In emergency care, the relationship between EMS providers and hospital teams is essential. The information exchanged during those first critical moments directly influences patient outcomes, clinical decision-making, and overall satisfaction.

In a recent interview, Justin Nelson, EMS Liaison for Virginia Health Center (VHC), shared how implementing ESO’s Health Data Exchange (HDE) dramatically improved data accuracy and strengthened relationships with EMS partners—leading to better clinicians, better collaboration, and better patient care.

Outcome feedback makes better clinicians.

Every EMS provider asks the same question after a call:
“Was I right?”

Was it a STEMI?
A pulmonary embolism?
Something less serious?

Having access to these answers is incredibly valuable for field clinicians. When EMS teams receive feedback about patient outcomes, they learn, they refine their skills, and they become even better clinicians for the next patient they encounter.

This feedback loop is a foundational part of professional growth—and hospitals that share outcome insights play a direct role in strengthening EMS clinical practice.

Challenges before HDE: Too many options, too little accuracy.

Before HDE, incoming EMS data was often entered incorrectly because registration staff had more than 30 different EMS agency options to choose from—many of them duplicates. This created confusion, inconsistent documentation, and unreliable reporting.

In short:
When data accuracy suffers, decision-making across the hospital suffers with it.

HDE provided a reliable solution.

How ESO HDE quietly improves patient outcomes:

According to Nelson, HDE has become one of the most quietly impactful tools in their system.

By improving data flow and documentation, it not only supports hospital operations—it has a meaningful effect on patient outcomes. EMS providers gain more accurate feedback, hospitals receive cleaner data, and both sides become better aligned in caring for patients.

It’s a behind-the-scenes improvement with significant ripple effects.

EMS provider satisfaction leads to better patient care.

One of the clearest insights Nelson shared:

EMS provider satisfaction leads to patient satisfaction.
And patient satisfaction leads to better patient care.

When EMS professionals feel connected to the hospital, supported through better data sharing, and valued through feedback, that confidence translates directly into the care they deliver. Satisfied, informed providers create stronger patient experiences from the very first touchpoint.

Presenting the impact to leadership.

The measurable improvements achieved through HDE created an important opportunity.

With clear evidence of stronger EMS relationships, better documentation, and improved patient experiences, the hospital team was able to confidently present the value of HDE to executive leadership. The message was simple:

This technology strengthens care, supports our providers, and elevates the entire patient experience.

A stronger Hospital–EMS partnership.

ESO HDE is more than a documentation tool—it’s a bridge between hospital teams and EMS professionals. By simplifying documentation, enabling outcome feedback, and improving data accuracy, it strengthens relationships that directly impact patient care.

Full Video Transcript

Justin Nelson, EMS Liaison, Virginia Health Center

“Was it a STEMI? Was it a pulmonary embolism? Was it a bad taco? What was it? What’s the answer? When [EMS Providers] receive those answers, it makes them a better clinician for the next patient. We onboarded the ESO HDE, the health data exchange for our organization. One of the things we struggled with prior to the HDE was the appropriate documentation for incoming patients from 911 or even private EMS. We had, I believe it was over 30 different options for that incoming registration ed nurse to fill in for incoming EMS agency. The other side of this is the EMS side. It does more to improve the outcome of patients very quietly than anything else I know of up to this point. EMS provider satisfaction leads to patient satisfaction. Patient satisfaction leads to their satisfaction with the care they receive, but bottom line, it leads to better patient care. This was a great opportunity for me to take this to our leadership, the executive team, and say, look at what this product provides for us.”