EDITOR'S NOTE: This article originally appeared on EMS1.com. Special thanks to our guest author, Sarah Calams of EMS1 BrandFocus. 

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Telehealth applications can help expand the reach of out-of-hospital care to help EMS and hospital providers deliver better patient care, faster

With today’s advanced technology, anyone can use their smartphone, tablet, or computer to connect via real-time video to talk with anyone around the world.

Yet, in the healthcare system, video streaming has remained static, convoluted, and complicated.

Emergency Medical Services—EMS, for short—is a branch of healthcare, public health, and public safety that responds to calls for help, 24/7, in almost every community in our nation. EMS encompasses a number of different services and roles, providing vital lifesaving care for patients during times of emergency. There are around 1.05 million licensed EMS professionals across the U.S. and nearly 623,000 of these are EMTs, while over 268,000 are paramedics. 

As hospitals and EMS agencies in Colorado Springs, Colorado, watched organizations around the world respond to COVID-19, they began to anticipate what their own response would look like. “We got to watch what happened in Italy and Europe and then subsequently in New York,” said Dr. Matt Angelidis, the co-medical director for the Colorado Springs Fire Department and AMR, and emergency physician for UC Health at Memorial Central, Memorial North, and Pike's Peak Regional Hospital. “We had time to think about, ‘Is there a better answer, or do we have an alternate way that we can take care of these patients and deliver care?’”

In the largest pandemic of our lifetime, learn how clinical leaders in Colorado Springs, CO, are using mobile technology to not only manage the COVID-19 crisis, but also lay the foundation for the new reality of EMS, including 911-initiated telemedicine, Mobile Integrated Healthcare, Community Paramedicine, and telehealth. For the first time ever, the presenters will outline their modernized management system and share case studies and key takeaways that will help you improve patient care, upgrade team communication, reduce cost of care, and increase EMS agency and hospital revenue. Clinicians and thought leaders are creating a new path forward, based around the HIPAA-compliant, secure, mobile-first telehealth communication platform Pulsara.

What: 911-Initiated Telemedicine: How Colorado Springs, CO, Clinical Leaders Are Revolutionizing Emergency Medicine via Mobile Technology

When: Tuesday, Sept 8, 2020 | 1:00 pm EST /  12:00 pm CT / 11:00 am MT / 10:00 am PT

How: SIGN UP HERE

Keep reading to learn more!

EDITOR'S NOTE: Last month, EMS1, Fitch & Associates, and the National EMS Management Association released their third 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.

About the authors: Jay Fitch, PhD, is a founding partner of Fitch & Associates and is internationally recognized for leadership as a consultant, educator and innovator in EMS and public safety.

Anthony Minge, EdD, is a senior partner at Fitch & Associates. Prior to joining the firm, he was the business manager for Northwest MedStar in Spokane, Washington.

TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION, PROVIDER RESILIENCY AND PREPAREDNESS: INTERPRETING THE EMS TREND REPORT 2020

EMS leaders anticipated a linear progression in 2020 – managing a slight increase in call volume and reimbursement, while trying to become more efficient and otherwise hold down costs. COVID-19 certainly changed the definition of normal, and perhaps how EMS will evolve in the future.

The EMS Trend Report asks a number of questions each year to ascertain industry perception of a wide variety of key issues and related trends, from measures used to track cardiac arrests, to clinical interventions, ePCR satisfaction, use of lights and sirens for 911 responses, budget changes, and the degree to which agencies are prepared for disruptive events.

As EMS agencies all over the country have struggled to handle COVID-19, many are searching for answers. How do we prepare for possible future waves of COVID-19? Outdated technology cannot keep up with the variety of new challenges. Is there a way to streamline communication and use mobile technology to solve problems and still deliver high-quality patient care? Could such a solution be flexible and scalable, able to handle any situation—even a pandemic?

When COVID-19 hit, Austin-Travis County EMS, serving the Austin, Texas area, had the tools at their disposal to build an efficient system to help mitigate the crisis. They embraced mobile technology in an effort to improve communication, minimize the risk of exposure to healthcare providers, and continue to provide patients with the smartest and most effective quality of care.

GROWING UP IS HARD.

As a young industry, EMS had its cute years. We were the baby of the family. Our oldest brother, Police, followed Mom and Dad’s orders to a T. Police was a rule-following perfectionist who aimed to please. Then, there was the middle child, Firefighter. She was similar to her brother, following in his footsteps and enjoying the attention of being the baby of the family ... until we came along. Then, she started taking on a new role – differentiating herself from her older brother while at the same time, nurturing us.

Last month, Pulsara was featured in a follow-up piece to an article published in the Longview News Journal, which described the innovative way healthcare teams in Longview, Texas are using the platform to benefit mental health patients. This new use case reduces hurdles these patients must overcome in order to see a mental health professional in times of crisis:

1. Plan To Plan 
2. Assess Program Feasibility
3. Assess Community Health Needs

Those are three of the first steps needed to develop a new Community Paramedicine (CP) program. Researching resources needed, outlining a work plan, identifying key players and whose buy-in is needed, and concluding whether a given community has needs for a CP program and would receive it well are just a few of the early things to consider.

Earlier this week, Flight Paramedic, Kris Kaull and Community Paramedicine Advisor, Anne Montera, MHL, BSN, RN, discussed the increasingly important topic of Community Paramedicine (CP) in a webinar hosted by EMS1.

Specifically, they discussed WHY CP programs are an initiative worth considering, case studies that explained some of the benefits patients and communities have reaped from implementation of such a program, barriers that must be overcome when implementing a CP program, and next steps for those interested in Community Paramedicine.

Community Paramedicine (CP) programs can reduce the number of patients who are transported to the ED, thereby reducing the burden on both transport ambulances and ED staff, while simultaneously improving the patient experience by reducing wait times.

Learn how communities across the country are leveraging community paramedicine and mobile integrated health for better patient care.

Be sure to understand your community’s needs, your agency’s goals and how you will fund your MIH-CP program and assess its success.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Special thanks to our guest blogger this week, Ben Thompson**

As the scope of practice for first responders expands and they become increasingly empowered to treat patients within the community, incentives like the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)'s Emergency Triage, Treat, and Transport (ET3) model have emerged.

How does the Emergency Triage, Treat, and Transport Model (ET3) work?

According to the CMS, "Currently, Medicare regulations only allow payment for emergency ground ambulance services when individuals are transported to hospitals, critical access hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and dialysis centers." As a result, most patients who call 911 are therefore transported to one of these destinations, even when their conditions could be treated at home or another non-emergency care facility. This is where ET3 comes in.