Emergency medical transport or transfer. Equipment. Federal officials said progress in implementing the Agenda has been affected by the lack of consistent information about EMS systems, and as part of their attempts to act as facilitators, they have all attempted to collect EMS data or promote consistency in the data. Federal EMS Activity Centers on Four Agencies

Four different federal agencies are involved in supporting and promoting EMS improvements. Instead, the agencies undertake activities such as providing technical support and guidance, providing funding for EMS initiatives through various grant programs to states, and exploring avenues for developing a consensus among EMS providers on policy needs and changes. Progress in this area, however, is likely to remain slow because EMS systems and providers have many competing demands and few incentives to devote limited resources to data collection efforts.
What GAO Found

Local emergency medical systems (EMS) have reported substantial needs in such areas as personnel, training, equipment, and the availability of doctors to advise emergency personnel in the field. Federal agencies have supported EMS improvements by acting as facilitators rather then by establishing requirements or providing significant funding. The agencies provide technical assistance, set voluntary standards for licensing EMS providers, and administer limited grant funding. The four federal agencies GAO studied have separately begun to collect EMS data or promote data consistency. However, progress in developing this information has been slow. State and local EMS officials attributed the lack of progress to the many competing demands on their time and said that EMS providers and local systems have few incentives to collect and report EMS information.