Pulsara Blog

On April 28th, JEMS Webcasts hosted an enriching webinar featuring a distinguished panel of EMS leaders discussing how their organizations are using mobile technology to manage the COVID-19 pandemic, and how they plan to use those same technologies in the future.

On Tuesday, April 28th at 10:00 PT / 11:00 MT / 12:00 CT, JEMS Webcasts will host a webinar on how EMS leaders are using mobile technology to manage the COVID-19 crisis. 

Why double down on a broken system that hasn’t worked for disasters, active shooter incidents, or large-scale events? In the largest pandemic of our lifetime, learn how clinical leaders in both Texas and Colorado are using mobile technology to not only manage the COVID-19 crisis, but also lay the foundation for the new reality of EMS, including Mobile Integrated Healthcare, Community Paramedicine, and Telehealth.

Pulsara partnered with the Center for Patient Safety to discuss how to improve communication during time-sensitive emergencies at EMS Today 2020

When it comes to ensuring patient safety and positive outcomes in emergency care, one factor almost always plays a role: communication. At EMS Today in Tampa Bay, Florida, Kris Kaull, Pulsara’s Chief Marketing Officer, joined Brian LaCroix, EMS coordinator for the Center for Patient Safety and President of the National EMS Management Association, to discuss how communication plays a vital role and what causes communication breakdowns in healthcare settings.

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.

Saint Mary’s Regional Health System is a Joint-Commission-accredited Level III Trauma Center, located in Russellville, Arkansas. The 170-bed hospital has delivered care to the River Valley community for the past 90 years, and alongside Pope County EMS since 1967.

Saint Mary’s and Pope County EMS have a long-standing relationship built on a shared value of putting patients first. As the only hospital and EMS agency serving their region, they together perform emergency response for 28,000 patients annually.

Dr. Brijesh Mehta is a Neurointerventional Surgeon, currently practicing at Memorial Neuroscience Center in Hollywood, FL. He recently gave a TED talk describing how his teams have leveraged new research, technology, and data to improve stroke care and give patients better outcomes. 

In the talk, Dr. Mehta describes how large vessel occlusion stroke (LVO) is "like a wildfire in the brain." He also says there used to be little we could do to stop the devastating effects, but now, thanks to new technologies and procedures such as thrombectomy, patients are regaining functionality and leaving the hospital much sooner than they had in the past.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about how we strive to improve the lives of ED Nurses and the patients they serve. This week, I want to focus on ED Doctors (did you know Pulsara was founded by one?). In this post, my aim is to help ED Doctors understand how a communication platform like Pulsara can make their lives better.

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

EDITOR'S UPDATE: The ET3 program is mentioned in the below article. Please note that, as reported by JEMS.com on 6/28/23, the federal government is ending the ET3 program. According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, “This decision does not affect Model Participants’ participation in the Model through December 31, 2023.” Read the full article on JEMS for more details: ET3 Program Comes to an Abrupt End. Be advised that Mobile Integrated Healthcare and Community Paramedicine are separate initiatives and are unaffected by the ET3 program termination.

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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 11, 2019

PRESS CONTACT
Hannah Ostrem
Hannah.Ostrem@pulsara.com
(877) 903-5642

The feature is the first of its kind to give first responders a dedicated platform to communicate with other out-of-hospital care providers and hospitals in real time.

Bozeman, Mont. — Pulsara is excited to announce that the company has been selected as a Finalist by a 4-person judging panel for the 2019 EMS World Expo Innovation Award.

 Pulsara connects care teams across organizations and their latest innovative feature to be nominated for the award is their new EMS handoff feature. Whereas EMS providers have historically had workflows to hand off patients to hospital teams in Pulsara, First Responders now have the ability to start a case and hand off the patient to an EMS crew.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 9, 2019

CONTACT
Hannah Ostrem
Hannah.Ostrem@pulsara.com
(877) 903-5642

The adoption by Pulsara of the NEMSIS format further strengthens its role as the leading regional healthcare communication platform.

BOZEMAN, Mont. — Pulsara announced today that the healthcare communication platform is the first to adopt the NEMSIS prehospital format to connect regional systems of care.

The purpose behind the National Emergency Medical Services Information System (NEMSIS) is to enhance patient care by storing EMS data from local, state, and national sources. The NEMSIS database allows EMS providers to share, collect, standardize, and use this data to analyze their systems and make process improvements.

Through a standardized API, Pulsara’s platform now allows all ePCR partners to access Pulsara data in near real time. Importing Pulsara data via this new API using the NEMSIS 3.4 format eliminates dual data entry by medics and improves communication to all care providers, ultimately enhancing patient care.

Last summer, I had the opportunity to take an EMT class and subsequently obtain my license from the state of Montana. Not knowing exactly what I wanted to do with my new licensure, I thought back to my roots — growing up in Montana and skiing my whole life, Ski Patrol had always appealed to me. Being outdoors while getting to serve would be a dream come true — not to mention, first and last tracks on one of the most amazing ski mountains in the world!

Editor's Update: As reported by JEMS.com on 6/28/23, the federal government is ending the ET3 program. According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, “This decision does not affect Model Participants’ participation in the Model through December 31, 2023.” Read the full article on JEMS for more details: ET3 Program Comes to an Abrupt End. Please be advised that Mobile Integrated Healthcare and Community Paramedicine are separate initiatives and are unaffected by the ET3 program termination.

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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. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: Last month, EMS1, Fitch & Associates, and the National EMS Management Association released their fourth annual EMS Trend Report, proudly sponsored by Pulsara. We invite you to read, ponder, and share the following information brought to you by the most prestigious thought leaders in EMS.

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The fourth annual EMS Trend Report explores how recurring and emerging trends are shifting in prehospital medicine. We asked industry experts to review and react to the survey results, how they reflect current healthcare trends, and how to make the data actionable for EMS leaders.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Last month, EMS1, Fitch & Associates, and the National EMS Management Association released their fourth annual EMS Trend Report, proudly sponsored by Pulsara. We invite you to read, ponder, and share the following information brought to you by the most prestigious thought leaders in EMS.

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On a recent trip to Las Vegas, I wandered into Houdini’s Magic Shop and watched as a performer razzle-dazzled each patron and then upsold them on a dream that they, too, could be part of the secret club of illusionists.

A few days later, my magic talent hit me ... I have a (nearly) supernatural ability to see the future of EMS. In essence, you could call me a clairvoyant EMS psychic. My career has positioned me as an expert squarely at the intersection of EMS, technology and the human factor.