What should followers expect from their leaders? The opportunities to lead the troops through life and death situations are few and far between. Leading people during the lifetimes is the true essence of leadership and involves a commitment to people at all times. This session will explore the responsibility of leading people for life.

Medical Computers and Patient Privacy, I’m HIPPA - Paul Clarke

HIPPA, you have heard the myths but what are the realities? How will HIPPA Privacy Standards impact EMS Systems? What are the recommend approaches to meet the standards. Get the answers to these questions and other HIPPA secrets from someone who deals with HIPPA standards and patient privacy everyday.

Supervisory Secrets for Success - Jeff Dyar, NREMT-P, BS

There are a few traits that determine the success of managers. This session will identify four traits that followers expect from their leaders and how to implement them into a manager’s style. As an added value to this presentation, Jeff will reveal the Secret to the Meaning of Life.

20 Something Meets 40 Something - Jeff Dyar, NREMT-P, BS

" I can’t believe these new recruits" laments the Supervisor, "We just can’t get anyone that cares or has any values!" This session explores the motivations and capabilities of the new workforce that is populating emergency service. Values of the groups will be contrasted with some surprising outcomes.

Mississippi EMS System Collection Project - Jim Craig

Mississippi State Department of Health, Division of Emergency Medical Services has designed and implemented statewide a new client/server patient encounter system, MEMSIS, Mississippi Emergency Medical Services Information System was purchased by the state and deployed to all EMS services free of charge. MEMSIS integrates to the Division’s credentialing and inspection systems of creating a completely contained state EMS data system. The statewide Trauma Registry, Traumatic Brain Injury and Spinal Cord Registries all provide data for analysis to MEMSIS. No longer do we just count how many times we do thing, we actually can perform epidemiological evaluations of the data to see why we do things and what more we should be doing. This program will show how MEMSIS works, what it does for the state of Mississippi, how it meets the intentions of HIPAA and why it has won so many awards.

The Web Is Dead….Right? After the Internet Hype…Is There Any Life Left In E-Business for EMS - Colleen Hayes, MBA, RN, EMT-P;  Lt. Philip L. Hayes, CIO, FF, EMT

Internet stocks have undergone their "correction," many trailblazing companies have closed their doors, the promise of a "new economy" seems shattered...giving way to the same old traditional business models again. The web is dead...right? Despite all the doom and gloom about the Web, there are still significant gains to be made in using web-based technology, applications and services. This program will look at how the internet can help the struggling EMS industry operate better, faster and cheaper in its general business practices, information management, learning needs, quality assurance and organizational communications. We'll examine a case study of a typical EMS service, look at costs, operating procedures and the return-on-investment opportunities that exist using simple and cost-effective web-based applications. Think you're a tiny service and there is nothing for you to gain or that you can't afford technology improvements? We bet after this program you'll think again!

Field Data Collection - Is there an answer? - John Zuschlag, EMT-P

Does your head spin every time you think about computerizing your run report system. Ever wish you could benchmark the process with somebody who’s already dealt with hardware interface and lost reports? Travel with John Zuschlag as he reviews Acadian Ambulance Service's attempts to collect documentation/run report information. From the field to paper to computer to call center John will provide you with the lessons he learned during Acadian Ambulances Services journey through the world of computerization.

"Sorry We Can’t Take That Patient…We’re On Diversion" Solving The Problem of Ambulance Diversions - Colleen Hayes, MBA, RN, EMT-P

"Sorry, we can't take that patient we're on diversion!" It's the phrase that's becoming all too common to hear across the United States- and even in other countries! This particular phrase causes significant tension and stress for EMS providers and in some places EMS providers even have to shop around to find a hospital that will accept their patient! The tension we feel on the street is felt just as much in the hospitals where our EMS doctor and nurse colleagues are working hard to try to clear the overcrowding and ED gridlock. Everyone that is touched by ED overcrowding and ambulance diversions is angry and frustrated. What is causing this crisis and what can we do about it? This discussion will focus on putting the scope of this problem into proper perspective, discuss the role of EMTALA, then we'll examine case studies of Ambulance Diversions. The case studies will examine "best practices" solutions and how to implement collaborative methods to work out sensible solutions between the hospital, EMS service, and communications centers.

The Next-Generation of EMS Patient Care Guideline Development - Colleen Hayes, MBA, RN, EMT-P

How do you presently research, develop and propose changes to your clinical or operational guidelines? Here’s a refreshing revelation: After years of being on the sidelines, EMS providers now want to actively participate with medical control and collaborate with other medical disciplines to develop evidence-based patient care guidelines. Outdated clinical practices and EMS protocols based on belief rather than scientific evidence and those developed in a top-down managerial style are out! What’s in? Developing changes in clinical and operational EMS practices through collaboration between field personnel, physicians, and management. Learn how to put together a "Clinical & Operational Guideline" (COG) Team. COG Teams use the FOCUS-PDA method and are charged with actively seeking out problems, areas for improvement and are an active part of engineering solutions, implementing them, evaluating outcome and promoting lasting change. We’ll also review how to keep your COG team effective, on schedule and motivated!

WebView: Open a New World - Rich Pertgen, EMT-P

How many times a day does your billing department call the communications center just to ask questions like, how many miles was this trip or what time did they get to the patient? Webview allows billing and administrative personnel to access CAD data in real time without the fear of corrupting the call information or accidentally dispatching that call that was run last year. Imagine a technology enhancement that can help improve your system without creating collateral damage. Is real or just wishful thinking?

If you can’t afford a professional web designer or programmer to develop your site and you plan on doing it yourself remember this: A bad web site does more harm than not having a web site at all! The web has matured to the point that when your target audience or your customers come to your web site they will expect to find a professionally designed site, complimentary graphics, sensible navigation, meaningful content and well-communicated messages. Did you know that having a bad web site instantly damages how you or your organization are perceived on a professional level, trust level, and competence level? Come to this 3 hour workshop and learn the results of a study done by the speakers comparing "excellent and bad" web sites and how they are really perceived by their target audience. Next, we’ll review common informational and functional reasons for web site development and reveal a sneak-peek at what’s in store for the next-generation of EMS web sites. Then, we’ll highlight the key "how-to" of excellent web design, show you the best way to communicate through graphics and text, and discuss and identify the best technology tools that are available to non-programmers.