Metro West Fire Protection District Case Study
Leveraging Data to Advance Patient Care
Executive summary
Metro West Fire Protection District wanted to make the incident data it already collected actionable: shareable across the organization, aligned with national standards, and useful for training personnel.
After putting ESO Electronic Health Record (EHR) and ESO Health Data Exchange (HDE) in place, those data turned into insights the district could act on. Metro West has since improved training and agency process, and delivered a better continuum of care to its community.
Quick stats
Professional EMS and fire services, using ESO EHR and ESO HDE.
Goals for implementing ESO
- Implement easy-to-use software with data analysis and reporting
- Analyze performance and improve patient care
- Share performance data with the team without friction
- Align the department with national standards
- Show the community the impact data have on improving care
Using actionable data to improve performance
EMS agencies and fire departments know they need data analysis woven into their processes. Done well, it improves performance, establishes benchmarks, and ultimately serves communities better through improved patient care and outcomes. Identifying which data to use is the harder part. Monitoring and improving performance takes quality data that can be filtered, analyzed, and turned into organizational change, along with tools that produce actionable data for the agency and its partners.
In 2016, that was the situation facing Brad Shelton, Deputy Chief Medical Officer at Metro West. “Initially, we wanted to move away from our current ePCR because it was difficult to run reports,” Shelton explains. A colleague at a nearby agency mentioned how well ESO had worked for them, and Shelton wanted to know more.
“Once I saw the product, I knew that was what I was looking for. The ability to send stuff to staff and say ‘Hey, look how well we’re doing!’ is phenomenal.”
Shelton’s background in teaching also shaped how he saw the reporting capabilities, as a way to create more learning opportunities for his team.
“You can use the data and analytics to inform how you approach training medics and developing your own best practices.”
Brad Shelton, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Metro West Fire Protection District
Streamlining the implementation process
Implementation went smoothly. To get everyone up to speed, Metro West brought the whole team to one location for shift training, then spent a month letting people work with dummy reports to get comfortable with the platform. That combination of hands-on practice and formal training built confidence ahead of the go-live date.
Shelton also saw the value in adding HDE alongside the ePCR. HDE is the ESO two-way data exchange that lets hospitals and EMS agencies share patient outcome data. Metro West started using it with Mercy Hospital St. Louis, and eight other fire departments in the district followed.
“It’s great because you can meet with all of the medical chiefs, review the data with the eight fire districts, compare and contrast reports, and see where improvements might need to be made.”
Brad Shelton, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Metro West Fire Protection District
Data in action
Through ESO, Shelton can compare Metro West performance data against national standards and meet the needs of the district hospital partner. “I’m really looking to compare and contrast us with the rest of our group and then I’ll apply a broader filter to see how we’re doing against the nation,” he notes. He uses that information to reinforce protocols and lift overall performance.
The district has also used the data to improve medic practice at the individual level. “We’re a little competitive and sometimes like to see how we do against others in our area. It keeps us on our toes,” Shelton adds.
What matters most is what it means for the community. “What you end up with is a better patient outcome. And that’s the key thing for me – can I, as an administrator, explain to the community that we’re using data and analytics to improve care?” Shelton acknowledges.
Going beyond the ePCR
Together, the actionable data from ESO EHR and HDE, plus the ability to relate performance metrics to national standards, have helped Metro West make a bigger difference in its community through better patient outcomes.
“Just running the ePCR is fine, you can get an ePCR anywhere, but to actually get one that works for improving patient care and improving the staff’s knowledge the right way, that’s where the rubber meets the road.”
Brad Shelton, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Metro West Fire Protection District
