CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST
7:00 A.M. - 8:00 A.M.

EMS DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

THURSDAY, JULY 29   |    7:15 A.M. - 8:00 A.M.

That's finally a statement, not a question, with the release of The National EMS Advisory Council's white paper: "EMS Makes a Difference—Improved Clinical Outcomes and Downstream Healthcare Saving." This report has been universally praised as a milestone for EMS. Troy Hagen, lead author, will provide an overview of the findings, and how the evidence can be used to promote EMS activities and involvement in healthcare reform and finance. Troy is director of Ada County Paramedics in Boise, Idaho and is currently serving on the Board of Directors for the National EMS Management Association (NEMSMA). Grab your coffee and continental breakfast for a session that's guaranteed to stimulate conversation.

HEALTH INFORMATION EXCHANGE IS COMING AND EMS IS INCLUDED

THURSDAY, JULY 29   |    8:00 A.M. - 9:00 A.M.

One of the major barriers to learning about patient outcomes and improving care has been the painstaking and often impossible job of collecting the right data elements, in fragmented systems, with multiple healthcare provider stakeholders. As more organizations have transitioned to electronic patient care reporting that is NEMSIS compliant, there is finally an opportunity for data to be shared across the patient care continuum. Known as health information exchange (HIE), it is the future of healthcare information and will change the way we practice medicine.

PATIENT SAFETY IN EMS

THURSDAY, JULY 29   |    9:30 A.M. - 10:30 A.M.

Patient safety is a discipline in healthcare that aims to minimize the incidence and impact of adverse events. It's not about individual errors, but rather about optimizing systems through engineering and process design to achieve results. Prehospital researcher Blair Bigham will share the findings of studies in patient safety from data gathered from EMS leaders.

WHY WE CAN'T MEET OUR CUSTOMER'S NEEDS

THURSDAY, JULY 29   |    9:30 A.M. - 10:30 A.M.

We talk a lot about how the patient should come first, but we make decisions related to care, operations and system design that are not aimed at meeting that goal at all. For the past few years, Dave Williams has been conducting research on the obstacles to patient-centric EMS system design. In this session, he unveils the results of his research and discusses the implications of his findings for the future.

GETTING ALS TO THE PATIENT: ONE APPROACH TO AN OLD CHALLENGE

THURSDAY, JULY 29   |    11:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M.

How do you get the right level of care to patients who need it? EMS systems struggle with the goal of delivering ALS care quickly and efficiently. The District of Columbia Fire and EMS Department is attempting to take a systems approach of bringing paramedics to the patient side quickly, whether it's on a paramedic engine company or ALS ambulance. The result: improved response times and reliability, but also new operational and quality challenges. Assistant Fire Chief of EMS, Rafael Sa'adah will lead a candid discussion of both the positive and negative aspects of this deployment model.

FINANCIAL ACUMEN: UNDERSTANDING WHEN SPENDING MORE EQUALS LESS

THURSDAY, JULY 29   |    11:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M.

When times are fiscally tight, the clearest answer seems to be to cut spending. It's easy to make a case for doing so, and you can see the short-term, direct impact in a spreadsheet. But when does not spending cause you to waste money and impact productivity? When can spending a little result in saving more? You'll come away from this session with a new perspective on finance, productivity and quality.

THURSDAY, JULY 29   |    12:00 P.M. - 1:15 P.M.

Enjoy a gourmet buffet lunch in a picturesque setting on San Diego's famous harbor, followed by dessert and coffee with Pinnacle Sponsors in the Exhibit Area.

JUST IN TIME: THE PUBLIC/PRIVATE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM! BUT, WHAT'S REALLY THE BEST EMS SYSTEM FOR YOUR COMMUNITY?

THURSDAY, JULY 29   |    1:30 P.M. - 2:30 P.M.

With ever-tighter budgets, communities are making tough choices about their public safety agencies, including laying off firefighters, implementing "rolling brownouts" and scrutinizing contracts and RFPs to get what they consider the best value. In this stressful environment, relations between public and private agencies have been strained, sometimes to the breaking point. Frequently lost in the (sometimes heated) discussion are the questions of what's right for the patient and what evidence can be used to improve the system, and what's best for the taxpayer.

The answers to those questions—and more—might surprise you. This discussion will highlight how leaders should react to this potentially divisive issue. You'll hear about the Institute of Medicine's critical recommendations for EMS system design, as well as the National EMS Advisory Council's evidence on where EMS makes a clinical difference—and, more importantly, learn how to apply these guidelines in your own community.

Join this high-energy discussion as representatives from the two major stakeholder groups come together to change the conversation from "Who's better?" to "What’s needed?" Mike Metro is deputy chief of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, and Brenda Staffan is executive director of the California Ambulance Association.

APPRECIATIVE COACHING: INSPRING OTHERS TO REACH THE SUMMIT

THURSDAY, JULY 29   |    3:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M.

A leader's job is to remove barriers, enable performance and encourage initiative. This effort takes a special set of skills in the leadership toolbox. Leaders need to focus on raising their employees' potential, focusing on strengths and acting as their coach and champion. Dr. Nelson will share the leadership-empowering approach known as appreciative coaching.

MEASURES TO MANAGE BY

THURSDAY, JULY 29   |    3:00 P.M. - 4:00 P.M.

Managing without the right metrics requires going with your best guess. That's far too common among emergency service organizations, which rarely measure more than a few bits of data. Join Dave Williams as he shares a core set of outcome, process and balancing measures every organization should be tracking based on the best evidence available. This approach will change the way you manage your organization.

EVERYONE WORKS HARD HERE: DISTRIBUTING THE WORKLOAD

THURSDAY, JULY 29   |    4:15 P.M. - 5:15 P.M.

One ambulance heads north to its first posting location and spends most of the shift doing post-to-post moves, providing coverage. Another ambulance is sent south and is assigned a call. It will be the first of many back-to-back calls. Two crews, one city, very different experiences. How can you reduce the disparity? Presenter Barry Bagwell will share his team's efforts to balance the workload.

ASK AND YOU WILL RECEIVE: EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT TO AFFECT CHANGE

THURSDAY, JULY 29   |    4:15 P.M. - 5:15 P.M.

Employees are resisting you. Morale is down. You pass an employee in the hall and realize you don't know her name. Does this sound familiar? How do you turn course? Join the presenters as they tell a story of pulling up a chair, engaging the staff and taking a different look at what workplace family should truly be about. Learn what they discovered when they started listening and how it's transforming their organization.