medic911.com facebook.com/MeckEMS @MecklenburgEMS

SEPSIS, FREE BBQ & “SLAP THE CAP” TRAINING

2 medic911.com

“Ready…Fire…Aim…” (as a firing can-on goes off). This is a recipe for disas-ter; whether you are sport hunting or working on projects to improve your organization.

Welcome to Medic 102. I’m Doc Studnek. Last week, we spent time discussing a method we use to clari-fy the objective of our project work - the pull card. An integral part of the pull card is the aim statement. The aim statement answers these three questions: What do you want to change? By how much do you want to change? How long will change take? (For more info, check out Pull Cards, here). However, we never discussed how much improvement we wanted to see and how long we think the change may take. Just like in hunting, it is important to know what we are aiming at. It’s equally important to set a target for said im-provement.

Jason, a telecommunication student asks, “Why is aim so important?”

“Glad you asked, Jason,” Doc Stud-nek states. Setting a target for im-provement is important because it gives the project team a goal that allows them to measure success. Therefore, when setting the target, it needs to be realistic and should avoid arbitrary goals. It is easy to say that we want to improve by 10% or

say that 100% of the time a process should be completed. How-ever, is it realistic?

If the average compression rate during a cardiac arrest is 95 com-pressions per minute, would anincrease to 104 (a 10% differ-ence) be meaningful? Howcould we know? What info-rmation would we need to make that judgment? Conversely, if our target was to deliver defibrillation in 6 seconds at 100% compliance, from stop of compression, is that re-alistic? It is likely that we could get close to but never sustain 100% per-formance in any goal or target. After all, we are human; not super human. Variation in systems exist. We want to reduce that variation. But aiming for 100% compliance to anything is usually unrealistic. Setting a target takes research, subject matter exper-tise, knowledge of your current per-formance, knowledge of where you want to go and why. In other words setting a target takes a little work.

The last piece of an aim statement is determining how long the change will take. This has a lot of factors within it that should be assessed:

1. How complicated is the pro-cess you are trying to change?

2. Do we have to purchase some-thing new?

3. Will the project require train-ing?

4. How much time do we have to dedicate to the project?

5. How confident are we in our improvement theories?

Or we could just say, “It’ll take 3 months. Ok, let’s not do that.” Tar-get time completion should be re-alistic. And we should appropriate an efficient amount of time and ur-gency (pressure) on the project work team(s). Because after all, that’s what each project deserves.

Next week, we conclude discussing the creation of a pull card AND ‘how to pitch your improvement idea to agency leadership’.

And as always, if you have any ques-tions or topic ideas, please email Tif-fany at tiffanya@medic911.com.

CLASS DISMISSED!

SEPTEMBER 2014

medic911.com 3

As previously noted, the latest Performance Pay Tracking Period began on November 1st. We are striving to meet the Patient Satisfaction goal of a ≥ 68% rating (experience as “Excellent”).

In order to create a comfortable margin of performance, while continuing to improve the patient experience, we would like to share some feedback from recent patient focus groups.

The two areas that patients value the most are:

1. Communication from the treating crew: “Explain treatment options and procedures” “Provide reassurance and compassionate communication with the patient”

2. Setting clear expectations: “Set transport length expectation” “Set a triage level expectation before arriving at the hospital”

4 medic911.com

Capnography and EKG TrainingFree EventRegister with OEMS: http://terms.ncem.org

Mar 16 College of AlbemarleMar 17 Martin CCMar 18 Lenoir CCMar 19 Sampson CCMar 20 Robeson CCMar 21 Stanly CCMar 23 Surry CCMar 24 Davidson CCApr 13 Caldwell CCApr 14 Buncombe CCApr 15 Southwest CCApr 16 Cleveland CCOct 3 - 7 EM Today 2015

For more info, contact Brian Shimberg at brians@medic911.com or 704-943-6142.

As discussed in a previous communication regarding American Heart Association certifications, Medical Ser-vices will be offering Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Pediatric Advanced Life Support and Healthcare Provider courses in March. These update courses are being offered for those employees who are expiring and who would like to remain current either voluntarily or because they are required to have the certifications for com-mitments outside of Medic.

Due to inclement weather on February 16th, one of the sessions offered was cancelled. We have rescheduled this class for Friday March 6th from 1300 to 1700. Those employees wishing to recertify in only BLS can attend and will be finished after approximately an hour and a half.

Maintaining these certifications is no longer a requirement at Medic. Therefore there will be no pay for attend-ing these classes. Course completion cards will be available for purchase at the end of the class. If you missed the November 2014 AHA in-service due to an excused form of leave (FMLA, Military Leave, OJI, etc) then you can attend this offering with pay and you will be provided a course completion card.

If you would like to attend this offering, please register through the LMS (https://medic911.plateau.com). From your home screen in the LMS, click on the “featured” box to find the course to register.

If you are unable to attend on March 6th, we will offer these classes again in August.

If you have any questions, please contact Brian Shimberg at brians@medic911.com or 704-943-6142.

SEPTEMBER 2014

medic911.com 5

Q: Sepsis study? What are you studying?A: We’re collecting data to understand the best resources for identifying potentially septic patients in the pre-hospital setting. There are several decision aids for identifying septic patients that have been tested and validated for use in hospitals; however, no tools exist for pre-hospital identification. We’re testing those hospital-validated tools in our system to identify septic patients sooner and more reliably.

Q: Why does it matter if they’re identified sooner? A: Septic patients have a mortality rate ranging between 25 - 50% out of the gate. Additionally, research shows that every hour delay in administration of antibiotics equates to a 7.6% decreased chance of survival. Sepsis protocols call for administration of a fluid bolus before antibiotics. So, the sooner the patient is identified, the sooner they receive fluids, the sooner they receive antibiotics, the better chance they have at survival.

Q: How many patients are we talking about? A: The actual incidence rate (number of new patients at risk in a population) of septic patients is disputed, but the accepted rate is 24.0 in 10,000 patients. When you extrapolate that to the million residents of Mecklenburg County, we could anticipate 2,400 septic patients annually. We won’t necessarily trans- port all septic patients, but the preliminary results suggest we will get close.

Q: Where is my thermometer? A: We’re in the pilot testing phase right now, which means we’re using only a subset of paramedic crew chiefs to test the decision aid and thermometer. Once the data is analyzed and a decision aid is se- lected, we will begin implementation of a new sepsis protocol.

For more information, please contact Allison Infinger at allisoni@medic911.com or 704-943-6256.

The 30th Annual Appreciation Dinner is for all West-side Fire, Rescue and Law Enforcement.

• Homemade BBQ and all the trimmings. • Fire, Rescue and Law Enforcement families are in-

vited to attend• Casual Dress

FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 20151630 - 1930COVENANT UNITED METHODIST CHURCH6824 Tuckaseegee RoadCharlotte, NC 28214

For more information, please call 704-392-3925.***This is not a Medic sponsored event***

6 medic911.com

REQUIRED ATTENDANCEStephanie Benson, Nickolas Bringolf, Ronisha Carr, Carrie Cole, Michael Conklin, Yolanda Edmonds, Miguel Flechas, Joseph Gilchrist, Vonita Ham, Rebekah Hart-O’Sullivan, John Hunt, Chad Kennedy, Robbie Lamb, Shari Lambeth, Bobbi Lindsey, Nicholas Lommerse, Anna McCarley, Ma-sayo McCormick, Elisabeth Mitchell, Hunter Mitchell, Ty-ler Mohr, Kara Murray, Tyler North, Macon Parker, Ethan Parker, Christopher Peet, Gary Richardson, John Ryan, Thomas Slack, Lindsay Smith, Margaret Truesdell, Greg , Truesdell, Troy White Jonathan Wilford and Bill Woods.

PLEASE NOTE: If your Annual Performance Review was in Feburay and you did not attend the February class, you must contact Amy Broughton to attend a March class.

INFORMATION UPDATES• Please register for your Corporate Compliance Train-

ing session through LMS.• The duration of the Medic Safety & Compliance Train-

ing sessions is up to 4 hours.• Attendees will be paid for the total time spent in class. • Each employee, with an Annual Performance Review

within that same month, MUST attend one of the available Compliance Training Sessions.

• Compliance sessions are held next to the Medic Fit-ness Center.

For more information on Corporate Compliance Class or if you need directions, please contact Amy Broughton at amyb@medic911.com.

MAR 2015SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT

1 2 3 4 5COMPLIANCE0800 - 1200

6 7

8 9SIMULATION1000 - 12001300 - 1500FISDAP0830 - 1830

10 111. COMPLIANCE 0800 - 12002. SIMULATION 0800 - 1000 1100 - 13003. FISDAP 0830 - 1830

12SIMULATION1000 - 12001300 - 1500FISDAP0830 - 1830

13 14COMPLIANCE1600 - 2200

15 16SIMULATION0800 - 10001100 - 1300FISDAP0830 - 1830

17SIMULATION1000 - 12001300 - 1500FISDAP0830 - 1830

18SIMULATION1600 - 18001900 - 2100FISDAP0830 - 1830

19SIMULATION0800 - 10001100 - 1300FISDAP0830 - 1830

201. COMPLIANCE 1300 - 17002. SIMULATION 1000 - 1200 1300 - 15003. FISDAP 0830 - 1830

21

22 23SIMULATION0800 - 10001100 - 1300FISDAP0830 - 1830

241. COMPLIANCE 1300 - 17002. SIMULATION 0800 - 1000 1100 - 13003. FISDAP 0830 - 1830

25SIMULATION1000 - 12001300 - 1500FISDAP0830 - 1830

26SIMULATION1600 - 18001900 - 2100FISDAP0830 - 1830

27 28

29 30SIMULATION1600 - 18001900 - 2100FISDAP0830 - 1830

31SIMULATION1000 - 12001300 - 1500FISDAP0830 - 1830

ST. P

ATRI

CK’

S D

AY

SEPTEMBER 2014

medic911.com 7

MARCH COMPLIANCEThu, Mar 5 0800 - 1200Wed, Mar 11 0800 - 1200Sat, Mar 14 1600 - 2000Fri, Mar 20 1300 - 1700Tue, Mar 24 1300 - 1700

MARCH SIMULATIONMon, Mar 9 1000 - 1200 1300 - 1500Wed, Mar 11 0800 - 1000 1100 - 1300Thu, Mar 12 1000 - 1200 1300 - 1500Mon, Mar 16 0800 - 1000 1100 - 1300Tue, Mar 17 1000 - 1200 1300 - 1500

Wed, Mar 18 1600 - 1800 1900 - 2100Thu, Mar 19 0800 - 1000 1100 - 1300Fri, Mar 20 1000 - 1200 1300 - 1500Mon, Mar 23 0800 - 1000 1100 - 1300Tue, Mar 24 0800 - 1000 1100 - 1300Wed, Mar 25 1000 - 1200 1300 - 1500Thu, Mar 26 1600 - 1800 1900 - 2100Mon, Mar 30 1600 - 1800 1900 - 2100Tue, Mar 31 1000 -1200 1300 - 1500

MARCH FISDAPMon, Mar 9 0830 - 1830Wed, Mar 11 0830 - 1830Thu Mar 12 0830 - 1830Mon, Mar 16 0830 - 1830Tue, Mar 17 0830 - 1830Wed, Mar 18 0830 - 1830Thu, Mar 19 0830 - 1830Fri, Mar 20 0830 - 1830Mon, Mar 23 0830 - 1830Tue, Mar 24 0830 - 1830Wed, Mar 25 0830 - 1830Thu, Mar 26 0830 - 1830Mon, Mar 30 0830 - 1830Tue, Mar 31 0830 - 1830

Please be aware of the following situations when responding to calls:

1. Parking at Pineville VFD. Pineville VFD has limited parking which needs to be accessible 24 / 7. They ask that we only park in our designated parking space in order to keep other parking open. Please be careful of the fence when parking.

2. CMC-Pineville Rehabilitation and Long Term Acute Care Facility are located on the campus of CMC Pineville at the far end of the Emergency Department driveway. The rehab facility is on the 2nd floor. The Specialty Hospital is on the 3rd and 4th floors. The facility staff wanted us to understand their po-sition as it relates to a couple of issues. • These are not a primary care facilities. They must transfer a patient with a new onset of illness or

injury to the Emergency Department for evaluation.• Facility policy does not normally allow for advanced medical interventions on someone who is not

admitted to their facility. They will administer basic care and CPR as needed. The staff wants Medic to be aware that response to this circumstance should be handled in the same manner that you would approach any patient in a public place.

The facility staff spoke well of their encounters with Medic and Pineville VFD. They wanted to give us a clear understanding of their practices in advance.

If you have questions or concerns, please contact Bob Francis at bobf@medic911.com or at 704-943-6251.

The Rotary Club of Charlotte Public Safety Scholarship Fund Deadline Date (EST Time Zone): 03/16/2015 12:00PM

DESCRIPTIONProvides undergraduate scholarships to the children of Mecklenburg County first responders - police, fire, MEDIC and sheriff on the basis of academic merit, financial need and community service.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS• Parent(s) must be a full-time employee of the Charlotte Fire Department, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Depart-

ment, Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office or MEDIC, with a minimum of one-year of service• Must be a graduating high school senior planning to enter a two-year or four-year degree program at an ac-

credited institution• Minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA (on a 4.0 scale)

HOW TO APPLY1. Click http://bit.ly/1Kl5hX62. Type in public safety in the “Find Scholarship by Keyword” box3. Click on The Rotary Club of Charlotte Public Safety Scholarship Fund4. Apply

NEED ASSISTANCEThe PR team would be happy to assist you with the application process. Please contact myself, Lester or Tara.

CONTACT INFORMATIONFor questions about this application, please contact Qiana Austin at qaustin@fftc.org.

Click here and nominate someone today!