Rural EMS Counts FAQ

What is Rural EMS Counts?

The name of a project the North Dakota EMS Association has undertaken to empower improvement through the use of measures.  Rural EMS Counts is a play on words to both mean that rural EMS is important along with rural EMS using measures and numbers. 

What is a measure?

A measure is simply how often something happens. Still not sure what that means?  Let's look at a Rural EMS Counts example:

12 Lead Performed for Suspected Cardiac Chest Pain If you run the measure, you will get a percentage.  The percentage gives you how often your agency is performing 12-Lead ECG’s on patients with suspected cardiac chest pain, based on the provider’s primary or secondary impression.  If you get 75% and had 4 patients, that would mean 3 of 4 suspected cardiac chest pain patients received a 12-Lead. 

What are the Rural EMS Counts Measures?

This project focused on five areas: Vital Signs, Stroke, Cardiac, Pain and Safety.

These measures will tell you things like how often blood glucose is checked for stroke patients or if pulse, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and pulse ox were all documented for a patient.

What does an agency "participating" require of the agency?

Fill out a participation agreement, so we know about you.  Send to lnarloch@ndemsa.org.  Run each of the measures by logging into ESO and then clicking on Analytics > Repository Reports > North Dakota > Rural EMS Counts. If you have questions or concerns, reach out to the project manager, regional advisors or subject matter experts.

Why should my service participate?

1.  Participating could mean more consistent care from your agency. 

2.  Participating could mean a change in protocols.

3.  Participating could mean improving patient care.

4.  Participating will help the EMS Association show value in what we are doing.

How much time is participation going to require?

We expect the agency project leader could spend between 1-2 hours a month on running the measures and working on the project worksheet.  

I'm not the agency manager.  What can I do?

You could lead the project for the EMS agency.  You could offer to help your manager with the project.  You could advocate your EMS agency participate.  You can attend our townhalls.  You could submit a deidentified case for "Minutes with a Medical Director."  

My agency doesn't use ESO for our ePCR, can I still run the Rural EMS Counts Measures?

Every EMS agency that submits data to the state of North Dakota has access to ESO and the Rural EMS Counts Measures.  If you aren't sure who at your agency has access, email ESO support at support@eso.com with the following language:

"I am with ______ ambulance, a 3rd party participant in the ND Repository.  We need access to our account/tenant as we are unsure who currently has access and are unsure of login credentials."

I don't know how to login to ESO.

Email ESO Support at support@eso.com or you can fill out a form on their website at https://www.eso.com/support/ .