EMS

November 16, 2016Read more...

Outbreak of Acute Flaccid Myelitis

The CDC is investigating a surge in cases of Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM). AFM is a syndrome of weakened muscles that may sometimes lead to paralysis, including limb and respiratory muscles. The majority of cases are in children and adolescents. What EMS should know: If a patient, particularly a child/adolescent presents with weak or paralyzed limbs, they should be transported to the hospital for further evaluation. Careful attention should be paid to washing hands, decontaminating objects & surfaces. Wearing appropriate PPE will also...

November 2, 2016Read more...

EMS Data Can Help Stop the Opioid Epidemic

Former FirstWatch Medical Director Dr. Alex Garza and Boston EMS, Fire and Police Medical Director Dr. Sophia Dyer, joined forces in this month's issue of JEMS to share the opportunity EMS has to help in the efforts to slow down the Opioid epidemic and perhaps prevent overdoses before they occur. Read the Article.

October 20, 2016Read more...

Webinar Recording: Introduction to AIMHI and The New Role of High Performance / High Value EMS – Part 1

We're so excited to partner with The Academy of International Mobile Healthcare Integration (AIMHI) to bring you their first webinar introducing their rebranding (formerly the Coalition of Advanced Emergency Medical Systems (CAEMS)), that highlights high performance EMS systems’ focus to highlight the rapidly transforming role of EMS agencies across the United States and Canada. This first of its kind webinar will introduce the participants to AIMHI and its mission, and explain the concepts of High Performance EMS...

October 17, 2016Read more...

New EMS1 Column by Mike Taigman: Better EMS Performance

We're so excited to announce the new Paramedic Chief column via EMS1, "Better EMS Performance" led by our own Improvement Guide, Mike Taigman. In this new column, Mike and our FirstWatch team along with our customers and colleagues will share actionable strategies, concepts and ideas to make real improvements. We will draw from Learning Organizations, Systems Thinking, Six Sigma, Lean Thinking, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and others you will not need to have a black belt to put these ideas...

September 9, 2016Read more...

Leveraging Civic Data to Improve Public Health and Emergency Managemet

FirstWatch is featured in a great article by Data-Smart City Solutions, an initiative by the Ash Center at Harvard Kennedy School, about the need for local authorities and decision makers to have real-time alert systems, rapid response surveillance, and mobile data collection and geolocation to improve the disease surveillance necessary to curb the spread of major viruses. Read the Article.

August 25, 2016Read more...

Zika Update as of Aug 23, 2016

1. A new area with local transmission by mosquitos has been identified in Miami, Florida for a portion of South Beach. 2. A non-travel case of Zika has been identified in Pinellas County, Florida and was announced Tuesday. 3. A scientific research study was released using mice models that indicates that the Zika virus is able to cause brain damage in mice adult neural stem cells. For a more complete Zika update, Click Here.

August 24, 2016Read more...

Should EMS Data be Monitored for Zika Infection?

FirstWatch likes to provide surveillance and early warning for many different threats to our clients – that was, in fact, the initial reason for starting the company. So, it makes sense that the question would be asked by us, and perhaps by you, if Zika should be monitored through the data we capture for you. We have seriously contemplated it and will outline our rationale to not recommend doing so at this time. However, we would very much like to...

August 24, 2016Read more...

Zika in all but 4 U.S. States

There are currently three scenarios in which the Zika virus is spreading: areas where local mosquito transmission is occurring, areas that have the potential for having local mosquito transmission (have Aedes mosquitos & have or have had Zika infected people), and those areas where Zika transmission is very unlikely although travel-related infections may occur. The only states that do not have travel-related cases are Alaska, Idaho, Wyoming, and South Dakota. First responders should continue to avoid mosquito breeding around the worksite,...

August 17, 2016Read more...

How One EMS Agency in Nevada is Collecting, Analyzing Data

Clark County Fire Department leaders wanted to go beyond measuring response times and look more closely at patient care performance. But using their current software, reviewing performance was labor intensive and time consuming – they could look back at individual charts, or create spreadsheets about a particular indicator, but they couldn’t look at multiple aspects of all calls systematically. Clark County decided to use FirstPass, the tool that continually mines data in CADs and ePCRs, alerting managers to deviations in...

March 16, 2016Read more...

UPDATED: What EMS Should Know About Zika

Download the below information in PDF form Current Assessment The largest outbreak of the Zika virus continues with active circulation (local transmission) in many countries in South and Central America and the Caribbean, in some of the Islands in Oceania/Pacific Islands and in Cape Verde, Africa. Over a hundred imported cases, by way of returning travelers, have been identified in the United States, Canada, and countries throughout the world. One case in Texas was contracted in the US (not...

February 12, 2016Read more...

Confirmed Zika Transmission through Intercourse

Download the below information in PDF form Update Since my last writing on Zika, there have been new developments. Multiple cases of Zika have been diagnosed in the United States, all of which were imported into the country with the exception of one. This single case was transmitted to an individual by sexual contact in Dallas, TX. During the investigation, it was found that the Zika virus can live in semen and transmitted to sexual partners through intercourse. This is...

February 1, 2016Read more...

Mike Taigman to Join FirstWatch Team: Will Focus on FirstPass Quality Improvement Tool

Download the PDF Encinitas, Calif. – February 1, 2016 – Starting in April, Mike Taigman will become the newest member of the FirstWatch team, President Todd Stout announced today. “Mike is an industry leader and internationally recognized as an educator, facilitator, consultant and author,” said Stout. “The clinical experience, knowledge and passion for quality improvement he will bring to our team is nothing short of extraordinary.” FirstWatch, based in Encinitas, Calif., began monitoring 911 data in Kansas City, Mo., in...

January 20, 2016Read more...

What EMS Should Know About Zika

Download the below information in PDF form Current Assessment The largest outbreak of the Zika virus is occurring in Central and South America with fear that the virus will become more widespread to other countries. There has been a rapid surge in Zika virus infections, particularly in Brazil. While the Zika virus usually causes no immediate harm to the patient, it is linked to microencephaly (small head and brain) in the developing fetus of pregnant women. The first US case of Zika induced...

January 13, 2016Read more...

Jack Stout for NPR: Experts Consider Economics To Speed Up Ambulance Response Times

Jack Stout, the legendary father of "High Performance EMS" and father of our FirstWatch founder and President Todd Stout, was interviewed by NPR this week as their Planet Money team explores how ambulances use principles of economics to get to patients fast. What a great interview - we hope you enjoy it as much as we did! Full the full transcript, visit the NPR website here.

November 20, 2015Read more...

Medic2Medic Podcast Features Todd Stout

FirstWatch President Todd Stout was recently interviewed by long-time industry friend Steven Cohen, the current EMS Chief at Cary Area EMS. In addition to working as an EMS Chief, Steven runs his own podcast, Medic2Medic. It was honor for Todd to be featured on the podcast as an individual who made an impact on Steven’s career, and to share with you folks some of those who made an impact on Todd's career. Listen to the interview below! Listen...

June 11, 2015Read more...

MERS-CoV Outbreak in Korea

Download the below information in PDF form The World Health Organization is reporting an outbreak of Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome caused by the Corona Virus, otherwise known as MERS-CoV. On May 20th, a case of MERS was confirmed in South Korea. The index patient had recently traveled to the Middle East including Qatar, UAE and Bahrain. The patient had sought treatment in Korea for influenza type symptoms at multiple healthcare locations and eventually diagnosed with the virus. There have...

May 28, 2015Read more...

Drowning in Data, Thirsting for Knowledge

The benefits of real-time & near-real-time feedback As featured in the JEMS Data Supplement, FirstWatch Founder & President Todd Stout and John Tobin, alarm room captain for the Mesa Fire Department and lead educator with the University of Arizona's EPIC project, discuss how taking advantage of real-time feedback from today's modern monitor/defibrillators can improve provider and overall system performance. Read the Article.

January 27, 2015Read more...

CDC Grant Opportunity – Ebola Preparedness and Response Activities

The CDC is awarding a total of $145 million in supplemental funding to the current 62 Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) cooperative agreement awardees to support accelerated Ebola public health preparedness planning and response. The Ebola supplemental funding budget period and project period are 18 months: April 1, 2015,through September 30, 2016. This funding is intended to support the nation’s public health system and to assure readiness and response capability to respond effectively to Ebola virus disease (EVD) within the community. Funds are intended...