ZOLL Pulse Blog

The EMS industry is experiencing unprecedented challenges, including staffing shortages and unsustainable revenue models. Matt Zavadsky,...

ZOLL’s largest educational event of the year, ZOLL Summit, brings hundreds of EMS, Fire, and healthcare professionals from all over the...

In a cardiac system of care, STEMI-referring hospitals and STEMI-receiving centers rely on accurate, timely communication and coordination...

Effective communication in emergency medical services provides two-way and real-time capabilities, delivering messages efficiently to and...

Co-Written by Mike McKevitt, Director, Product Management

(6 min read) EMS 3.0 introduced the concept of transforming the Emergency Medical Services industry from emergency response and transport...

N.Y. State 2022 CME Recertification Requirements Signal Shift Toward ePCR

Misconceptions About HIPAA Have Created an Artificial Barrier to Bi-directional Data Sharing Between EMS and Hospitals

(6 min read) Non-emergency medical transport (NEMT) is a growing, multi-billion-dollar industry. According to Frost & Sullivan, the total...

(5 min read) There are many reasons that business applications are moving to the cloud, or Software as a Service (SaaS) model. One of the...

Step into any dispatch communications center, and you’ll witness a familiar buzz of activity which, to the untrained eye, can look like...

With thousands of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) agencies throughout the U.S., there are inevitably hundreds or even thousands of...

New National Data Reporting Elements for Improving Patient Care and Driving Evidence-based Progress in EMS’ Role in the Healthcare Ecosystem

From COVID-19 hot spots to opioid overdoses, EMS agencies must evaluate community health data in new ways and more frequently than ever...

Everywhere I go, ambulance providers, billing companies, and billers ask, “Why do patients think that ambulance service is free?” Across...

Misconceptions About HIPAA Have Created an Artificial Barrier to Bi-directional Data Sharing Between EMS and Hospitals

Undoubtedly, things have changed as a result of COVID-19. What were once accepted practices are no longer sufficient. EMS agencies must...

N.Y. State 2022 CME Recertification Requirements Signal Shift Toward ePCR

(8 min read) In early 2020, the concept of the novel coronavirus was nothing more than a whisper in New Jersey EMS agencies. It was...

(8 min read) 2020 has been an interesting year, and at the time of this writing, it’s only September. I am sure the word of the year will...

(6 min read) Without a doubt, COVID-19 has presented EMS agencies with multiple challenges that collectively are some of the most...

(4 min read) Several recent cases have shown that the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the...

Co-Written by Mike McKevitt, Director, Product Management

Broad HHS Guidance Covers Coronavirus Response and Lost Revenue

2020 NASEMSO Survey Reflects Evolution of EMS Industry

By Maggie Adams

A look at where we’ve used data in the past and how we’re using it now to improve performance in the prehospital and in-hospital settings.

Written By: Ryan Stark

“The only constant is change,” paraphrasing the ancient Greek philosopher, Heraclitus. In the world of technological and engineering...

(4 min read) It’s no secret that being paid for the service you provide is the goal for most ambulance systems. After all, reimbursement is...

(6 min read) Medicare usually pays the largest portion of ambulance claims. But when viewing medical transportation - ambulance combined...

(4 min read) CQI involves more than just checking reports to make sure that the “red” went away, it’s a continuous process focusing on...

(4 min read) As we head into 2020, it is a good time to get a check-up. I’m not talking about a trip to your doctor, I’m suggesting a...

ZOLL is excited to announce our keynote speaker lineup for SUMMIT 2020! The three-day event, scheduled for June 9-11 at the Sheraton in...

(2 min read) EMS agencies are very attractive targets for cybercriminals. But, there are easy steps you can take to better protect your...

What response times can tell us (if we gather the data accurately) (5 min read) Nine minutes or less, 90% of the time – or whatever...

(3 min read) When people hear the phrase “revenue cycle,” words like "billing," "collections," and "payment" typically come to mind. While...

(6 min read) Co-Written by Logan Sullivan and Rabecca Sembrat We continue to see research showing that Millennials are the most educated...

(4 min read) Dispatch is an area that seems to generate a lot of misunderstandings and confusion, especially as it relates to Medicare...

Audits sometimes get the reputation of being a bad thing or a dirty word. But an audit, whether you’re doing it yourself, hiring someone to...

(4 min read) EMS workers carry heavy responsibility time and time again—on a daily basis. Every mile of ambulance operations, their eyes...

(6 min read) As pre-hospital providers airway management (basic or advanced) should be our bread and butter. After all, our lives and very...

ZOLL SUMMIT Speaker Series As a supervisor of Education, Research and Community Programs for Peel Regional Paramedic Services, I provide...

ZOLL SUMMIT Speaker Series Community Paramedicine. It is a concept/model we have been hearing about for years, and it is one of the top...

(4 minute read) Earlier this year, ZOLL hosted a webinar on Operationalizing Data. After the webinar, we asked attendees to share what, if...

It’s that time of year again when I sleuth around the internet and comb through user-reviews to compile the most useful smartphone apps for...

Why Using Lights & Sirens Can Be Risky Business In one of our recent webinars, McGowan discussed the dangers of emergent response. When...

During a recent ZOLL webinar on EMS fatigue, the audience was asked whether fatigue was a problem in their organization. An astounding 79...

Important Initiatives for Traveling Emergency Responders by Jerome Ozog, Glatfelter Program Managers & ETC Education Specialist

A recent webinar featured experienced pilots Captain Dick Blanchet, Major Ben Blanchet, and Captain Chris Guerra as panelists as well as...

Could your ambulance and paratransit customer service rival Uber? In a 2015 Jimmy Kimmel Live television skit, Kimmel compared an ambulance...

Today we discuss the many small steps ambulance providers can take to improve operations and get paid for transports. Actions in dispatch,...

Last month, we shared six dashboards to improve clinical outcomes. This month, as we focus on operational efficiency, we delve into how...

Is ambulance safety a concern or focal point in your organization? We fully support that! ZOLL is committed to improving ambulance safety...

In 1935, a fatal airplane crash changed the aviation safety world. It was at Wright Field near Dayton, Ohio, when the Boeing aircraft...

Did you know that 4,500 vehicle crashes per year involve ambulances? Safety is paramount in EMS, and we here at ZOLL are committed to...

When resuscitation on the move is necessary you want two things: you want the highest-quality CPR and you want to make sure while that CPR...

You’ve likely heard of the Internet of Things, or its acronym IoT (eye – oh – tee). You might even be an expert on the topic, with all of...

I came to ground EMS from flight. After four years as a flight nurse and more than 28 years as a nurse, my transition was eye opening to...

Did you know there is billions of dollars of grant money available for EMS and Fire agencies? There is! The problem is, I know grant...

Has this ever happened to you: You’re the new person starting your first day at a service with a seasoned medic. You get your first call of...

Summer weather is here, and a long day trapped in the office urges many people to rush home to enjoy it. They roll their windows down and...

Is ambulance safety a concern or focal point in your organization? We fully support that! ZOLL is committed to improving ambulance safety...

If you haven't visited the ZOLL Pulse Blog in awhile, you've missed some really great content to help you in your day-to-day as EMS...

If you have spent any time in EMS, chances are you have probably had a dispatcher (or two) say something along the lines of “whatever you...

Butler Medical Transport operates more than 67 ambulances throughout Maryland and Washington, D.C., Maryland doesn't allow 9-1-1 for...

Have you ever tried to geocode an incident for a motor vehicle crash using a milepost on a roadway or determine the best access point to a...

It should come as no surprise by now that with advances in technology, the frequency of data loss and breaches is on the rise. It’s not...

Perhaps you spent your free time diving into March Madness instead of keeping up on the latest on the ZOLL Pulse Blog. That’s OK. We’ve got...

EMS or Fire organizations that have committed, or are planning to develop, a culture of safety have many challenges facing them. For the...

Personal experience certainly makes a believer out of you. While working for a former EMS agency, I was present to see firsthand what...

When resuscitation on the move is necessary you want two things: you want the highest-quality CPR and you want to make sure while that CPR...

As an EMS agency, what if you could reduce risky behavior? Reduce fleet costs? And improve patient satisfaction? EMS leaders in Missouri,...

During the month of January, the ZOLL Pulse Blog was focused on tips and tools to help your EMS or Fire agency succeed in 2018. Check out...

What led Medic Ambulance to implement a driver modification tool? We knew our drivers were at risk, and we knew we couldn’t afford to live...

Pilots are supposed to have the “Right Stuff.” Sometimes they do! Paramedics and EMTs also need to have these traits as well. Two EMTs in...

Driver safety doesn’t just affect crews and passenger, it affects the entire community. With increased adrenalin, lights and sirens, and...

The Road Safety box is constantly recording data about your vehicle, and it’s of the utmost importance to be able to understand all of this...

Many of the world’s most successful people have a commitment to constantly learning.Spending at least a few hours each week learning from...

Is ambulance safety a concern or focal point in your organization? We fully support that! ZOLL is committed to improving ambulance safety...

Because the holiday season is in full swing, I was tempted to begin this blog post with one of my favorite Christmas clichés (think: a...

As we approach the end of the year, it’s time again to look back at the best of 2017. Our first of the series recaps our Road Safety...

Reports of fatigue-related ambulance crashes are on the rise. Previous research shows that greater than half of EMS personnel report...

Most paid Fire and EMS departments or organizations have a dynamic on their fire apparatus that isn’t included on their ambulances. No,...

Many believe the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to be a regulatory body. Actually, the NFPA is a global nonprofit...

As a public or private emergency medical provider, we all depend on our communities’ trust to deliver on our mission statement. We have to...

Driver safety is an important topic for any fleet organization, including EMS and Fire. A driver who puts safety as a top priority while...

“Black Monday” is a day that changed the way we at Montcalm County Emergency Services (MCES) approach safety within in our organization....

During the month of October, we posted an array of content on the ZOLL Pulse Blog addressing the patient journey from dispatch to patient...

Being a large private EMS company doesn’t come easy these days. The days are long for clinicians, the incidents are becoming more stressful...

In October of 2016, I had the misfortune of riding in an ambulance, not as a paramedic, but as a patient. As unfortunate as the events...

EMS systems and providers are an integral component of each state’s emergency response system and are also a critical element of our...

Hospitals have patient safety teams and most facilities have a safety team, so why does it seem hospitals and facilities tend to get...

While writing this blog, Hurricane Harvey has been dropping several feet, not inches, of rain on the Southern Texas and the surrounding...

If you haven’t visited in a while, you’ll notice that the ZOLL Pulse Blog has a brand new look! We hope you find it far more engaging and...

Crunching data to find the nugget of information you need to make a decision can be challenging, especially if the data set you are looking...

While most of the articles on the ZOLL Pulse Blog address issues with which our customers grapple every day, I’d like to change gears a bit...

Bloomington Hospital EMS was an early adopter of Road Safety, starting with Road Safety 3000. I’ve been the system administrator, and even...

Today we are going to talk about Crystal reports, and why they are so important to using the ZOLL software. Crystal reports is a...

Not that long ago, the dispatch center was just a room located in a basement or the back of an office, staffed by a person trained (or more...

Like it or not, technology has made its way into the world of EMS, and it’s here to stay. Software solutions such as computer assisted...

Captain/Paramedic Mike Lamanda, a 27-year veteran of the Golder Ranch Fire District (GRFD), northwest of metropolitan Tucson, Arizona,...

As a community paramedicine (CP) program is born, the questions are how to fund and launch the initiative. Once CP takes off and proves its...

It’s not a matter of if; it’s matter of when. Tampering of any company-owned equipment is very serious, and the consequences can be...

Over the past several years Manatee County, Florida has continued to experience an increase in the indigent – low income – population,...

“Show me the money” echoed by Cuba Gooding Jr. in the hit movie Jerry Maguire, is a great quote to echo that work well done deserves...

We all struggle with information overload in our inbox and on our social networks. That being said, I won’t take it personal if you missed...

Safety at Butler Medical Transport drives savings and is a necessity to keep our financial house in order. With 80 vehicles operating in...

Three injury crashes occur every minute in the United States, putting nearly 39,000 EMS responders in harm’s way each day, according to the...

The term, “Culture of Safety” seems to be at the forefront of EMS blogs and discussions. Every time you log onto a social media page or...

Many of us in the fire and emergency medical service (EMS) industry are familiar with the process of searching for a funding source once a...

The 2017 Hurricane season began on June 1 and goes to November 30. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Colorado...

Every day, our patients and the public entrust EMS professionals to drive our vehicles safely in performance of our mission. However, if we...

I came to ground EMS from flight. After four years as a flight nurse and more than 28 years as a nurse, my transition was eye opening to...

Ryan Thorne, CEO and director of Thorne Ambulance Service in Greenville, South Carolina, knew that in order to progress in a private...

James (Jimmy) Pierson, vice president of operations, has been instrumental in the improvement of every aspect of Medic Ambulance. Dedicated...

Chris Byrd has held several roles at On Time Transport from being an EMT, dispatch manager and currently the manager for high performance...

Brian Weindel has been with Fort Smith EMS for nearly 18 years and has implemented several processes, technology systems and software that...

Through dedication, perseverance and expert patience, Alexander Lewinsky, operations manager for JFK EMS, has been instrumental in growing...

Vehicle crashes impact the entire community. Response times may be delayed. Patient outcomes may be affected. And your reputation in your...

Did you know that medical information is worth at least 10 times more than a credit card number on the black market? It’s shocking, but...

In the April release of ZOLL Online, we’re introducing the new Road Safety Overview dashboard and an improved reporting experience. These...

Every agency strives to improve the quality and efficiency of their EMS operations. Bonus if they can do so while reducing cost. What is...

Last month, we shared six dashboards to improve clinical outcomes. This month, as we focus on operational efficiency, we delve into how...

Reimbursements continue to be challenging in EMS, and the future unfortunately doesn’t paint a favorable outlook any time soon. While sound...

Response-time performance is one of the most important issues facing any EMS organization. An organization must measure response in...

Tips for Improving Operational Efficiency and Cash Flow Today, we discuss the many small steps ambulance providers can take to improve...

Executive, operation and safety leadership should make sure safety policies are reviewed annually and up-to-date. The New Year is an...

As an IT Director, my biggest concern outside the walls of our office is the mobile devices assigned to all our vehicles and with our...

ZOLL would like to wish you, and your loved ones, a very Happy New Year. With the New Year comes new resolutions for the year, which a lot...

While preparing for an upcoming presentation, I found myself daydreaming about my favorite childhood TV series,-the original Star Trek....

Aggressive driving in an industry pressured by response times in competitive markets as well as a mission mentality to save lives is a...

The most unsafe aspect of working in EMS is being in an ambulance while it’s operating in a lights and sirens mode. The statistics have...

Emergency services changed greatly in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. Did we sustain the change? If you are from a metropolitan area, you...

When it comes to ambulance safety, prevention is paramount. Is prevention addressing driver behavior or is it a safe vehicle design? From...

How many times have you experienced when someone messes up, it’s inevitable that sooner or later a new policy is handed down. Now granted...

Recent events this past year, such as the bankruptcies of First Med EMS and Rural/Metro Corporation, highlight the difficulty that those...

The key to the question is the contractual obligation in which both parties have agreed upon, and what percentage of the time it was...

I attended a webinar last week hosted by Hanover Fire and EMS entitled – “How mobile is your fire data management system?” I thought I...

As a member of the City of Thornton Fire Department, I have many years of experience evaluating, managing, and using software to support...

The needs of smaller fire departments and EMS agencies are often overlooked by technology companies. Software may improve efficiencies and...

Before the days of wearing personal protective equipment, safety consisted of protecting yourself from a combative patient or keeping your...

Data overuse notifications! It’s never fun to receive these text messages at all, let alone at 1:09AM on a Thursday night like I did (see...

We understand it’s not easy for an organization to give up some control of their systems and processes, especially when it comes to data...

I wanted to share a few thoughts I have on how healthcare reform will impact EMS. EMS is not an island but a bridge, and EMS Operations...

There are many different aspects of safety in an EMS organization; vehicle operations, patient care and staff safety. By far the area that...

EMS providers face challenging revenue issues with reimbursement rates continuing to decline. Unfortunately expenses to operate are always...

As I talk to customers and prospects about ePCR, I hear a lot about how great a particular feature is. Or that it would be nice if ZOLL’s...

Have you ever thought...NFIRS doesn’t benefit my department; it is just a necessary evil?

If you are dealing with patient health information, security and compliance concerns may keep you awake at night. Basic data security and...