Congress should create a federal interagency panel to coordinate the interaction of emergency communication systems nationwide, according to a report from the Joint Advisory Committee on Communications Capabilities of Emergency Medical and Public Health Care Facilities, Health Data Management reports.
The advisory committee, which was created by Congress, also recommends that:
- Policymakers encourage the development of interoperable and secure broadband networks;
- Federal and state agencies develop common criteria for all contracts and grants that support emergency communications;
- HHS create a Command and Coordination System with open standards that can track patients and emergency vehicles; and
- Existing systems improve their coordination to share and analyze data (Health Data Management, 2/14).