Team Pulsara

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. 

Editor's Note: At Pulsara, it's our honor to highlight the stories of our customers and the work they do on behalf of their patients. On November 20th, the UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central team responded courageously to a mass shooting in Colorado Springs. The following article is an excerpt from their story, which was written by Erin Emery, Content Director at UCHealth, and Katie Kerwin McCrimmon, Writer and Communications Specialist at UCHealth. It was originally published on November 27th, 2022, on uchealth.org. Read the full story here. 

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The calls crackled over the police officer’s radio in the hospital ER: “Club Q … Active shooter …”

It was a little after midnight. Saturday night had been unusually quiet in the ER. But the early hours of Sunday, Nov. 20, were about to test medical pros who train to handle the worst possible emergencies.

Patients in dire need of their help were minutes away.

The police officer had been in the emergency department at UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central in Colorado Springs assisting with a suspected drunk driver when he heard the call about a horrific mass shooting. He immediately gave a heads up to the charge nurse.

She jumped into action, notifying her team throughout the emergency department (or ED as medical folks call it) along with other key people throughout the hospital.

“One of the police officers just told us that there was a shooting and we’re expecting anywhere from 15 to 20 people. We’re hoping it’s wrong, but if not, it’s all hands on deck,” the charge nurse told Kayla Ireland, who was working that night as Memorial Hospital’s nursing house supervisor.

“OK. I’m headed down there,” said Ireland, who had been working upstairs in the hospital.

Until news of the shooting hit, the emergency staff and providers mostly had been helping people who were sick with the flu, RSV and COVID-19. But Memorial is a Level I Trauma Center, the highest level possible. That means that highly trained teams must be ready 24/7 for emergencies of all sorts — including a mass shooting.

The hospital is just 12 minutes and a little over five miles away from Club Q, which had always been a refuge for LGBTQ people. Now club goers who had been enjoying a fun Saturday night were fighting for their lives.

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. 

The key is to remember that kids get sick differently than adults and that physical findings may be more subtle

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

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I have been fortunate during my career to be able to specialize in pediatrics, which has given me a unique perspective. It is pretty common to hear paramedics say that kids are difficult, but the truth is, kids are just different. When it comes to trauma, the basics are all the same: ABCs, bleeding control, and rapid transport. There are a few things that I do differently with children than when managing adults, and I am certain these can make things better for both you and your patient.

Editor's Note: On August 1st, 2022, EMS1, Fitch & Associates, and the National EMS Management Association released their fifth 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. Today's entry is written by Kris Kaull, NRP, CCEMT-P, FP-C and Sara Kaull, M.Ed, Executive Director of SIM-MT.

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Challenge yourself to make room for the great in your career and life by abandoning toxic behavior

My wife, Sara, is a reforming perfectionist. For much of her life, she was obsessed with control, and presenting a “perfect” version of herself to the world. Starting with gold stars in kindergarten and accolades in her professional life, Sara added more and more to her calendar, executing every commitment to perfection until life took an unexpected turn when her father was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, and she could no longer control what was happening around her.

As helpers and caregivers, how many of us can relate to carrying too much? It’s in our DNA. We pride ourselves on busyness and selflessness. As clinicians, we’ve taken care of others to our own detriment. We say yes to protect ourselves from the judgment of others. We say yes because we feel guilty if we don’t.

But what if saying yes stops us from becoming the best we can be?

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.

Editor's Note: On August 1st, 2022, EMS1, Fitch & Associates, and the National EMS Management Association released their fifth 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. Today's entry is written by Kerri Hatt, Editor-in-Chief of EMS1.

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Proven recruitment and retention strategies: Readers sound off on what’s attracting new talent and keeping members satisfied

Our goal with the EMS Trend Survey and Report is not just to identify areas of change, growth, and stagnation, but to also source solutions to shared challenges. Nearly all (97%) of the 3,000- plus respondents to the 2022 EMS Trend Survey reported some level of difficulty with recruitment and retention. We asked readers to share their innovative ideas to improve recruitment and retention, and any creative practices that are proving successful to improve staffing. We received thousands of comments, from those in services with above-average compensation and a track record of adequate staffing, to those whose organizations had recently implemented a change and were fully staffed for the first time in years.

Editor's Update: The ET3 program is mentioned in the below report. 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: On August 1st, 2022, EMS1, Fitch & Associates, and the National EMS Management Association released their fifth 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. Today's entry is written by Jay Fitch, PhD, founding partner at Fitch & Associates. 

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Will EMS Matter in The Future of Healthcare?

History teaches that if a profession doesn’t innovate, it loses relevancy.

In the 1950s and ’60s, railroads were the primary way people, goods, and services moved throughout America. Resistance to change and outdated work rules (e.g., requiring multiple conductors, even on freight trains without passengers) led to alternative transportation approaches and the expansion of air travel and freight. What outdated paradigms are limiting the future of EMS?

All ALS first response and third-party insurers requiring hospital transport for payment top the list.

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.” 

Editor's Note: On August 1st, 2022, EMS1, Fitch & Associates, and the National EMS Management Association released their fifth 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. Today's entry is written by Kerri Hatt, Editor-in-Chief of EMS1.

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EMS leaders respond to the 2022 EMS Trend Survey results with concrete steps to improve recruitment, retention, wellness, and safety

The EMS Trend Survey identifies where growth is needed to impact the sustainability and future of the industry. But growth requires a commitment to action.

We’ve asked a group of EMS veterans and up-and-coming leaders to identify areas where change is needed, as indicated by EMS Trend Survey results, and to offer action items for EMS supervisors, managers and chiefs.

By examining your service’s leadership strategies, and taking the steps outlined below, you’re on your way to elevating the safety, engagement and career health of your providers.

Editor's Update: The ET3 program is mentioned in the report 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: On August 1st, 2022, EMS1, Fitch & Associates, and the National EMS Management Association released their fifth 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. Today's entry is written by Anthony W. Minge, EdD, senior partner at Fitch & Associates.

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Translating data into information, and information into action

Survey questions for the EMS Trend Survey were developed through a collaboration between EMS1, Fitch & Associates and the EMS Survey Team – which was instrumental in collection and interpretation of data. The EMS Trend Survey was conducted online in early 2022. The survey was widely promoted and open to any member of the EMS community. More than 3,200 people responded, the most in the survey’s history. They represent a wide range of service models, certification levels and years of experience, and every region of the nation.

The 2022 EMS Trend Survey results reinforce what many of us see every day. More than two years into the pandemic, it’s still impacting every aspect of our profession – from recruitment and retention, to safety, to how you assess and treat patients.

As we have realized that this pandemic is not just a flash in the pan, but something we may be dealing with for a long time, we have also been able to move forward. Many innovations that departments initially put on hold because of COVID-19 have now been implemented. In other cases, changes wrought by this global health emergency now have uses well beyond COVID patients and may be with us, helping patients and the people who care for them, for years to come.

New functionalities enable healthcare teams to configure their ideal workflows for specific patient case types. 

Bozeman, Mont., August 4, 2022 — Pulsara, the leading mobile telehealth, communication, and logistics platform that unites healthcare teams and technologies across organizations during dynamic events, recently released six new patient types that connect distributed teams on a single flexible and scalable platform. From prehospital care to the many in-hospital teams and specialists, the new functionalities unite care teams around each unique patient case, enabling reduced treatment times, improved team collaboration, and streamlined transfers. 

"Pulsara's platform allows flexible interactions in and across any organization, enabling access to the people you need, right when you need them,” said Kate Leatherby, Regional Vice President (U.S. West) at Pulsara. “This capability is truly invaluable for all care teams. For any patient type, care team communication and collaboration are improved—and patient care is invariably improved in the process.”

Pulsara recently released six new patient types—behavioral health, obstetrics, and toxicology/overdose, which were previously reported on, as well as surgical emergency, pulmonary embolism, and shock/ECMO. These new functionalities expand the power of the platform and improve support and care coordination for additional types of patients. Each of these patient types allows clinicians to match their patients with the appropriate care teams and specialized resources through flexible and scalable interactions as the patient case evolves. Clinicians can leverage Pulsara’s telehealth video calling and photo sharing functionality to consult with other clinicians, determine the most appropriate disposition, and guarantee follow-up in the process.

The radio has long been the lifeline for first responders, but new technologies and functions require fire and EMS organizations to think more broadly about how they communicate in the field

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article originally appeared on FireRescue1.com. Special thanks to our guest author, Robert Avsec, for FireRescue1 BrandFocus.

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For an industry long dependent upon land mobile radios (e.g., mobile units in ambulances and handheld units), there have been many hardware advancements and additions since the days of firefighter/paramedics Johnny Gage and Roy DeSoto responding to emergencies and communicating with Rampart General via the telemetry radio in the “orange box.” Putting mobile computer terminals in ambulances was one of those developments, followed by notebook computers and tablets, and more recently, smartphones.

While significant advancements have been made in the communications hardware used by fire and EMS providers, effective and efficient communication is still an issue for responders for a variety of reasons. Many issues can adversely affect communication in the field, especially when it comes to patient care information.

Here, we consider 10 of the most common communication challenges and what fire and EMS leaders can do to address them:

While it’s essential that EMS providers stay on top of core clinical skills for the most critical calls, such as sudden cardiac arrest and airway management, it’s also important to keep up with the skills to address issues you may not see as often. From treating burns to managing pain in pediatric patients to responding to mental health calls, new information on best practices can help you hone your practice. 

In partnership with EMS1, Pulsara is releasing a free eBook collection of popular "10 Things You Need to Know" articles, with recent input from EMS professionals on subjects that can help improve clinical practice and save money for EMS organizations. 

GET THE GUIDE - Closing the Gaps: Plug Holes in Your Skillset and Cracks in Your Budget

Editor's Note: This article was first posted on Becker's Hospital Review. Check out the original version here. 

The past two years have seen fast-paced innovation transform many parts of healthcare systems around the world. While some progress has been made around the interoperability of data systems, many care teams continue to use antiquated technologies to convey crucial patient information to one another, including linear communication tools like pagers, radios, and fax machines. Not only are these tools not connected, but if the chain breaks once, we've negatively affected a patient's outcome—either with a significant delay or in some cases, mistakes that generate more patient harm.

During a featured session at Becker's Hospital Review's Shift to Digital Virtual Event sponsored by Pulsara, Joey Branton, Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Pulsara, discussed why bringing broadband connectivity to patient-related communication is crucial to the future of healthcare innovation.

Watch the 30-minute replay below, or read on for the session's four essential takeaways. 

2023 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 unaffected by the ET3 program termination.

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

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Here’s how your agency can use telehealth and community paramedicine to deliver more personalized care to patients

Community paramedicine, mobile integrated healthcare and ET3 are rapidly becoming hot topics in EMS as the profession evolves, especially as the long tail of the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbates issues like ambulance turnaround times.

As ambulance agencies worldwide struggle with long waits at the ED, it’s become even more vital to find solutions to issues like ED overcrowding and long wall times. Community paramedicine, MIH and ET3 possess the unique ability to reduce transports while simultaneously improving care for patients.

Here’s a look at 10 ways EMS agencies can use telehealth and community paramedicine to deliver high-quality care to patients, some of the advantages of implementing such strategies, and how the ET3 model supports this approach.

Pulsara MED OPS™ earns prestigious industry recognition for its impact on healthcare communication during incidents like MCIs, large-scale emergencies, and disasters. 

BOZEMAN, Mont., June 14, 2022 - Pulsara, the leading mobile telehealth and communication platform that connects healthcare teams across organizations, announced today that Pulsara MED OPS™ has been named the “Best Healthcare Technology Solution” winner of 2022 as part of the annual SIIA CODiE Awards. The CODiE Awards recognize the companies producing the most innovative business technology products across the country, and around the world.

Acknowledged as the premier awards program for the software and information industries for over 35 years, the SIIA CODiE Awards are produced by the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), the principal trade association for the software, education, media, and digital content industries. SIIA announced the full slate of CODiE winners during an online winner announcement on June 8. Pulsara MED OPS™ was honored as one of 46 winners across the 45 business technology categories, including seven leadership categories recognizing outstanding companies, individuals, and teams.

New functionality enables healthcare teams to better support pregnant mothers and newborns via telehealth and improved communication. 

Bozeman, Mont., May 25, 2022 — Pulsara, the leading mobile telehealth, communication, and logistics platform that unites healthcare teams and technologies across organizations during dynamic events, recently released a dedicated obstetrics patient type that connects distributed teams on a single flexible and scalable platform—from EMS and standard obstetrics teams to NICU or trauma teams in more critical cases. The new functionality unites care teams around each OB patient case, improving the lives of both patients and caregivers by enabling reduced treatment times, improved team collaboration, and streamlined transfers.