Facilities and regionalization--emergency medical services systems.

: Advanced life support and the modern EMS system were born out of the hope that by extending hospital emergency facilities outside the bounds of the hospital, earlier and more intensive care could be provided to those patients requiring it. EMS systems have since left the nest and only recently, following a turbulent adolescence, is prehospital care returning as a partner with the medical facilities and physicians that presided over their modern origins. The next decade will see the continuing trend toward hospitals and practitioners regaining some influence in the design and direction of prehospital care.