Team Pulsara

Team Pulsara is a diverse group of talent with a common purpose: To improve the lives of patients and caregivers through innovative communication.

Team Pulsara

Team Pulsara

Team Pulsara is a diverse group of talent with a common purpose: To improve the lives of patients and caregivers through innovative communication.

Recent posts by Team Pulsara

5 min read

Practice Makes Perfect: Simplify MCI Management with Regularly Used Tools

By Team Pulsara on Jun 14, 2023

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

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Building muscle memory eases stress during critical emergencies

According to the U.S. Census, 29.15 million people lived in Texas in 2020. Estimates for 2022 show that figure has likely surpassed the 30 million mark as the Lone Star State continues to see a huge influx of new residents. Providing emergency medical care to that many people is an extraordinarily tall task, but one the state has worked to improve upon in recent years.

The tipping point came in 2020 as COVID-19 presented the United States with unprecedented medical challenges. Residents in Texas who needed specialized hospital care due to the virus were often caught in a tangle of delays, as medical teams weren’t always working from the same playbook.

“We heard stories across the state where multiple fixed-wing aircraft showed up at the wrong airport to pick up the wrong patient,” said Joey Branton, senior vice president of strategic initiatives at Pulsara. “They were making a minimum of 30 phone calls per patient transfer.”

While the pandemic put immense pressure on first responders and the health care system, mass casualty incidents like active shooters and natural disasters didn’t stop. It quickly became clear that those in Texas needed a better way to manage patients from start to finish.

A statewide wristband system was put in place to give every patient a unique ID that could be used across organizations. But it was the coupling of that initiative with the Pulsara platform which enabled fire and EMS providers to significantly improve their level of care.

Pulsara helps streamline communication between first responders during single-patient events and mass casualty incidents. As with any skill, confidence in using this tool comes through the muscle memory built up through regular use. “First responders in Texas realized to be truly proficient at using the efficiencies provided by the Pulsara platform, they needed to use it every day,” said Branton.

Topics: EMS Regional Systems of Care Emergency Management Mass Casualty Incidents Incident Management
8 min read

Setting the Table for Community Paramedicine

By Team Pulsara on Jun 07, 2023

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

It’s not as hard to get started as you might think – follow these initial steps

Few experienced paramedics need to be persuaded of the value of community paramedicine – they’ve seen the repeat 911 callers, the chronic problems and the social factors that trap people in cycles of poor health. But against so many problems so large, it’s hard to know where to begin. Who should a CP program serve? What should it try to do?

The good news is, the answers to those questions aren’t unknowable, and it’s not as hard as you might think to get a basic program up and running. Here is a guideline for departments willing to take that step toward more comprehensive care for the vulnerable in their communities.


Step #1: Assess your needs

You might have certain interventions in mind from the outset. But whatever your program does should be based on data, not impressions or anecdotes. Focus on what your population needs, not what you want.

“It really is important that you do what’s right for your community,” said veteran EMS writer and educator Hilary Gates, MAEd, NRP, director of educational strategy for Prodigy EMS and a volunteer paramedic with the Alexandria Fire Department in Virginia, whose community paramedic program she helped found in 2017. “If you start by saying, ‘I’d like to help solve the opioid crisis,’ you might find there’s actually more meth in your community than opioids.”

Identifying appropriate areas for intervention best begins with a needs assessment – an evaluation of areas where current conditions fall short of expectations. Veteran providers may already have a sense of such areas in their communities, and agency ePCR data can yield insights into call types and frequencies. Sources like NEMSIS (the National EMS Information System), CARES (the Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival) and top EMS software companies can also provide data to get you started.

Topics: EMS Community Paramedicine
2 min read

FireRescue1 Digital Edition: Go/No-Go Decision-Making on the Fireground

By Team Pulsara on May 25, 2023

Gain insight into how go/no-go situations are resolved by incident commanders and how you can level-up your own decision-making skills.

There are countless debates in the fire service that come down to simple go/no-go decision-making: go to the roof or not, search the fire building or not, take action at an active shooter event or not, to name a few. Go or no-go decisions become a very real situation with very real consequences.

Incident commanders, in particular, are routinely faced with making decisions that will ultimately result in either successful outcomes or compromised safety of citizens and firefighters alike. This digital eBook edition helps company and chief officers manage these moments and make smart decisions that balance firefighter safety and service to the community.

3 min read

TX First Responders Prepare for Disasters in Regional Training Exercise

By Team Pulsara on May 18, 2023

Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from a news story that was originally published on kbtx.com. Check out the full story here. 

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - Whenever disaster strikes, first responders are there to deal with the aftermath, which means they need to be prepared for any situation.

Last week, first responders across the region came together to strengthen their response techniques using a special platform called Pulsara.

Pulsara is a healthcare communications and logistics platform that unites teams and technologies during dynamic events.

Billy Rice, Director of EMS at St. Joseph Health Hospital, said large scale events are typically difficult to manage, but their goal is to create an actionable plan should a disaster occur.

Topics: Press
4 min read

Pulsara Partners with PDC to Streamline Communication Between EMS, Hospital Personnel, and Emergency Management

By Team Pulsara on May 02, 2023

Patient tracking during large-scale events is a challenge. Patients may be passed between first responders, ground transport, air transport, and then transferred from one facility to another. For routine calls with individual patients, it’s feasible to track who transported the patient and where they ended up. But in mass-casualty incidents and large-scale hazards, chaotic scenes and large numbers of patients make it difficult to keep track of each patient, their information, and their ultimate destination. 

In order to solve these problems, some states are using a new approach to patient tracking: statewide wristbands with barcodes that can help track patients across organizations by functioning as a universal patient ID. 

PDC, a global manufacturer and leader in healthcare identification, is partnering with Pulsara, the leading telehealth, communication, and patient logistics platform, to offer wristbands for tracking patients within the Pulsara platform. 

Topics: Press Incident Management
8 min read

6 EMS Response Tips for Mental and Behavioral Health Calls

By Team Pulsara on Apr 21, 2023

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

Topics: EMS Community Paramedicine Mental Health
20 min read

Upgrading A Trauma System Of Care - PT 2

By Team Pulsara on Apr 07, 2023

What if you could improve patient care—across your city, region, and even state—by streamlining communication and coordination between EMS and hospital teams? Texas hospital and EMS leaders are doing just that, utilizing new workflows built on a scalable telehealth communication and logistics platform. Since reworking their trauma system, they’ve improved efficiency, reduced phone calls to multiple people, streamlined transfers, optimized continuity of care, and created shared awareness and accountability.

In this leadership roundtable with Jennifer Carr, MSN, RN, CPEN, TCRN, Vice President of Trauma Services at CHRISTUS Spohn Health System in Corpus Christi, TX, Randy Endsley, BSN, CFRN, CEN, LP, CMTE, Chief Medical Officer and Flight Nurse with HALO-Flight in Corpus Christi, TX, and Corey Ricketson, Sales VP at Pulsara, discover why they created this new system of care, what day-to-day operations look like, and how they are growing it across their organization and region.

Watch the full webinar and check out part 2 of our blog coverage below! And in case you missed it, catch up on part 1 here.

Topics: Trauma Regional Systems of Care Customer Success
21 min read

Upgrading a Trauma System of Care - PT 1

By Team Pulsara on Mar 23, 2023

What if you could improve patient care—across your city, region, and even state—by streamlining communication and coordination between EMS and hospital teams? Texas hospital and EMS leaders are doing just that, utilizing new workflows built on a scalable telehealth communication and logistics platform. Since reworking their trauma system, they’ve improved efficiency, cut down on phone calls to multiple people, streamlined transfers, optimized continuity of care, and created shared awareness and accountability.

In this leadership roundtable with Jennifer Carr, MSN, RN, CPEN, TCRN, Vice President of Trauma Services at CHRISTUS Spohn Health System in Corpus Christi, TX, Randy Endsley, BSN, CFRN, CEN, LP, CMTE, Chief Medical Officer and Flight Nurse with HALO-Flight in Corpus Christi, TX, and Corey Ricketson, Sales VP at Pulsara, discover why they created this new system of care, what day-to-day operations look like, and how they are growing it across their organization and region.

Watch the full webinar and check out part 1 of our blog coverage below!

Topics: Trauma Regional Systems of Care
6 min read

6 Ways Pulsara Can Improve Major Incident Response

By Team Pulsara on Mar 15, 2023

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

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Triage at major events can be slow, and tracking patients can be difficult – Pulsara’s new functionality is aimed at improving both experiences

As it prepared for takeoff, the 737 couldn’t avoid the speeding rental truck that came crashing toward it through the fence beyond the airport tarmac. The resulting collision killed 14 of its passengers and crew, as well as the driver of the truck, and left 56 more injured.

First responders from multiple agencies rushed to the scene that morning last October at Preston Smith International Airport in Lubbock, Texas, to respond to the full-scale mass-casualty exercise. Medical personnel triaged the wounded and gave them special armbands the state now uses for patients experiencing time-sensitive emergencies, including victims of mass-casualty incidents. The bands contained individual barcodes that, with a quick scan, would take any responder at the scene to a dedicated care channel for that patient, where the provider could then enter the patient’s identifying and treatment information.

The testing of that technology – new functionality from Pulsara designed to help responders triage and track patients in major incidents – was one of the goals of the exercise, which simulated the kind of MCI that often overwhelms unprepared systems.

“We were looking for ways to improve patient tracking and incident awareness for all command staff on scene,” said Logistics Chief and Emergency Preparedness Specialist Brent Fox, NREMT-P, of University Medical Center EMS in Lubbock. “Pulsara allowed everyone on scene to have full visibility from any location once they joined the incident.”

That quick, easy shared awareness – with everyone who’s part of the response having access to the same information – is among several important benefits of the new tool responders to the Lubbock exercise got to experience firsthand.

Topics: EMS Mass Casualty Incidents Multiple Patient Incidents Incident Management
4 min read

New Trial Data Shows 80% Reduction in Stroke Treatment Times with Pulsara

By Team Pulsara on Mar 08, 2023

Editor's Note: This post is adapted from a report first published by the Victorian Agency for Health Information, a division of Australia's Department of Health. Check out the original version here. 

A recent report published by a division of Australia's Department of Health, the Victorian Agency for Health Information, confirmed the benefit of using communication and logistics technology for patient care at Latrobe Regional Hospital in Traralgon, Victoria. New data from the Australian Stroke Clinical Registry showed as much as an 80% reduction in time-to-treatment for critical stroke patients.

Latrobe Regional Hospital is a busy regional health service in the eastern Victorian town of Traralgon, with 328 beds and 2,465 staff servicing a catchment of more than 270,000 people. The emergency department alone sees 42,000 people each year.

At the recent National Stroke Quality Improvement Workshop, Latrobe Regional Hospital shared how they used registry data to evaluate newly implemented technology designed to streamline day-to-day operations and facilitate better treatment times. The Australian Stroke Clinical Registry data played a key role in evaluating the use of Pulsara at Latrobe Regional Hospital, responding to staff questions about how the health service would measure the performance and impact of the new technology.

Topics: Stroke Australia
14 min read

Think Like A Detective: Hacks To Improve Your History-Taking [PT2]

By Team Pulsara on Feb 01, 2023

Pulsara's Chief Growth Officer, Kris Kaull, recently had the opportunity to sit down with Rob Lawrence on the EMS One-Stop podcastIn this episode, Rob talks with Kris about history taking and how to improve communication and gather better intel. Kris shares his top 10 hacks to improve your history taking, including thinking like a detective, thinking outside the box, understanding medical medicine, being a good listener, and more.

This podcast originally aired on EMS One-Stop on November 17, 2022. Check out part 1 of our blog coverage here, and then listen to the podcast and check out the full transcript of part 2 below.

Topics: EMS
16 min read

Think Like a Detective: Hacks To Improve Your History-Taking [PT1]

By Team Pulsara on Jan 25, 2023

Pulsara's Chief Growth Officer, Kris Kaull, recently had the opportunity to sit down with Rob Lawrence on the EMS One-Stop podcast. In this episode, Rob talks with Kris about history taking and how to improve communication and gather better intel. Kris shares his top 10 hacks to improve your history taking, including thinking like a detective, thinking outside the box, understanding medical medicine, being a good listener, and more.

This podcast originally aired on EMS One-Stop on November 17, 2022. Listen to the podcast and check out the full transcript below. 

Topics: EMS
3 min read

[PRESS RELEASE] Pulsara Approved as Cloud Software Supplier on UK G-Cloud 13 Framework

By Team Pulsara on Jan 17, 2023

UK hospital and ambulance organisations can now procure Pulsara via the Crown Commercial Service updated G-Cloud framework.

Bozeman, Montana, USA, January 17, 2023Pulsara, the leading mobile telehealth, communication, and logistics platform that unites healthcare teams and technologies across organisations during dynamic events, has been listed as an approved cloud software supplier by Crown Commercial Service on the updated G-Cloud 13 framework. Because Pulsara is now available through this framework—under Lot 2, Cloud Software (SaaS), and the service categories of Healthcare and Information Communications and Technology (ICT)—organisations in the UK are specifically enabled to procure the Pulsara UNITED solution for hospitals and ambulance services. 

The ability for healthcare organisations to access new and evolving technologies for efficient patient care is of utmost importance,” said Cynthia Bradford Lencioni, Pulsara’s EVP - Global Business & Chief Operating Officer. “We are thrilled to join the updated G-Cloud 13 framework, providing streamlined access to customers in the United Kingdom looking for digital health transformation solutions.”

Topics: Press United Kingdom
11 min read

How Health Systems Are Improving Patient Care with Pulsara [Podcast]

By Team Pulsara on Jan 11, 2023

EDITOR'S NOTE: This podcast originally aired on Becker's Hospital Review on December 8th, 2022. You can find the original post here. 

 

When a health system is looking for ways to improve patient care, there are a lot of factors to consider. How will new solutions affect existing workflows, and how will they reduce time-to-treatment for patients? 

In this Becker's Healthcare podcast episode, host Marcus Robertson sits down with Kate Leatherby, Sales VP - West, at Pulsara to discuss what challenges health systems are looking to overcome with Pulsara, how the platform overlays a health system's current workflow, what innovative ways seasoned customers are leveraging the platform to improve patient care, decreasing time to treatment, and more. 

Check out the podcast and read the full transcript of the interview below.

Topics: Regional Systems of Care Telehealth
4 min read

[PRESS RELEASE] EPR Systems and Pulsara Integrate to Improve Patient Data Integrity and EMS Care Delivery

By Team Pulsara on Dec 20, 2022

The integration brings data captured in Pulsara's communication platform into EPR's MedicWorks ePCR, improving team communication and reducing time on task.

BOZEMAN, Mont., December 20, 2022EPR Systems, Inc. and Pulsara join together to streamline patient care data exchange, bringing critical information to first responders on scene. Pulsara’s communication and logistics platformenables EMS and hospital staff to instantly communicate event-based patient information, including one-tap team notifications, image sharing, audio/video calls, and ETA alerts, all on a single app. EPR Systems MedicWorks electronic Patient Care Reporting (ePCR) platform provides first responders the interface to capture and record HIPAA-compliant patient data customized to their organization’s requirements.

“EPR Systems is a customer-focused company, and when one of our Texas customers asked for a Pulsara integration with EPR’s MedicWorks ePCR, we jumped at the opportunity to integrate with Pulsara, who was extremely helpful and welcomed our two systems working together,” says Jeff Jacobson, EPR’s Director of Business Development and 22-year firefighter paramedic. “Connecting these two platforms puts the power in the hands of the responder and healthcare team to deliver urgent care based on accurate data sharing. The integration eliminates dual data entry, which decreases data entry errors and creates a single point of communication—it creates the ‘data hygiene’ responders and healthcare teams need to do their job efficiently and deliver the immediate care patients need.”

Topics: Press
4 min read

[PRESS RELEASE] Pulsara and Beyond Lucid Technologies Announce Integration

By Team Pulsara on Dec 14, 2022

Documentation Time Cut by 66% Compared with ePCR Used Before the MEDIVIEW and Pulsara Integration.

BOZEMAN, Mont., December 14, 2022 – Pulsara, the leading mobile telehealth and communication platform that connects healthcare teams across organizations, is pleased to announce a pair of technical integration and collaborative deployments with Beyond Lucid Technologies: first, at the Ute Pass Regional Health Service District (UPRHSD), then at the Delta County Ambulance District (DCAD), both in Colorado. 



Topics: Press Interoperability
4 min read

Heroes Among Us: How Medical Pros at a Colorado Hospital Saved Lives After Mass Shooting at Club Q

By Team Pulsara on Dec 07, 2022

Editor's Note: At Pulsara, it's our honor to highlight the stories of our customers and the work they do on behalf of their patients. On November 20th, the UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central team responded courageously to a mass shooting in Colorado Springs. The following article is an excerpt from their story, which was written by Erin Emery, Content Director at UCHealth, and Katie Kerwin McCrimmon, Writer and Communications Specialist at UCHealth. It was originally published on November 27th, 2022, on uchealth.org. Read the full story here. 

The calls crackled over the police officer’s radio in the hospital ER: “Club Q … Active shooter …”

It was a little after midnight. Saturday night had been unusually quiet in the ER. But the early hours of Sunday, Nov. 20, were about to test medical pros who train to handle the worst possible emergencies.

Patients in dire need of their help were minutes away.

The police officer had been in the emergency department at UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central in Colorado Springs assisting with a suspected drunk driver when he heard the call about a horrific mass shooting. He immediately gave a heads up to the charge nurse.

She jumped into action, notifying her team throughout the emergency department (or ED as medical folks call it) along with other key people throughout the hospital.

“One of the police officers just told us that there was a shooting and we’re expecting anywhere from 15 to 20 people. We’re hoping it’s wrong, but if not, it’s all hands on deck,” the charge nurse told Kayla Ireland, who was working that night as Memorial Hospital’s nursing house supervisor.

“OK. I’m headed down there,” said Ireland, who had been working upstairs in the hospital.

Until news of the shooting hit, the emergency staff and providers mostly had been helping people who were sick with the flu, RSV and COVID-19. But Memorial is a Level I Trauma Center, the highest level possible. That means that highly trained teams must be ready 24/7 for emergencies of all sorts — including a mass shooting.

The hospital is just 12 minutes and a little over five miles away from Club Q, which had always been a refuge for LGBTQ people. Now club goers who had been enjoying a fun Saturday night were fighting for their lives.

4 min read

[PRESS RELEASE] Pulsara Releases Incident Management Functionality

By Team Pulsara on Nov 29, 2022

New feature assists with triage and tracking of patients during a crisis

Bozeman, Mont., November 29, 2022 — Pulsara, the leading telehealth, communication, and logistics platform that unites teams and technologies across organizations during dynamic events, announced today the official release of new functionality designed for incident management. The new platform capabilities are designed to help triage and track patients during mass casualty incidents (MCIs), multiple patient incidents (MPIs), floods, evacuations, and other disasters, as well as major planned events (e.g., concerts, sporting events, etc.). The platform provides responders with a clear line of communication around every patient on a familiar platform they use every day for patient care. When a stress event occurs, no additional preparation or training is required; everyone can continue using the same platform to respond confidently and efficiently in a crisis.

The first major test of the new functionality occurred in October in Lubbock, Texas, as the FAA conducted a full-scale crisis exercise at Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport. First responders from multiple agencies assembled to respond to a drill scenario that involved a rental truck crashing through tarmac fencing and colliding with a plane that was preparing to take off, injuring 56 passengers. During the simulation, first responders and city agencies used Pulsara's Incident Management functionality to enter patient information, communicate, and coordinate care. 

Topics: Press Mass Casualty Incidents Multiple Patient Incidents Incident Management
10 min read

10 Things You Need to Know About Pediatric Trauma

By Team Pulsara on Oct 26, 2022

The key is to remember that kids get sick differently than adults and that physical findings may be more subtle

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

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I have been fortunate during my career to be able to specialize in pediatrics, which has given me a unique perspective. It is pretty common to hear paramedics say that kids are difficult, but the truth is, kids are just different. When it comes to trauma, the basics are all the same: ABCs, bleeding control, and rapid transport. There are a few things that I do differently with children than when managing adults, and I am certain these can make things better for both you and your patient.

Topics: EMS Trauma Pediatrics
3 min read

Catholic Health Improves Communication Between EMS and ED With Pulsara

By Team Pulsara on Oct 14, 2022

Editor's note: This is an excerpt from an article originally published by WGRZ.com on October 11th, 2022. Read the full article here. 

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Catholic Health has started using Pulsara to help EMTs [and paramedics] better communicate with the emergency room, and says it may save time, especially when seconds count.

Pulsara is installed on a [first responder's] smartphone or tablet, allowing them to engage in real-time consultation with emergency room doctors and nurses to triage and assess patients while they are en route to the hospital.

"Traditionally, EMTs have phoned into a number directly to the emergency room, but sometimes if the doctor is not there, or tending to another patient, the nurse has to go find them," explained Lori Dufrense, who oversees all of the emergency rooms in the Catholic Health system locally. "This way, not only are the doctor and the emergency room staff notified, but so are the cardiac team if it's a heart attack, or the neuro team if it's a stroke patient."

Topics: Press Customer Success