Letter of Review

Starting in 2012, CoAEMSP is implementing a Letter of Review (LoR) process, which will be the official designation that a Paramedic program is in the “Becoming Accredited” process.

The CoAEMSP Board, which includes representatives from its 13 sponsoring organizations, developed the LoR process in consultation with its communities of interest, including the National Association of State EMS Officials (NASEMSO) and the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT).

While a program that qualifies for a LoR must still complete the entire process to demonstrate substantial compliance with the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) accreditation Standards, and is not guaranteed an award of accreditation, holding a LoR does signify that the program is making satisfactory progress in the accreditation process.  As such, after January 1, 2013, the NREMT will recognize graduates of CAAHEP accredited programs as well as graduates of programs holding a CoAEMSP LoR, as eligible for the national Paramedic certification examinations.

Programs will be classified into one of two types (at the program's option):

• Track 1: programs that have graduated one or more classes by July 1, 2012.  These programs may submit a complete Initial-Accreditation Self Study Report (ISSR), if they have collected the necesssary student tracking data.
• Track 2: typically programs that have graduated their first-ever class on or after July 1, 2012, but may be programs that graduated one or more classes prior to July 1, 2012 that did not collect the tracking data necessary to complete the ISSR.  These programs will be required to submit core information, which is contained in the Letter of Review Self Study Report (LSSR).

All programs in both tracks will follow the same pathway to enter the accreditation system:

• Submit the CAAHEP Request for Accreditation Services (RAS) form along with the first CoAEMSP annual fee (prorated by month of submission of the RAS).
• Submit the ISSR or LSSR, as applicable, along with the Self Study Report Evaluation fee ($500) plus the Technology fee ($250) plus a $1000 deposit toward the site visit costs.

Once the LSSR/ISSR is received, CoAEMSP will conduct an Executive Analysis (EA).  If the core information is satisfactory, a LoR will be issued to the program.  If the core information is not satisfactory, then CoAEMSP will communicate that and wait for re-submission by the program to address the deficiencies.

The core information consists of the following parts of the ISSR:  Title Page, General Information, Part A (Sponsorship), Part B (Goals & Objectives), Part C questions 1 through 5 and 12 through 13 (some components of Resources), Part E (Student & Graduate Evaluation) , and Part F question 1 (a component of Fair Practices).

After a program receives the LoR, further submissions will depend on its Track category.

• Track 1 programs will have the complete ISSR reviewed.  If it is not satisfactory, then the program will have 30 days after receipt of the EA to provide new information to address the deficiencies, otherwise the LoR may be revoked.
• Track 2 programs will have to submit a complete ISSR no later than 6 months after the graduation of their first class of students along with a second self study report evaluation fee of $500.  If the complete ISSR is not satisfactory, then the program will have 30 days after receipt of the EA to provide additional information to address the deficiencies, otherwise the LoR may be revoked.  The LoR may also be revoked if the 6 month submission deadline is not met.

Once the ISSR is satisfactory, a site visit will be scheduled.  The site visit (including actual costs), post-site visit Findings Letter, CoAEMSP action, and CAAHEP vote will follow the regular procedure.

Any student who graduates from a program that holds or held a LoR anytime during that student’s enrollment, will be considered eligible for the NREMT Paramedic Examinations.  CoAEMSP and NREMT will be in close communication to maintain the list of programs holding a LoR and the students enrolled during that time.

CoAEMSP will conduct a webinar on Letter of Review on February 16, 2012 starting at 2:00p Eastern / 1:00p Central. See Meetings & Events pagefor registration information.