Updated May 14, 2025
9 min 16 sec estimated read timeESO’s annual WAVE conference brings together hospitals, fire departments, and EMS agencies for four days of sharing and practical learning. The event emphasizes using data and technology to improve patient outcomes and advance the health of communities. WAVE 2025 in Austin, Texas, was no exception. It highlighted some of the most urgent issues and forward-looking solutions for changemakers in hospital and trauma care, and five major themes emerged.
1. Good data is the foundation
Providing consistent, high-quality care isn’t a one-person job; it’s a system-wide effort. At Wave 2025, speakers emphasized the value of collecting accurate data, sharing benchmarks, building feedback loops, and supporting providers with the information and education they need to act.
It’s been said that there are three kinds of falsehoods: a fib, a downright lie, and statistics. Dr. Remle Crowe and Ali Treichel from ESO want to ensure no one falls prey to the third one in session, Dogs and Data: A Cautionary Tail. They shared how to gauge the quality of study results, what statistical jargon means, and the importance of staying curious about results.
For fans of the show “Ted Lasso,” TowerDIRECT’s Jason Drinkwater, Paramedic V – Quality Coordinator, led a familiar-sounding session: Be Curious, Not Furious: A Data-Driven Approach to Change. Before jumping to fix a perceived problem, it’s imperative to ask questions of the right people. Always include frontline workers for valuable insight and buy-in. Otherwise, you know what happens when you assume.
2. Stay in step with change
Trauma care is a lifelong profession for many. Presenters shared experiences, best practices, and evidence-based research to spotlight ways to stay in step with trends and technology.
First responders – and indeed, all healthcare providers – must demonstrate their value to taxpayers, patients, employers, payers, city council, and more. In From Data to Impact: Proving the Value of the Services You Deliver, Matt Zavadsky, EMS/Mobile Healthcare Consultant at PWW Advisory Group, shared which types of data resonate with stakeholders and how to tailor information to satisfy each. The practical takeaway: “Value is based on who is writing the check.”
Leveraging the ESO Patient Registry During an American College of Surgeons Site Survey, presented by Matthew Derkrikorian, Trauma Program Manager at Rady Children’s Hospital, offered a look at how Rady Children’s Hospital prepared for and completed the first ACS Site Survey using ESO’s updated registry.
Next, for trauma centers wondering how their performance compares nationally, ESO’s Dr. Tony Fernandez shared findings from the 2024 ESO Trauma Index in Benchmarking Care for Quality Improvement. Download the report for new insights and best practices. It’s a valuable tool to spark quality improvement conversations.
In Sepsis Treatment: Good for the Patient and the Payor, Erik Axene, CEO and Founder of Axene Continuing Education, updated attendees on trends and evidence, including artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning solutions, trying to get ahead of this deadly issue.
Building Resilience: The Power of Standardization in Navigating Change showed how CommonSpirit Mountain Region approached a trauma registry upgrade by centralizing and standardizing operations. Melissa Sorensen, RN Trauma Registry Manager, shared how the process built collaboration and positioned the team to adapt effectively.
3. Culture that supports improvement
Many sessions acknowledged a hard truth: data alone isn’t enough. Change happens when organizations build a culture that embraces reflection, transparency, and learning.
Brooke Burton, Quality Improvement Manager at Unified Fire Authority, led Mistake or Murder: What Can EMS and Hospitals Learn from the Vanderbilt Case? The in-depth examination showed how hospital culture contributes to patient and worker trust.
Scott Bourn from ESO led a practical session, Strategies for Influencing Change Using Data, reminding us that how you use data and information matters. If statistics were enough, no one would smoke! Knowing how to influence without judgment is crucial for improving internal hospital culture and providing supportive patient care.
A Call to Action: Amplifying the Roles of the Level III and Level IV Trauma Centers, led by Kelli Vaughn, Trauma Program Manager at John D. Archbold Memorial Hospital, detailed how Georgia’s smaller trauma centers, long excluded from larger system initiatives, created a standing committee to shape care across all levels of trauma care. .
Finally, Michael Kaduce, Director at The Falck Health Institute, addressed the challenge of how to start a quality improvement project. Once your hospital team has data in hand and leadership on board, pick something low-cost and high-impact. He provided ideas, examples, and tools in Bringing Research to Frontline Providers: Supporting Your Quality Management Program.
4. EMS-hospital collaboration improves outcomes
Multiple sessions focused on the continuum of care. Hospitals that make real-time data accessible to EMS agencies and close the loop on outcomes see stronger relationships, better documentation, and improved patient care.
In the session From the Roadside to the Bedside to the Hospital Boardroom, Jonathan Sague, Regional Chief Operating Officer, shared how University Hospitals (UH) are redefining EMS-hospital collaboration. By treating EMS as partners and sharing timely data and feedback, UH improved care transitions, documentation quality, and frontline morale. As a bonus, stronger EMS relationships can increase patient volume, which leads to financial gains and hospital growth.
Next, Justin Nelson, EMS Liason at VHC Health, shared their experiences with ESO Health Data Exchange (HDE) in The Bridge to Better Patient Outcomes. Instead of three separate interfaces plus encrypted email to communicate with EMS agencies, VCH only uses HDE. Stronger EMS relationships translated into a 7% increase in volume, and 91% of patient records match – up from 18%.
In A Healthcare Shift: How Virtual Nursing and Hospital at Home Programs Are Changing The Landscape of Patient Care, Lisa Meyer from ESO examined how virtual care is reshaping patient interaction models – and what that means for EMS and hospital alignment moving forward.
5. Challenge precedent
In a conference centered on using data, multiple sessions tackled common beliefs and techniques that no longer serve trauma care.
In the popular Hot Topics in Trauma Care, experts Dr. Glen Tinkoff, System Chief, Trauma and Acute Care Surgery at University Hospitals, Dr. Samir Fakhry, VP for Center for Trauma and Acute Care Surgery at HCA, and ESO’s Dr. Brent Myers examined evidence on trending issues in trauma care. High points included:
- Delaying surgery to ‘tune up’ patients doesn’t help, as COPD won’t be cured in three days.
- Blame pickleball for the increase in geriatric falls.
- There is enough data to support whole blood use in trauma. But haven’t solved delivery or replenishment.
- Not all traumas require a full trauma activation.
- Prepare for increased pediatric behavioral health and pediatric gun violence.
Next, in Ketamine Therapy for the Wounded Helper, Dr. Alexandra Jabr, Educator at Emergency Resilience, shared research and personal experiences with Ketamine as part of a holistic approach to PTSD. She presented evidence and distinguished medical versus recreational use, while addressing its limited FDA approval and credibility.
Taking aim at hospital-wide issues like overcrowding, burnout, and boarding in It’s Everyone’s Problem: The Ongoing Challenge of Patient Flow and Capacity Constraints, Lisa Meyer from ESO shared tactics hospitals are deploying to reduce adverse events and improve patient movement.
Configuring Your Trauma Registry for Successful Reporting and Performance Improvement featured Lee Ann Wurster, Trauma and Burn Program Manager at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, who detailed how intentional registry setup and onboarding helped maintain real-time abstraction and continuous reporting.
Stay ahead of what’s trending in the industry.
Our data experts at ESO compiled a few resources to help you keep up with a shifting industry while using aggregated data to ensure your organization stays at the top of its game. Check out the 2024 ESO Trauma Index to see where your organization stands against national benchmarks in important metrics.
It’s not too early to start thinking about Wave 2026!
Mark your calendars for April 7-10, 2026, to join us in Austin, TX, for four days of thought leadership, networking, and learning. If you’re interested in being the first to get the inside scoop on what data-driven advancements and technologies are trending industry-wide, mark your calendars and stay tuned to register.
