Team Pulsara

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Combination of Pulsara and RAPID expands window of opportunity for treatment 

BOZEMAN, MT – September 27, 2019 – Miami Valley Hospital is the first site in the world to use the combination of a specific software application and mobile platform to enhance the treatment used to preserve a patient’s neurological function after a stroke.

While many hospitals use both applications – Pulsara and RAPID – in their stroke care, none have taken the step to combine their capabilities into one, said John Terry, MD, director of inpatient stroke care at Miami Valley Hospital.

Pulsara, a mobile platform, was developed by physicians to improve coordination and communication essential for stroke patient assessment. RAPID is a global leader in advanced imaging.

According to a recent article in the Longview, Texas based Longview News Journal, "At least 17 times in a three-month period starting in May, Longview police officers transported a person experiencing a mental health episode to a hospital ER." This practice costs patients a lot of money, and costs first responders significant time since they often end up waiting in the ER while the patient is seen by a physician and then referred to a mental health clinic -- in Texas, patients must get clearance from a physician via face-to-face interaction, before they can enter a mental health crisis center. 

To help ease these time and resource burdens placed on emergency and law enforcement services in the area, a group of "at least 16 governmental, health, and social agencies" have teamed up to form the Gregg County Collaborative Wellness Center.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Special thanks to Alyana Samai for writing today's blog post. Alyana is the Director of Stroke Services at West Jefferson Medical Center in Marrero, Louisiana. Aly has been a champion user of Pulsara since 2016, and has led her teams to successfully decrease door to needle times by streamlining and improving communication when it matters most. 

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Dear Aly,

We are new clients and implementing Pulsara at our facility, but many of our nurses are concerned that this is going to be "double documentation," more than communication. How can we help them understand that Pulsara can streamline the process, reduce communication frustrations, and not double up on tasks?

Sincerely, 
Prepared for Pulsara

BACKGROUND

Virginia Mason Medical Center is a nonprofit health care system based in King County, Seattle, serving the central Puget Sound region and Yakima area.

PROBLEM

Focused on continually delivering the highest quality of care to patients, care teams at Virginia Mason Medical Center wanted to innovate the way they communicated with one another to better respond to time-sensitive stroke cases.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Special thanks to our guest blogger, Lee Varner, MSEMS, EMT-P, CPPS. Lee is the Director of the Center for Patient Safety, and has over 20 years of experience in transformational leadership and patient safety to provide consultation and educational services for improving performance effectiveness, quality initiatives, healthcare best practices, culture training and patient safety strategies. 

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Recently, I was part of a conversation with a group of EMS leaders who were talking about clinical errors. They discussed the different types of clinical errors that they have seen and which ones kept them up at night. A few offered examples where a medication error or airway event harmed patient.   

I was happy to hear that everyone realized that most adverse events were usually part of system failure and not just caused by a reckless EMT or paramedic. Furthermore, everyone agreed that EMS clinicians are competent, compassionate, and dedicated people who don’t show up for duty expecting to harm a patient. But when harm does reach a patient, it affects everyone: the patient, family, the EMT or paramedic, and the entire agency. There was no disagreement that harm from medical errors was affecting everyone involved, but the nagging question was, how to reduce those errors? 

We communicate all day, every day, but, as healthcare providers, do you recognize your communication skills have more power to impact patient lives than any other skills you possess? Positive communication is certainly powerful, but miscommunication can have very serious and negative consequences. In an upcoming Center for Patient Safety (CPS) webinar (September 11, 2019 at 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM CST), Pulsara's own founder and CEO, Dr. James Woodson, will explain why communication is the number one fundamental patient care skill.

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

Did you miss last week's blog that introduced a model for managing complex change? Check it out here!

It seems simple: just download the Pulsara app from the App Store or Google Play store, and voilà! We've reduced communication errors, decreased door to balloon times, and we given our stroke patients a better chance at an improved quality of life after their recovery. It's that simple, right?

Not so fast ... the technology is only about 5% of the solution. Process workflows account for another 15%. But 80% of successfully implementing the Pulsara platform is about PEOPLE!

Think about it -- something as seemingly simple as asking a paramedic to use an app on their smartphone actually requires a significant change in their current process. And, it's a process that they've been repeating their whole careers, multiple times a day. Considering that, it's no wonder teams can be resistant to change! So how can you alleviate this fear of change and get your people on board? Read on!

A perfect implementation of change doesn't exist, though if you read my colleague's blog from last week about change management, you're well equipped with a framework that Team Pulsara has seen great success following. You've seen that change management is possible. But even with this framework, you'll undoubtedly still encounter challenges from within. Below are ten actionable tips to help you implement change successfully in your organization.

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.

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

If you’re an old-school paramedic like me, you remember when you finally upgraded to the Medcom system after an already overloaded single channel/multi-hospital HEAR network. When transmitting patient information to the hospital, I always asked myself, "Did I portray a good enough picture of the severity of the patient and nature of the problem using voice-only communications? Will the staff taking the report be able to remember what was said? What information did they actually write down and forward to the rest of the team?"

Oftentimes, it felt like my radio report was lost or stopped with the wrong person – so we’d have to delay patient transfer — and ultimately patient care — so we could repeat it again upon arrival and as other team members arrived. I often thought to myself, “There’s got to be a better way.”

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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All levels of EMS stakeholders must bridge the gap between providers and administrators to overcome the hurdles facing the industry and to take advantage of the opportunities available.

Reading this year’s EMS Trend Report, I’m struck by the fact that there’s relatively little change in how we view ourselves and our industry from the previous year. That’s to be expected of course – one year usually makes very little difference in opinion making. But that lack of change is but one sign of a looming disaster that we are facing in prehospital medicine.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Special thanks to our guest blogger this week, Dean Meenach, MSN, RN, CNL, CEN, CCRN, CPEN, EMT-P. **

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EMS providers must have a thorough understanding of pain assessment tools and options for acute pain management, especially with the recent focus on opioid abuse.

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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To retain personnel, EMS leaders must address factors beyond compensation, from work-life balance to training and support to take on new roles.

The 2019 EMS Trend Report confirmed that EMS professionals’ deep concerns about recruitment and retention in last year’s survey have not been alleviated. Once again, the ability to find and keep qualified people has survey respondents at all levels — from field providers, to medical directors to chiefs — worried. Not surprisingly, compensation is a common reason for leaving an EMS job. But it’s not the only one.

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

I have been involved in EMS in one way or another since 1994, and while technologies and techniques have continued to change and advance the field, one thing still persists today: EMS doesn’t have a unified “voice.” That’s where you come in.  

Let me explain…

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

As Benjamin Franklin once wrote, time is money. And while Mr. Franklin may have coined that term back in the 1700s, his words still ring true when it comes to the current state of healthcare. Time-sensitive situations require efficient communication between entities to provide the best possible patient care and keep costs down. Unfortunately, the process is often anything but.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Special thanks to Rachael Lovallo for writing today's blog post. You can connect with her on LinkedIn. 

I want to start today's post out with a Development Team fun fact: Did you know we start our monthly Project Review meetings by reading the company mission and purpose out loud? It sounds like a small action, but it frames the whole meeting, and our work for the coming month: 

Pulsara

Real-time communication across ALL healthcare entities

MISSION: We unite and empower people to improve health by simplifying care coordination.

PURPOSE: Improve the lives of patients and caregivers through innovative communication.