Erlanger Medical Center Uses New Technology to Provide Exceptional Stroke Care [Press Release]

The Chattanooga, Tenn., health system implemented a smartphone app to simplify communications and improve outcomes for patients.

Erlanger Health System is one of the leading comprehensive stroke centers in the country. Erlanger’s staff works tirelessly to ensure that all stroke patients are treated as quickly and efficiently as possible; a goal that is dependent upon the care team’s ability to effectively communicate with one another in order to get the patient to the right resources without wasting any time. Unfortunately, even at Erlanger, care teams struggled with outdated processes and archaic technologies that too often resulted in communication lapses leading to longer case times.

In efforts to eliminate treatment delays, Erlanger has implemented Pulsara, a mobile technology that seamlessly connects members of an acute care team, allowing them to respond faster and have access to more information in time-sensitive emergencies.

EMS teams also use Pulsara to contact nearby hospitals, providing increased transparency of the patient’s condition and helping to further streamline the care process. When a medic identifies a Stroke or STEMI, they can instantly transmit to the hospital the patient’s name and age, vital signs, ETA to the hospital, and even a secure picture of the ECG or facial droop. Because no information is stored on the user’s personal device, it is HIPAA compliant and secure.

“In my role as an emergency physician, one of the most frustrating things for me was when we would get a stroke patient dropped off and they would have to wait for ridiculous amounts of time – sometimes over an hour – for us to activate and prepare the stroke team,’” said James Woodson, an emergency room physician and founder of Pulsara, “We created Pulsara because we believe that no patient should ever lose any functionality or independence because a care team wasn’t ready for them simply due to faulty communications.”

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Erlanger Health System is an academic medical center that partners with the University of Tennessee College of Medicine Chattanooga. The system is comprised of five hospitals including the Baroness Hospital, Children's Hospital at Erlanger, Erlanger North Hospital, Erlanger East Hospital, and Erlanger Bledsoe Hospital. In addition to being recognized as “Chattanooga’s number one hospital” but U.S. News and World Report, Erlanger is also the fourth largest interventional stroke program in the United States, and is the tri-state region’s only level one trauma center. Learn more about Erlanger at www.erlanger.org.

Pulsara is a digital healthcare corporation that focuses on using mobile technology to enhance patient outcomes by improving communication and care coordination through the entire healthcare system. Pulsara’s mobile applications STOP STROKE and STOP STEMI improve communications between the teams caring for stroke and heart attack patients, leading to faster treatment and better outcomes. Every clinician – from paramedics to emergency department staff to neurology and cardiology teams – is on the same page with a simple tap. For more information, visit www.pulsara.com.