Breaking Ground
In the beginning, Coastal Valleys EMS Agency in California was simply seeking new ePCR software with patient tracking capabilities. The agency sent out bids for various companies, including the state system’s vendor. With 65 fire departments, 4 air transports and 18 ambulance providers, they had a large problem to solve and finding the right solution was key. What the agency discovered was not just a product, but a complete system.
Taking It to the Next Level
- Challenges they set out to overcome
- Solutions vs products
- Favorite features of the solutions
Challenges They Set Out to Overcome
Software that Doesn’t Talk to Each Other
With their prior software, not only were the EMS and Fire systems separate, but there was no global reporting solution. The county would send out a quarterly spreadsheet with the fields they wanted and each individual agency would export data from their own bucket, so there was no common overview.
Outdated Software
The prior software was non-NEMSIS compliant; the product had reached its lifespan, was no longer supported, and the previous vendor had no plans to bring the platform to compliance.
Multiple Platforms
Coastal Valleys EMS was looking for a way to have all their providers on one united platform.
Solutions
After feeling hindered by previous systems, Coastal Valleys EMS decided to make the switch to ImageTrend in 2015.
During the RFP process, it was quickly apparent that ImageTrend was the only vendor capable of supporting their multi-agency needs combined with the desired high-level of versatility.
With core needs identified, they consulted their wish list: it was obvious that the ImageTrend system had so much more to offer than what was originally sought after.
Diagram at right illustrates a snapshot of the capabilities within Coastal Valleys EMS’s customized ImageTrend system.
The (ImageTrend) system has allowed us to function and grow as an organization.
Doug Butler, Jr
Data Manager
In Depth On Favorite Features
Elite™
With their new ImageTrend Elite system, Coastal Valleys EMS is not only NEMSIS version 3 compliant, but they now have one highly personalized system for both their EMS and Fire providers. Within Elite, they are able to collect data specific to their agency as well as for national registries, in addition to meeting state requirements. They have been using customizable run forms to evaluate procedures, protocols and medical devices in the field which has led to improvements in each category.
Resource Bridge™
Resource Bridge allows Coastal Valleys EMS to send internal staff communications, external hospital notifications, track MCIs, dialysis centers, skilled nursing facilities, urgent cares, homeless shelter bed counts, and most recently, they identified a use for coordinating ambulance strike team requests.
Patient Registry
They are able to link EMS incidents to the registries and receive patient outcomes, which allows them to learn if protocols and treatment guidelines are effective for patients. Another benefit is receiving feedback for the paramedics on the ambulance, which closes the loop on patient care.
Hospital Hub™
Coastal Valleys EMS utilizes hospital alerts and has identified that specific primary impression alerts have made an enormous impact on patient care. In asking themselves, “How do we shave off minutes when minutes count,” they have discovered that Hospital Hub is assisting them in doing just that. For example, a patient can be brought directly to CT when needed, since they are registered pre-hospital.
License Management
The days of manually entering and updating personnel, agency, vehicle and station information are in the past, which is a tremendous administrative time saver. Additionally, with a validation process in place, they are able to ensure verifications are maintained while tasks can be delegated.
Patient Tracking
After receiving government grants, they plan to have every frontline apparatus in their region loaded with a tablet. In the case of a mass casualty incident, every patient (whether the apparatus uses ImageTrend or another vendor) will be documented. All patient information will then be sent to one MCI event, which in turn will integrate with Patient Tracking where notifications to hospitals will occur. This process will allow them to have complete follow through with each patient and the care they receive.
Reporting
Coastal Valleys EMS has found the reporting capabilities to be extensive, and in fact, use Report Writer on a daily basis. They use it for everything from performing chart review audits for clinical staff to tracking patient quality and enhancements, just to name a few examples.
Summary
Coastal Valleys EMS implemnted more than new cPCR software with patient tracking capabilities, they now have a complete solution that works for them. Getting away from disparate and outdated systems, they have made strides in the industry in terms of using integrated software that shares data and ultimately improves patient care.
Through managing administrative tasks, improving field data collection, integrating data between EMS and hospitals, and understanding how each piece impacts the department and the community, Coastal Valleys EMS now has a system that will grow as they do.
About
Coastal Valleys EMS Agency
The California Health and Safety Code requires that each county which develops an emergency medical services program must designate a local EMS agency. Consistent with that requirement, the Coastal CVEMSA has been designated as the Local Emergency Medical Services Agency (LEMSA) for Sonoma and Mendocino Counties. The EMS Agency provides the administrative and regulatory oversight responsibilities for the local EMS system within each of these counties.
The primary function of the EMS Agency is to plan, implement, and evaluate the local EMS system and the various components contained within it. This includes the licensing / permitting of ambulance provider companies, hospitals, certification / accreditation of pre-hospital care personnel (Emergency Medical Technicians) EMT), paramedics), policy development and implementation, medical control, quality improvement, and disaster medical response preparedness.
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