nor were they willing to go with my "agency" protocols despite their thoroughness.

5. Finances

6. Insurance, many companies were not willing to cover agency employees on their auto policy nor would they accept a policy from my agency.

7. The infamous 911 vs. transfers thing............Again, medical directors and clinical managers did not like the idea of an agency medic not being trained by them.

8. Internal company employees were not happy with the idea of a company employing medics doing the same job for more money thus causing dissention in the ranks and potentially hurting the interpersonal relationships within the company

9. Finances

10 Benefits, quite costly i.e. FINANCES!!!!!

Its a great idea, just not one that would be beneficial in this area. defeat the challenges and it could be quite successful for you! I wish you the best of luck.............................

[island emt]

I worked for a leasing agency back in the mid 80's. the pluses were that the service did all the hiring/ firing , they payed for all our benefits [minimal] our workers comp, vacations, were required to provide coverage for sick call outs etc. The agency charged 38% on top of our salary for this. For a while it was ok for us as we were making a little better pay, but the promises of better benefits and job + shift stability magically never appeared. All of this while the owner + his wife drove matching Mercedes Benz's. About six months later a new guy came into town + started up another agency with all the same promises. Plus he only charge 35% on top. customers dropped agency #1, + went with #2 guess what no one went to work for him + all but a few left the original. We figured we didn't need a pimp to drive around in a big car while we were busting our A$$ES making him money.

[tinman694]

?????

Make it work for you!!! EMS is full of willing participants!

You are GOD after all

Seriously, sounds like you could have a plan, but the logistical nightmares and management of som many folks sounds like more than I would want to deal with. (I manage several gov't contracts--which are REALLY fun)

IF you can negotiate some iron clad contracts with the providers (and then the 'employees') sounds like something you can do some fiddling with and make bucks. Margins are where you are going to live or die. If you keep them up and don't react to the market, the dream will die. Make sure you have a comprehensive business plan and follow it!

[Nate]

Along with flight-lp, I have thought about a similar type agency for the Houston area. More along the lines of how nursing agencies work. I never really got past the thought though. The big problems I see (at least with my area; Houston), is quality. Not every service is the same, not every service uses the same SOP's or protocols, not every service has the same insurance requirements, and you can't drive the rig until your on the companies insurance policy.

So you would have to get a set of "pre-approved" providers for each service so they could clear them to drive their trucks, make sure they know their protocols, etc. I personally wouldn't want to have to try to remember a bunch of services protocols. However, if you are the sole provider of medics to the county, I guess you can get the protocols along the same lines and get the medics "pre-approved" to drive the rigs.

Last you have the issue of trust, I for one don't know to many services around here that would be trusting of an agency to provide staffing for them.

[Ridryder 911]

I am wondering what the difference would be from this type of company and one like Paramedic Plus that employs the EMS personnel at EMSA in OKC & Tulsa. I believe they are owned from a hospital in Texas and provides the employment to several large EMS in the nation ?...

Something to explore.....

Be safe,

R/R 911

[Nate]

I am wondering what the difference would be from this type of company and one like Paramedic Plus that employs the EMS personnel at EMSA in OKC & Tulsa. I believe they are owned from a hospital in Texas and provides the employment to several large EMS in the nation ?...

Something to explore.....

Be safe,

R/R 911

Does ETMC own them? I know that ETMC provides the entire "package" to cities/counties.

[flight-lp]

Yes they are owned by ETMC.............................

[Nate]

Yes they are owned by ETMC.............................

:shock: