Photo/Richmond Ambulance Authority
The Richmond Ambulance Authority (RAA) has been awarded reaccreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS) for its compliance with national standards of excellence. CAAS was established to encourage and promote quality patient care at medical transportation services across the country and is considered the “gold standard” for EMS agencies.
About 1% of ambulance services in the United States have successfully completed the voluntary review process which included completion of a comprehensive application and on-site review by national experts in emergency medical services (EMS). RAA is one of 178 ambulance services to be accredited in the U.S. and the only ambulance service accredited by CAAS in Virginia.
RAA was awarded reaccreditation for three years; the maximum extension allowed by CAAS. The primary focus of the Commission’s standards is high-quality patient care. In order for agencies to meet CAAS’ strict national standards, organizations must exhibit excellence in not only patient care, but also through the operation’s relationships with other agencies, the general public, and the medical community. The Commission’s standards often exceed state or local licensing requirements.
“In the past three years RAA and EMS agencies across the country have faced unprecedented challenges brought on by the pandemic,” said RAA CEO Chip Decker. “Despite these challenges, RAA has worked extremely hard to maintain the highest standards to deliver high-quality EMS and patient-centered care to the residents of Richmond. This reaccreditation validates all of the hard work our staff has put in as we continue to overcome the incredible obstacles facing EMS today.”
Based initially on the efforts of the American Ambulance Association, the independent Commission established a comprehensive series of standards for the ambulance service industry.
About the Richmond Ambulance Authority: In 1991, the Richmond City Council and the City Manager implemented an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system that placed the patient first and guaranteed its performance to the City’s residents. Today, the Richmond Ambulance Authority responds to nearly 200 calls per day and transports, on average, 150 patients per day.
RAA is one of only 32 EMS agencies in the United States accredited by both the Commission on the Accreditation of Ambulance Services and the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch. RAA is also a Commonwealth of Virginia Accredited Dispatch Center. RAA’s staff has consistently received local, state, and national recognition for their work in EMS. In 2023 RAA staff members were recognized by the Old Dominion EMS Alliance (ODEMSA) in two categories at the ODEMSA Regional Awards.
