How EMS works in the US

First person | Xiao Feng

Dr. Xiao Feng, an emergency room physician in the Departments of Emergency Medicine at Beijing United Family Hospital and the Upper Chesapeake Medical Center in Maryland in the US, talks about how the system functions to meet the needs of pre-hospital patients and communities.

Emergency medical services in the US are regulated by federal, state and local governments and organizations. They are operated by a number of different entities, including volunteers, nonprofit organizations and commercial companies. EMS patient care is delivered by ambulance-based first responders, emergency medical technicians and paramedics under the guidance of hospital-based physicians.