Paramedic services: Nationwide distribution and management structure

A paramedic clearinghouse to provide information on the status of advanced life support systems in the United States is being established at the Center for the Study of Emergency Health Services, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. As the first phase of this project a list of paramedic services categorized by location, population of area served, and management structure was compiled. A total of 310 paramedic services was identified, the majority fairly evenly distributed through midpopulation ranges, the largest number in the 50,000 to 100,000 range. Paramedic services operated by fire departments were most common. As the second phase, a survey of the operation, paramedic certification and education, and the organization of financing of these services is planned. Six services, each representing a different management or educational approach, were selected to test the survey instrument.