Team Pulsara

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article originally appeared on EMS1.com. Special thanks to our guest author, John Erich, for EMS1 BrandFocus Staff.

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No matter the incident’s size, scanning patient wristbands keeps all responders and clinicians united

Managing patients in the middle of a mass-casualty incident can feel like playing the game of telephone. Essential information is often passed from person to person, misheard, misunderstood, changed, lost, or even forgotten in the chaos.

Ideally, patient communication involves one continuous line of accurate, real-time information on each patient, flowing between EMS, hospital teams, public safety, public health, and emergency management personnel. A dedicated patient “channel” streamlines and improves care for routine cases and MCIs.

This is becoming a reality in several states. They’re implementing statewide patient wristband systems and pairing them with Pulsara, a health care communication and logistics platform, to simplify interoperability. Using Pulsara, responders scan patient wristbands to securely, quickly, and conveniently identify the injured, track what’s been done for whom, and provide the next caregiver a complete picture of the patient’s status – uniting all care teams and coordinators around each patient case in real time.

When William Rice, MBA, MLS, LP, market director of EMS and Air Med 12 at St. Joseph Health in Bryan, Texas, first implemented an effort to pair wristbands with Pulsara, he was met with skepticism.

“In the early days of the wristbands, I regularly had to remind folks in the region that they unanimously voted to support this project. People didn’t understand where the wristbands were going or how it would be helpful,” Rice said. “Once we added Pulsara, the value of the wristbands immediately sold itself because anybody who walks up to that wristband and scans it with Pulsara is now part of that patient care record.”

On March 1st, 2024, Pulsara was honored to participate in the largest student-led disaster drill in the world at Texas A&M’s Disaster Day in College Station, Texas. The team, comprised of students in various healthcare disciplines, used the Pulsara communication platform to manage the incident, including triaging and tracking around 300 patients, documenting treatments, and ordering and delivering meds from the field pharmacy.

The following is an excerpt from an article by the Texas A&M University Health Science Center, originally published on Texas A&M Today on March 1st, 2024. Check out the full article here. 

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Texas A&M University students sorted through the chaos of tropical storm-induced floodwaters, an earthquake and a shooting on Friday in a simulated disaster designed to prepare future health care professionals for large-scale emergencies.

The student-led exercise, held at Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service’s (TEEX) Disaster City in College Station, tested students in a variety of areas, including triage, patient care, mental health support and disaster management.

Started by the Texas A&M School of Nursing in 2008, the training has grown from a small event in the gym of a local church to a daylong disaster simulation involving more than 700 students, over 100 faculty and staff members, and numerous emergency response professionals. Students from Texas A&M schools of dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy and public health, as well as athletic training, psychology and veterinary medicine students and the Corps of Cadets, participated in the drill.

Christine Kaunas, assistant vice president for Interprofessional Practice, Education & Research (IPER) at Texas A&M Health Science Center, said the annual Disaster Day exercise is an important component of preparing students to work together in emergency situations.

“Since 2020 alone, Texas has seen over 15 disasters and related declarations, including wildfires, tropical storms, hurricanes, winter storms, and of course COVID-19. Ensuring that our health professions students are prepared to respond effectively when, not if, a disaster strikes is crucial,” Kaunas said.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article originally appeared on FireRescue1.com. Special thanks to our guest author, Courtney Levin, for FireRescue1 BrandFocus Staff.

When resources are lacking, these grant opportunities can help 

Operating a fire department requires an incredible amount of money, even for small or volunteer agencies. Certain budget line items cannot be sacrificed, while others may have a bit of wiggle room from year to year. Yet no matter how well-funded your department might be, you may feel like there’s never enough money to go around.

A sometimes-forgotten area of financial planning centers around preparation for incident management. While the basics like vehicles and radios may be accounted for, other facets could make a world of difference should a significant event occur.

Whether you’re looking for assistance with incident management training or want to upgrade your department’s communication tools, grant funding may be able to provide the necessary dollars to make your agency’s wishes a reality.

On any given day, healthcare providers interact with many forms of technology. Communication apps, EHRs, ePCRs, patient portals, and digital health trackers are just a few of the types of technology designed to make life easier for clinicians. From fostering better communication to digitizing patient information, mobile technology platforms are intended to help medical professionals in a number of areas. 

Unfortunately, despite the best intentions, expectations don't always match reality.

With a new protocol and Pulsara, Metropolitan Emergency Medical Services can now transport eligible pediatric behavioral health patients directly to behavioral health facilities—resulting in a 44% decrease of pediatric behavioral health patients transported to the ED. 

Metropolitan Emergency Medical Services (MEMS) is a public, non-profit EMS entity serving Little Rock, Arkansas, and its surrounding counties. The organization’s service area covers approximately 1,800 square miles and nearly half a million Arkansans. MEMS transports around 77,000 patients each year. In 2020, MEMS adopted Pulsara to improve communication with area hospitals for time-sensitive emergencies such as stroke, STEMI, and trauma. 

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, MEMS faced a new challenge: a growing number of pediatric behavioral health cases. Between 2022 and 2023, mental health calls accounted for 10% of MEMS’ overall call volume, with a noticeable surge in pediatric mental health cases. MEMS was transporting every behavioral health patient under 18 to Arkansas Children’s Hospital, creating a bottleneck in the emergency department as patients wait to be transferred to a behavioral health facility. Mack Hutchison, Clinical Manager for MEMS, explains: “Many of these patients do not need medical clearance and can occupy a room in the ED for up to 24 hours before a bed is found for them at a behavioral health facility.” Hutchison had an idea: what if those who didn’t need medical clearance could be routed directly to a behavioral health facility, relieving pressure on the ED and getting patients care more quickly?

Download the case study or read on to learn more!

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article originally appeared on EMS1.com. Special thanks to our guest author, John Erich, for EMS1 BrandFocus Staff.

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How a state’s wristband system and Pulsara redefined safety at the Texas Renaissance Festival

Imagine you’re an ambulance service director in a rural county. At the last minute, you’re responsible for staffing a 40,000-visitor-per-day event – more than your county’s entire population. In addition, it’s scheduled to last for eight consecutive weekends. This is on top of your already busy 911, nonemergent transport, and standby responsibilities.

Oh, and you only have a month to prepare. Sound daunting?

That’s the predicament Billy Rice, director of EMS for Texas’ St. Joseph Health, found himself in.

After using St. Joseph Health EMS for several years, organizers of the Texas Renaissance Festival decided in 2023 to switch medical providers for the event. As opening day approached, however, they concluded St. Joseph Health EMS was the only provider that could handle an event of the festival’s magnitude.

“About a month before the festival, they realized it wouldn’t work. They called us and asked us to help,” said Billy Rice. “Of course, it’s our people and our county, so we stepped up and pulled it off.”

A major component involved the patient wristbands now being used across Texas, paired with the Pulsara platform for tracking patients and managing events.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article originally appeared on FireRescue1.com. Special thanks to our guest author, Courtney Levin, for FireRescue1 BrandFocus Staff.

Now that you’ve developed the initial groundwork, these next steps are key to finding success

The fire service is pivotal in caring for their community’s underserved population. Introducing a community paramedicine program allows public safety to dynamically meet those needs.

Yet, developing and successfully implementing a community paramedic program can be daunting. “Generally, anytime you’re implementing a new program, specifically a community paramedicine program, the challenge is you’re doing something you haven’t done before – and there’s nothing more comforting than tradition,” said Kris Kaull, chief growth officer at Pulsara. “If you lead the change, it means you’re a disruptor. There’s certainly something glamorous about that, but there’s also something very disrupting about being a disruptor.”

Developing a community paramedicine program involves several steps before visiting your first patient. After creating departmental buy-in from the top down, thoroughly evaluating the medical needs of those in your community, and selecting a few specific areas for your program to focus on, it’s time to put your plans into action. Yet even if it appears that your department has crossed every t and dotted every i, you might still find the execution of your program doesn’t start smoothly.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article originally appeared on FireRescue1.com. Special thanks to our guest author, Courtney Levin, for FireRescue1 BrandFocus Staff.

Departments can play a large role in supporting the health and safety of underserved residents

The inherent nature of the fire service means that responses to community needs are usually reactive. Whether a 911 call is for a fire, a serious vehicle collision, or a medical emergency at someone’s home, firefighters can’t predict ahead of time where these instances will occur.

That’s not to say the fire service hasn’t made great strides to be proactive about their day-to-day operations when and where they can. For example, departments routinely engage in fire inspections to bolster the safety of local buildings. After all, reducing the likelihood of a fire starting is certainly a more preventative route to take than fighting a fire once it’s begun.

Proactivity isn’t limited to structure fires, though. Fire departments can also apply this line of thinking to the individual residents in their community by developing a community paramedicine program.

[While we are using the term “community paramedicine” for simplicity, there are other similar terms, including “mobile integrated health” and “community integrated health.”]

Many EMS agencies across the country already engage in community paramedicine programs, and the fire service can and should play an important role in those programs. Whether your area already has this type of care in place or not, there’s always an opportunity to provide greater support for the underserved residents in your community.

The following is an excerpt from an article by Kasia Kerridge, originally published on kktv.com on December 12th, 2023. Check out the full article here. 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - Colorado Springs firefighters are reflecting on how to better communicate with local hospitals after Club Q.

11 News spoke with the Colorado Springs Fire Department one year after Club Q, which has rolled out a tracking technology by Pulsara. Firefighters put wristbands on patients, connecting to an app, which gives real-time information to hospitals so medical staff can prepare. This is especially important for mass casualty events like Club Q.

Initial data shows improvement in door-to-CT times for thrombolysis patients

Earlier this year, the University of Dundee, Scotland became the first facility in Europe to implement Pulsara. In combination with radiology AI solution Brainomix, the University began using Pulsara to improve patient care and enhance communication around stroke patients. According to a recently approved abstract submission to the Scottish Heart & Arterial Disease Risk Prevention (SHARP) released by the University entitled “Addressing Cardiovascular Disease Using a Novel Communication Tool Pulsara: Digital Communication Pathway of Excellence in Scotland,” the implementation of Pulsara has significantly improved patient care in several areas, including improved door-to-CT times and a reduced risk of communication errors.

As one of the UK’s leading public research universities, The University of Dundee, Scotland is recognized worldwide for its expertise across multiple disciplines including art, science, engineering, and medicine. The University has been awarded “Scottish University of The Year” and named top university for teaching excellence in Scotland by Sunday Times University Guide. The University of Dundee Medical School is also connected to the UK’s three most-cited scientists, and the majority of the medical institute’s research is of national or international distinction.

Read the Abstract 

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article originally appeared on EMS1.com. Special thanks to our guest author, John Erich, for EMS1 BrandFocus Staff.

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Assistance is available from the U.S. government, but local systems have important responsibilities

When a major disaster strikes, Americans are used to seeing FEMA rush in. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is typically among the first nonlocal entities to get boots on the affected ground, with a mission of evaluating damages and needs, and then activating additional federal resources as appropriate.

But while your FEMA rep might be your best friend throughout the duration of response and recovery, they’re not the only one able to assist; nor is FEMA the only body. Other arms of the federal government can be involved and provide important assets, too – for both communication and victim management.

Here are five things to know about disaster response, keeping connected, and federal assistance if and when the big one surfaces in your area.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article originally appeared on FireRescue1.com. Special thanks to our guest author, Courtney Levin, for FireRescue1 BrandFocus Staff.

This platform helps ensure consistent and reliable communication when it matters most

Think about the last 10 conversations you had with someone who wasn’t standing right next to you. There’s a pretty good chance you communicated through text, FaceTime, social media messaging or even a good old-fashioned phone call. It’s highly unlikely you sent them a page, much less a fax.

Today’s communication technology has grown in leaps and bounds. We have confidence that our voicemails are heard and our texts are read, but older methods of communication can leave the sender wondering if their message was received.

When so many millions of people use their smartphones to relay simple information – “Remember to stop at the store to buy milk on the way home” – why would first responders continue to trust older technology to communicate vital information?

“You don’t know what you don’t know,” said Brandon Means, senior vice president of sales at Pulsara. A career paramedic and flight nurse, he was formerly a firm believer in using radios to relay critical patient data.

“I thought our radios worked fine – until they didn’t,” he explained. “They may be working fine on my end, but on the other end, it may sound garbled. There’s a reason we use modern technology in our daily lives. Firefighters, paramedics, nurses and physicians push back and say, ‘No, my pager works fine.’ Well, there’s also a reason they don’t use their radio to call their child riding their bike down the street. It’s just not reliable or consistent.”

Editor's Note: On July 21st, 2023, EMS1, Fitch & Associates, and the National EMS Management Association released their annual EMS Trend Report, proudly sponsored by Pulsara. Because the articles and advice found within contain such critical subject matter, we've elected to publish each segment one at a time here on our blog. Read, enjoy, share, and take to heart the following information brought to you by the most prestigious thought leaders in EMS. This fifth and final entry for 2023 is contributed by  Pulsara.

Pioneering patient management and communication tools may be the answer to enhancing provider job satisfaction and combating EMS retention problems

With staff retention emerging as a top concern in EMS, the need for effective solutions to combat this critical issue is apparent. As revealed by the 2023 EMS Trend Survey – a joint effort of EMS1, Fitch & Associates, EMS Survey Team, and the National EMS Management Association – retention, recruitment, and career development significantly influence the effectiveness of EMS services.

Numerous factors play a role in these challenges, with compensation, leadership quality, late calls, and hospital wait times being the key issues. With a staggering 87% of respondents citing compensation as a major influence on retention, followed by poor leadership (72%), late calls (66%), hospital delays (53%), and the criminalization of medical errors (40%), the complexity and depth of the problem become evident.

However, these hurdles aren’t insurmountable. Innovative strategies such as wellness programs, alternative service models, and technology solutions can help reduce irritations, bolster employee satisfaction, and improve staff retention.

Editor's Note: On July 21st, 2023, EMS1, Fitch & Associates, and the National EMS Management Association released their annual EMS Trend Report, proudly sponsored by Pulsara. Because the articles and advice found within contain such critical subject matter, we've elected to publish each segment one at a time here on our blog. Read, enjoy, share, and take to heart the following information brought to you by the most prestigious thought leaders in EMS. Today's entry is written by Chris Cebollero, nationally recognized EMS leader, advocate, best-selling author, and president/CEO for Cebollero & Associates.

4 Steps to Stopping the Stress Cycle

Let me share a secret: EMS can be a very stressful job. I know what you are thinking: “no joke, Sherlock” (or perhaps a more colorful version). But, if we as leaders know that EMS is a stressful career field, what are we doing as leaders to help our workforce decrease their stress levels?

The EMS Trend Survey identified several factors that compound stress for our workforce. It’s not just the trauma, death, and horrors they experience every day, but also the short staffing, equipment challenges, late calls, and schedules that pile on for them.

Of course, we know that some level of stress is inevitable and unavoidable. Heck, dealing with traffic every day was a horrible source of stress for me in the field. But we know that prolonged levels of intense stress will cause long-term mental and physical challenges for employees. Finding ways to mitigate stress for our workforce must be foremost in our focus as leaders.

How one Arkansas hospital is using healthcare communication technology to dramatically improve time-to-treatment for stroke patients

BOZEMAN, Mont., October 17, 2023 — Pulsara, the leading mobile telehealth, communication, and logistics platform that unites health care teams and technologies across organizations during dynamic events, published new details on Arkansas-based Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock’s record improvements in treatment time for stroke patients. The Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock Case Study showcases the work the facility has put towards improving communication among EMS and hospital stroke teams and highlights the resulting decrease in time-to-treatment for stroke patients.

On September 27th, 2023, the Arkansas Department of Health announced in a press release that the Pulsara platform will be available to all ambulance services, acute care, sub-acute care, long-term acute care, nursing homes, behavioral health hospitals, and other affiliated healthcare facilities in Arkansas through funding by the Arkansas Department of Health, starting October 1st. 

"Arkansas is the first state in the country to make the full functionality of this platform available to all EMS agencies, hospitals, affiliated healthcare facilities, public health, public safety, and emergency management," said Bala Simon, MD, DrPH, Deputy Chief Medical Officer at the Arkansas Department of Health. “This will help our healthcare providers improve communication to improve patient care and outcomes.”

Editor's Note: On July 21st, 2023, EMS1, Fitch & Associates, and the National EMS Management Association released their annual EMS Trend Report, proudly sponsored by Pulsara. Because the articles and advice found within contain such critical subject matter, we've elected to publish each segment one at a time here on our blog. Read, enjoy, share, and take to heart the following information brought to you by the most prestigious thought leaders in EMS. Today's entry is written by Anthony Minge, EdD, senior partner at Fitch & Associates. 

A closer look at the causes and effects of pressure, strain, and anxiety on the EMS workforce

Stress is taking a monumental toll on EMS. This year’s EMS Trend Survey found more than 80% of respondents experience moderate job stress, with 11% categorizing it as extreme. Over 40% of those completing this year’s survey felt that stress is negatively impacting their professional development, 30% feel it is negatively impacting the quality of service they provide, and more than 50% feel it is having debilitating effects on their health.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article originally appeared on FireRescue1.com. Special thanks to our guest author, Courtney Levin, for FireRescue1 BrandFocus Staff.

Colorado Springs Fire Department has significantly improved patient outcomes with Pulsara

When you work in a busy fire department, it seems as if there’s never enough time to learn and implement a new piece of technology. Such was the case for Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD), an agency that currently encompasses 23 stations with over 500 firefighters. Serving the second largest city in Colorado, they run about 80,000 calls per year across a large service area of over 195 square miles. 

Despite having a full plate already, CSFD has long recognized the importance of continuously striving to improve patient outcomes. After hearing about Pulsara, a communication tool that works to bridge gaps between providers, they realized their department could benefit from such technology.

“I think the transition of care and communication between prehospital medical care and a hospital-based system is fraught with peril,” said Matthew Angelidis, M.D., co-chief medical director at CSFD. “As you’re trying to give a report and information about a patient and the care that’s been rendered to a health care provider in a hospital, lots of information can be lost in translation. I think we struggled to have effective, high-quality patient care information communicated between firefighters and paramedics and the hospital-based resources the patients were transitioning to.”

Joey Buttenwieser, a lieutenant at CSFD, agrees communication challenges were a huge area of opportunity for their agency. He notes that consistent communication has now become the norm since the department implemented Pulsara.

“This system helps first responders talk to a handful of our medical directors directly through Pulsara instead of calling the hospital and getting whichever emergency room doctor happens to be rotating through that day,” said Buttenwieser.

Editor's Note: On July 21st, 2023, EMS1, Fitch & Associates, and the National EMS Management Association released their annual EMS Trend Report, proudly sponsored by Pulsara. Because the articles and advice found within contain such critical subject matter, we've elected to publish each segment one at a time here on our blog. Read, enjoy, share, and take to heart the following information brought to you by the most prestigious thought leaders in EMS. Today's entry is written by Kerri Hatt, Editor-in-Chief of EMS1.

Adopting programs to improve service delivery and agency culture

Our goal in measuring and analyzing EMS trends is to identify areas for growth: both where it is needed and where it is succeeding at improving operations. When agencies and providers are feeling the brunt of staffing challenges in levels that have nearly half of providers (45%) considering leaving EMS, and 97% of agencies struggling with turnover – it’s time to change the way we deliver EMS.

In year-over-year comparisons, we’ve seen incremental growth in agencies adopting alternate service models and tools, including telemedicine, nurse triage of 911 calls, alternate means of transportation, and alternate destinations. By getting patients to the right definitive care and reducing the volume of patients delivered straight to the ED, patients are better served and turnaround times are decreased, reducing the burden on providers.

While these downstream impacts of adjusting service delivery will improve EMS for providers, we cannot ignore the impact leadership has on their stress. EMS Trend Survey respondents made that impact loud and clear, citing agency leadership and their direct supervisors as the biggest drivers of stress in EMS.

We asked a panel of EMS innovators and experts to share their experiences, successes, and tips for adopting programs to both improve EMS service delivery and agency culture – creating a safe space where wellness is appreciated, and seniormost staff lead the ship – rather than create additional stress. Here’s what they have to say.

Editor's Note: On July 21st, 2023, EMS1, Fitch & Associates, and the National EMS Management Association released their annual EMS Trend Report, proudly sponsored by Pulsara. Because the articles and advice found within contain such critical subject matter, we've elected to publish each segment one at a time here on our blog. Read, enjoy, share, and take to heart the following information brought to you by the most prestigious thought leaders in EMS. Today's entry is written by Jay Fitch, PhD, founding partner at Fitch & Associates. 

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EMS1’s state-of-the-industry survey provides targets for reducing stress, staffing challenges, and leadership shortfalls

For the past 8 years, the EMS Trend Survey has chronicled what our profession feels are key concerns. Several overarching issues that continue to impact EMS include the post-pandemic labor environment, financial factors that appear to be causing EMS to careen toward financial ruin, as well as an increase in violent interactions. These issues certainly provide a context against which we can interpret the survey results.

Labor shortages across all business sectors (including EMS) have continued since the pandemic. Retention has remained the No. 1 critical issue facing EMS for 4 straight years. In EMS, recruitment and retention efforts have been exacerbated by the inability of agencies to provide competitive compensation packages as compared to other healthcare and public safety positions. For the past 2 years, pay and benefits have been consistently identified by nearly 9 out of 10 respondents as an issue impacting retention. Interestingly, career development and advancement were rated as a higher critical factor than in past years, which is also likely impacting retention.