Pulsara Blog

Within a few months of implementing Pulsara, Baptist Health Medical Center - North Little Rock reduced their average door-in-door-out time for stroke transfers by 42%.

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Baptist Health Medical Center - North Little Rock in Little Rock, Arkansas, is a 225-bed medical center that sees a large stroke volume every month. Baptist Health North Little Rock is a certified primary stroke center (PSC), meeting the requirements for necessary staffing, infrastructure, and capability to treat most emergent stroke patients.

When Baptist Health Medical Center - North Little Rock needed to communicate about incoming stroke patients or transfer an LVO patient to their sister facility, the team was using a call system. “In the past, they’d give the thrombolytic and then have to make a lot of phone calls to get everyone the information. You may or may not know EMS was bringing the patient, depending on whether or not they called in before they came,” said Sharon Aureli, RN, BSN, MSN, SCRN, CNOR, RNFA, CNL, Neuro Program Line Manager for the Baptist Health System. “When it came to transferring stroke patients, we previously didn’t even have our Access Center, so it was a matter of making phone calls to try to get patients where they needed to be. Things were delayed.”

In 2020, the State of Arkansas launched an initiative to improve treatment times for time-sensitive emergencies. In response to the statewide initiative, Baptist Health Medical Center - North Little Rock adopted Pulsara to improve communication around stroke cases.

CPRMC first in South Carolina to elevate EMS collaboration in coordinated care and response efficiency with this technology.

BOZEMAN, Mont., March 13, 2024 — Pulsara, a leading communication and logistics platform that unites healthcare teams across organizations, announced the implementation of Pulsara at Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center (CPRMC), introducing a powerful advancement in patient care coordination in South Carolina. This initiative positions CPRMC as the pioneering facility in the state to harness such technology, significantly enhancing its capability between  EMS partners and the receiving Emergency Department. By facilitating real-time communication among their care teams, the Pulsara platform accelerates CPRMC response and treatment times and ensures a secure and efficient exchange of information across all care levels.

"We are proud to be at the forefront in South Carolina by implementing a technology that directly enhances care coordination and patient outcomes," remarked Bill Little, CEO of Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center. "Our commitment is to deliver exceptional care and service. This step forward with Pulsara is a testament to our dedication to improving healthcare delivery for our community."

With a new protocol and Pulsara, Metropolitan Emergency Medical Services can now transport eligible pediatric behavioral health patients directly to behavioral health facilities—resulting in a 44% decrease of pediatric behavioral health patients transported to the ED. 

Metropolitan Emergency Medical Services (MEMS) is a public, non-profit EMS entity serving Little Rock, Arkansas, and its surrounding counties. The organization’s service area covers approximately 1,800 square miles and nearly half a million Arkansans. MEMS transports around 77,000 patients each year. In 2020, MEMS adopted Pulsara to improve communication with area hospitals for time-sensitive emergencies such as stroke, STEMI, and trauma. 

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, MEMS faced a new challenge: a growing number of pediatric behavioral health cases. Between 2022 and 2023, mental health calls accounted for 10% of MEMS’ overall call volume, with a noticeable surge in pediatric mental health cases. MEMS was transporting every behavioral health patient under 18 to Arkansas Children’s Hospital, creating a bottleneck in the emergency department as patients wait to be transferred to a behavioral health facility. Mack Hutchison, Clinical Manager for MEMS, explains: “Many of these patients do not need medical clearance and can occupy a room in the ED for up to 24 hours before a bed is found for them at a behavioral health facility.” Hutchison had an idea: what if those who didn’t need medical clearance could be routed directly to a behavioral health facility, relieving pressure on the ED and getting patients care more quickly?

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As 2023 comes to a close, we're pausing to look back at the case studies and research findings published by Pulsara customers. From streamlining emergency response times to enhancing patient outcomes, the stories published this year showcase the transformative power of collaboration, cutting-edge technology, and the relentless pursuit of excellence. Join us as we explore the accomplishments of our customers in 2023, celebrate their stories, and highlight the results they've achieved this year!

The following is an excerpt from an article by Kasia Kerridge, originally published on kktv.com on December 12th, 2023. Check out the full article here. 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - Colorado Springs firefighters are reflecting on how to better communicate with local hospitals after Club Q.

11 News spoke with the Colorado Springs Fire Department one year after Club Q, which has rolled out a tracking technology by Pulsara. Firefighters put wristbands on patients, connecting to an app, which gives real-time information to hospitals so medical staff can prepare. This is especially important for mass casualty events like Club Q.

Initial data shows improvement in door-to-CT times for thrombolysis patients

Earlier this year, the University of Dundee, Scotland became the first facility in Europe to implement Pulsara. In combination with radiology AI solution Brainomix, the University began using Pulsara to improve patient care and enhance communication around stroke patients. According to a recently approved abstract submission to the Scottish Heart & Arterial Disease Risk Prevention (SHARP) released by the University entitled “Addressing Cardiovascular Disease Using a Novel Communication Tool Pulsara: Digital Communication Pathway of Excellence in Scotland,” the implementation of Pulsara has significantly improved patient care in several areas, including improved door-to-CT times and a reduced risk of communication errors.

As one of the UK’s leading public research universities, The University of Dundee, Scotland is recognized worldwide for its expertise across multiple disciplines including art, science, engineering, and medicine. The University has been awarded “Scottish University of The Year” and named top university for teaching excellence in Scotland by Sunday Times University Guide. The University of Dundee Medical School is also connected to the UK’s three most-cited scientists, and the majority of the medical institute’s research is of national or international distinction.

Read the Abstract 

How one Arkansas hospital is using healthcare communication technology to dramatically improve time-to-treatment for stroke patients

BOZEMAN, Mont., October 17, 2023 — Pulsara, the leading mobile telehealth, communication, and logistics platform that unites health care teams and technologies across organizations during dynamic events, published new details on Arkansas-based Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock’s record improvements in treatment time for stroke patients. The Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock Case Study showcases the work the facility has put towards improving communication among EMS and hospital stroke teams and highlights the resulting decrease in time-to-treatment for stroke patients.

On September 27th, 2023, the Arkansas Department of Health announced in a press release that the Pulsara platform will be available to all ambulance services, acute care, sub-acute care, long-term acute care, nursing homes, behavioral health hospitals, and other affiliated healthcare facilities in Arkansas through funding by the Arkansas Department of Health, starting October 1st. 

"Arkansas is the first state in the country to make the full functionality of this platform available to all EMS agencies, hospitals, affiliated healthcare facilities, public health, public safety, and emergency management," said Bala Simon, MD, DrPH, Deputy Chief Medical Officer at the Arkansas Department of Health. “This will help our healthcare providers improve communication to improve patient care and outcomes.”

Communication among interdisciplinary care teams is a necessity in delivering excellent patient care. Though mobile technology has become more common in various branches of healthcare communication, few have analyzed the process of implementing a tool that works across multiple teams and organizations. 

The Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice has now published the results of a study designed to determine whether it is feasible to implement a single, digital health communication application across multiple healthcare organizations and hospital departments, what the barriers are, which factors contribute to a successful implementation, and which factors are associated with clinicians' intentions to use the technology.

Authored by a team of Australian healthcare leaders, researchers, and clinicians, the study includes process analysis from researchers who implemented the Pulsara platform across EMS and hospital teams, as well as written feedback from EMS and hospital clinicians who participated in the implementation.

In 5 months, Baptist Health Medical Center - Little Rock reduced their average door-to-puncture time for stroke patients by 58% 

Baptist Health Medical Center in Little Rock, Arkansas, is an 843-bed medical center and certified Comprehensive Stroke Center. As the largest private not-for-profit hospital in the state of Arkansas, Baptist Health - Little Rock provides comprehensive services using the latest in innovative technology. 

Previously, the stroke team was notified about incoming patients through phone calls and text messages. The operator would use the paging system to activate a code stroke, and then an additional IVR code stroke as needed. Members of the stroke team would receive the page, which contained only the patient’s location, via text or phone call.

Though the system worked on a basic level, Sharon Aureli, RN, BSN, MSN, SCRN, CNOR, RNFA, CNL, and Neuro Program Line Manager at Baptist Health, knew that a more sophisticated communication system could help their teams reduce treatment times. “I always think there’s room for improvement,” she said.

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.

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. 

Arkansas hospital achieves consistent <60 minute average door-to-balloon time for STEMI and 80% decrease in average door-to-CT time for stroke

National Park Medical Center (NPMC) is a 163-bed hospital that has been delivering healthcare to the community of Hot Springs, Arkansas, for nearly 70 years. Offering a full range of inpatient and outpatient services, NPMC, which is part of the Lifepoint Health family of hospitals, is also home to the Heart and Vascular Center of Central Arkansas. The facility was recently recognized for excellence through the receipt of Chest Pain Center Accreditation with PCI through the American College of Cardiology Accreditation Services. 

Previously, when the emergency department received an ambulance call that a patient was experiencing chest pain and possibly a STEMI, an ECG would be sent from the ambulance to the emergency department by fax. But the transmission wasn’t always successful, according to Emergency Room Director Priscilla Couch, RN, MSN. And even when the ECG did make its way to the ED, there were hiccups in communicating the information to vital members of the healthcare team. “Our ER doctor would call the cardiologist and try to explain the patient’s condition without a visual, which takes time,” recalls Couch. “Then, with limited information, the cardiologist would have to decide, well, is that a real STEMI or not?” That deliberation would leave Couch waiting before she put out calls asking cardiac cath lab staff, including an interventional cardiologist, radiology technologists, and a cardiac-care nurse, to assemble. “When a patient is experiencing a STEMI, those are precious minutes that are being wasted,” Couch says.

In an effort to improve patient care, National Park Medical Center chose to adopt Pulsara, a mobile healthcare communication program that unites care teams on a single dedicated channel for each patient.

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

Bozeman, Montana, USA, January 17, 2023 — Pulsara, 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.”

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, 2022 — EPR 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.”

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. 

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. 

Weslaco EMS and Knapp Medical Center in Weslaco, Texas have adopted Pulsara to facilitate better communication between paramedics in the field and hospital staff, helping doctors more effectively treat patients after they arrive in the emergency room. Clinicians are using the Pulsara platform to share detailed information about a patient's condition.

Australian-based healthcare real-world feasibility study finds improved communication and faster patient care timelines when using Pulsara.

Bozeman, Mont., September 1, 2022 — Pulsara, the leading mobile telehealth, communication, and logistics platform that unites healthcare teams and technologies across organizations during dynamic events, announced the publication of the British Medical Journal real-world feasibility study analyzing the effects of Pulsara on care team communication and acute stroke and STEMI patient treatment times. Titled “Real-world, feasibility study to investigate the use of a multidisciplinary app (Pulsara) to improve prehospital communication and timelines for acute stroke/STEMI care,” the study was conducted in Victoria, Australia with pre-hospital and within-hospital clinical teams. As a first-of-its-kind systematic analysis of Pulsara’s efficacy across the whole patient journey for treatment of stroke and STEMI, the study found that utilization of the platform resulted in significant patient treatment time improvements. 

“Implementation of the Pulsara digital communication application resulted in faster metrics of the patient arriving at hospital and being at triage when Pulsara was used, as well as patient off ambulance stretcher times for both stroke and STEMI cases,” reported study authors Chris F. Bladin et al. “Hospital metrics for stroke cases also improved significantly with door-to-first medical review and door-to-CT completed more rapidly.”