Major medical center
A major U.S. medical center is using Instant Connect to help transport patients where they need to go, with the speed and efficiency needed to save lives.
medical transport
Fast, efficient, inter-agency communications
Connecting transport and medical teams with reliable push-to-talk voice communications can mean the difference between life and death.
World-class patient care, clinical services, and customer service – these constitute the foundation of one of the leading medical centers in the U.S. This facility also plays a second role that may not be as celebrated but is equally if not more important: serving as a communications hub for medical transport across an entire region.
At the center of the action is the hospital’s advanced Communications Center and its experienced dispatch team.
The Center uses the Instant Connect push-to-talk platform to manage and optimize voice communications across an expansive, ever-changing ecosystem:
- 70+ medical transport vendors and partners encompassing ambulances, ground transport, helicopters, and aircraft
- Dozens of participating hospitals, acute care, rehab, and long-term care facilities encompassing the region – ERs, doctors, and staff
- More than 80 federal, state, and local public agencies
Instant Connect helps keep everyone connected across radios, computers, IP phones, mobile phones, and more.
Smarter command and control
The Communications Center utilizes three rotating dispatchers to manage a dozen core radio channels. The software can also seamlessly integrate this radio traffic with computers, IP phones, and mobile devices as necessary, transparently turning those assets into push-to-talk devices.
Typical use cases include emergency medical transport, inter-facility (moving patients between hospitals), incident response, and regional coordination of large inter-agency events.
“When it comes to medical transport, every life matters,” says the Director of the Communications Center. “Our mission is to coordinate time-sensitive transport based on which facility is available and best equipped for the medical care needed. This requires rapid decision-making based on open communication.
“For example, incoming calls from ambulances, or AirVac using air-to-ground radios, can be patched into a hospital’s IP phones so we can confirm the right doctors are available. The doctors can even be consulted while the patient is in route. This doesn’t happen without Instant Connect.”
“Whether it’s a catastrophic event with multiple injuries requiring the coordination of ambulance transport to multiple hospitals simultaneously, or an individual child who needs emergency surgery, Instant Connect is integral to our communications hub that helps keep it all clicking.”
Director, Communications Center
Working faster and smarter
The Communications Center team is utilizing the Instant Connect software platform to work smarter, faster, and with greater impact on overall patient care.
- Ad-hoc patching allows multiple channels to be patched into each other, instantly adding users and expanding push-to-talk coverage when every minute counts.
- Texting and alerts keep everyone notified of critical information, including All-Call Broadcasts across the entire network when needed.
- Multimedia and video-sharing in addition to voice and text. This lets subscribers utilize whatever modality they want. It also offers an additional upside: “Instant Connect’s video- and image-sharing align with the hospital’s virtual care initiative, which could lead to some synergies between Instant Connect and the video-rich world of telehealth,” notes the Director.
- Audio recording. The ability to record channel activity lets the Communications Center team and other stakeholders go back and review conversations as needed for accuracy and decision-making. This is especially valuable in inter-agency events.
- Smaller IT footprint that saves money. “The Instant Connect platform has reduced IT-related costs and eliminated tech cycles,” says the Director. “Staff appreciates this, as does our CFO.”
- Unparalleled reliability. Says the Director: “Our uptime is impressive, the software just runs and runs.”
“Incoming calls from ambulances, or AirVac using air-to-ground radios, can be patched into a hospital’s IP phones so we can confirm the right doctors are available. The doctors can even be consulted while the patient is en route. This doesn’t happen without Instant Connect.”
Director, Communications Center
On the horizon...
Looking ahead to the future, the Communications Center envisions taking advantage of additional pre-built Instant Connect capabilities available today. These push-to-talk features include:
Triage of patients in transport: Instant Connect can seamlessly connect radio, mobile and IP-connected devices over any network, virtually anywhere. “I can envision a day in the future when various doctors have the Instant Connect app running on their smartphones,” says the Director. “Let’s say there’s an incoming medivac with a patient needing triage in flight. The medivac on the radio connects with the appropriate doctor on their smartphone. Doesn’t matter where the doctor is – they could be 5,000 miles apart. Regardless, they are instantly connected and provide triage to the patient en route.”
Virtual geofences that can instantly connect/disconnect users: Instant Connect’s virtual geofence feature is flexible and easy to use. “Let’s say a doctor enters a certain area of a hospital, such as an ER. As soon as they enter, they are automatically added to the ER’s talk channel,” explains the Director. “No manual intervention is required. The virtual geofence connects them transparently and then disconnects them when they leave. This can accelerate situational awareness and communication that can save lives.”
Command-and-control as a regional communications hub. Patient triage. Virtual geofences. Interoperability across devices. Whatever the medical transport opportunities that lie ahead, this hospital’s Communications Center – and the entire region it serves – can rest assured that Instant Connect will be there, every step of the way.
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