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Technology Helps Lee County EMS Improve Response Times for Increased Demand for Service

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Technology that helps predict where the next incident will occur is improving Lee County EMS response times to manage an increased demand for services and a reduction in expenditures.

Lee County Emergency Medical Services Chief Kim Dickerson reports Lee County EMS’s ambulance response times were an average of 5 minutes, 36 seconds during 2010. Although that number appears to be one second slower than 2009’s response time, it’s actually an improvement.

That’s because in 2009, ambulances responded to all calls with lights and sirens, whether life-threatening or not. In 2010, Lee County EMS launched a pilot program where nonlife-threatening calls in San Carlos Park, Estero and Bonita Springs were not responded to with lights and sirens.

“We believe that non-emergent calls do not require an emergency response. We monitored the pilot program to ensure there were no negative effects on patient outcomes,” Dickerson said. “For safety concerns, there’s an increased risk for crew and everyone on the road when lights and sirens are used. Results were favorable. We’re looking to do a countywide pilot program where we would not run with lights and siren to low-priority calls-for example, a broken finger.”

Lee County EMS’s overall response-time goal for life-threatening calls is to be on scene in 8 minutes, 59 seconds or less 90 percent of the time. In 2009, eight out of the 12 months, Lee County EMS arrived on scene in that timeframe. In 2010, overall response improved to 90.68 percent, with 10 out of the 12 months at 90 percent or better.

During the county’s peak winter resident and tourist season, there is an increased demand for ambulance service. This attributes to the challenge of maintaining the overall response-time goal. The month of February had the lowest compliance with 87.36 percent in 2009, increasing to 88.97 percent in 2010.

The new technology is Optima Live and Optima Predict, which Lee County Commissioners approved in 2008 for $525,000. Both software programs were funded through radio user fees to the Government Communications Network reserves. Lee County EMS began using Optima Live Jan. 4, 2010.

“We were the first in the country to use the software. What attracted us to this software is its predictive nature-its ability to look ahead 20 minutes, analysis of the last four years of call volume and prediction of where we need to be based on past performance,” Dickerson said. “It helps us move ambulances to standby locations in anticipation of a call. This is software that learns our system. We don’t have to learn it. It allows us to make appropriate adjustments to meet our needs. We believe it’s affectively putting the units where they need to be at the particular time of day, as demonstrated by our ability to maintain our response times even with an increase in call demand.”

Optima Live recommends where ambulances should be located in standby mode in anticipation of the next call. Optima Predict helps determine the effect of station relocation on response times as well as other operational planning.

Dickerson reports that from 2009 to 2010, there was a countywide 3.17 percent increase in call volume and 3.58 percent increase in transports from the field to the emergency room. Calls increased from 75,627 to 78,102 and transports increased from 42,860 to 44,451.

During this timeframe, Lee County EMS provided an increase in mutual aid to Lehigh Acres Fire & Rescue District, with a 42.33 percent increase in call responses and a 54.88 percent increase in transports from the scene. Calls increased from 1,023 to 1,774 and transports increased from 738 to 1,143.

The countywide increase in call volume and transports contributed to a 13 percent increase in ambulance mileage. However, Lee County was able to reduce ambulance maintenance costs by $149,645.48 in 2010 through the elimination of a replacement cost charge for a future replacement ambulance.

Lee County also reduced expenditures by eliminating 19 full-time positions and not adding more ambulances in 2010 in order to meet budget reduction requirements.

“We’re challenged with finding a fiscal balance between an increase in 911 service demand and a reduction in funding,” Dickerson said. “The use of this technology and the hard work demonstrated by our dedicated staff, along with our partnerships with the fire departments, have allowed us to maintain the countywide average response time of 5 minutes, 36 seconds.”

Source: Lee County Emergency Medical Services