Pulsara Blog

Editor's Note: This article was originally published by EMS1 on March 8th, 2021. 

MCHD EMS shares lessons learned in flexibility and preparedness from the winter storm that doubled call volumes and sidelined hospitals in Texas

EMS agencies and first responders were tasked with shuffling from one crisis to another when Texans faced an unprecedented winter storm in the midst of a once-in-a-century pandemic with COVID-19. These challenges stress-tested all EMS agencies and first responders to continue providing life-saving care during the winter storm while adjusting to the changes of providing care, setting up mass vaccination sites, and continuing our mission during the COVID-19 pandemic.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Special thanks to Justin Baker for writing today's blog post. You can connect with him on LinkedIn. 

If you had asked any U.S. healthcare facility in 2019 or early 2020 if they were prepared for any emergency, their answer would likely have been yes. After all, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) enacted a rule to establish national emergency preparedness requirements to ensure adequate planning for both natural and man-made disasters. This rule also established coordination with federal, state, tribal, regional, and local emergency preparedness systems. The requirements apply to all 17 provider and supplier types, too.

With these guidelines in mind, most facilities would have told you that they were prepared for any situation. However, this was before COVID-19 struck, crippling both the nation and the healthcare industry.

Most advice on becoming an effective leader is geared—maybe not surprisingly—toward the things we can change about ourselves. We focus our attention on asking ourselves, “Do I have the right values, the right traits, the right competencies, or even the right style to be a good leader?” 

While those questions are important, we sometimes forget that the environment you create for your team makes just as much, if not more, of an impact. From asking questions to listening to their team members, an effective leader is attuned to their environment and fosters an atmosphere where their coworkers are safe to grow and learn. 

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

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Preparation, vigilance and taking care of your mental health will be key strategies as we move forward

As 2021 begins, COVID-19 vaccines have recently been approved, and it appears that the beginning of the pandemic’s end is in sight. That said, we are still experiencing large spikes throughout the country, and hospitals and EMS systems are under immense strain.

We aren’t quite on the other side, but we can now see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Here are 10 things we’ve learned from the pandemic that can help improve other areas of EMS response:

It's been a big year for large-scale emergencies. Hurricanes, floods, wildfires, a pandemic — and responding to all these disaster scenarios involves a great deal of preparation, practice, and planning. 

Recently, a panel of industry leaders and experts in EMS and emergency preparedness (including Pulsara's own CMO, Kris Kaull) got together for an exclusive fireside chat-symposium, hosted by HERE Technologies. The group talked about overcoming the obstacles of disaster preparedness and mitigation and how to build a culture of preparedness and cross-agency collaboration. As they discussed disaster mitigation for large scale public safety scenarios, they also touched on some of the latest technology that's helping to improve scenario planning. 

Read on for the top 6 takeaways, or watch the full webinar below.

EDITOR'S UPDATE: The ET3 program is mentioned in the article below. 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: 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 Author: Rob Lawrence is the principal of Robert Lawrence Consulting. He previously served as the chief operating officer of Paramedics Plus in Alameda County, California. Before that, Rob was the COO of the Richmond Ambulance Authority. Rob is a former board member of the American Ambulance Association and currently serves as chair of its Communications Committee and a member of the media rapid response task force.

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Examining how the COVID-19 pandemic, civil unrest, and reimbursement are impacting prehospital medicine, and how leaders can care for the workforce

This data for this year’s EMS Trend Report was collected in 2019 B.C. – before COVID-19. At the time, we didn’t know what was just round the corner. This year’s report provides a real indicator of the circumstances and challenges we have already seen in the COVID-19 era. As EMS staff were the first warriors into the battle and onto the front line, mental health, post-traumatic stress injury and burnout have elevated to the top of the chart.

Early on in my career, I remember hearing the old military adage: “Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance.” Those 5 P’s made a deep impression on me and have had a dramatic impact on how I’ve approached and shaped my career.

Emergency preparedness is a vital part of emergency response. As paramedics, we constantly enter situations where we can’t always anticipate what’s going to happen. And there’s always the chance that tomorrow, we could walk into a major emergency we’ve never had to face before. Having a plan in place for the worst-case scenario can make a huge difference in the case that you have to use it.

I recently read an article that interviewed doctors from San Francisco who volunteered to work on the front lines of the pandemic in New York. They warn that while many states are reopening and life seems in some ways to be returning to normal, it can be easy to forget that COVID-19 is still spreading and still deadly. Pandemic fatigue is setting in, but the fight is far from over.