USING SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (SMS) TO CHANGE CULTURE AND BEHAVIORS

TUESDAY, JULY 27   |    8:00 A.M. - 11:45 A.M.

Emergency medical services is a risky business. Vehicle crashes, lifting and moving injuries, hazardous scenes, stretcher drops, falls and other safety issues abound. Air medical safety has drawn scrutiny from many quarters after several high-profile crashes, yet ground ambulance crashes continue to mount but don’t get nearly the attention. In this environment safety is more than a headline, it’s a leadership imperative.

Many services deal with individual aspects of this challenge, but few have a comprehensive strategy for improving their safety record. Safety Management Systems (SMS) provide a proven blueprint for managing safety risks. It has been successfully adopted by rail, trucking, maritime and aviation industries. This session will show how SMS can be applied to EMS, both ground and air. You’ll learn:

• How to assess your own agency’s safety culture
• How to apply the four cornerstones of SMS: effective policies; risk management; assurance and auditing; promotion and awareness
• How team communication strategies and standardized checklists (originating in aviation and widely used in healthcare) can make safety more reliable
• Where to look for gaps in your approach to safety and how to bring together seemingly unrelated processes into one integrated system
• Take-home resources for a SMS toolkit

If SMS is implemented correctly, safety becomes embedded in the culture of an organization and becomes second nature in terms of how people go about their work. Your faculty are internationally recognized for their experience and commitment to this most pressing challenge.

Only $125 if you register before June 11 (a savings of $50).

LEADING AND MANAGING YOUR CORE SERVICE—THE MEDICINE

TUESDAY, JULY 27   |    8:00 A.M. - 11:45 A.M.

The majority of EMS systems devote a significant amount of their time working to get the right ambulance to each call. Meanwhile, dedicated leaders work diligently to keep staffing numbers up, ambulances in service and response time performance reliable. But when it comes to addressing the reason people call for help in the first place—the medicine—leaders often assume that patient care is just fine, or they relegate a skeleton clinical staff in a back room to monitor it. Imagine if the medicine was a priority that was fully integrated into operations of an EMS agency. What would that look like? Don’t miss three innovative and highly regarded medical directors as they articulate their vision for such a service. By the end of this eye-opening seminar, you’ll know:

• The essential considerations for managing and leading clinical care delivery
• How to evaluate various patient populations and prioritize cases that deserve attention
• How to blend operational and clinical priorities
• Ways to use data and research to improve clinical performance
• Strategies for keeping everyone’s focus on the medicine

Only $125 if you register before June 11 (a savings of $50).

BUSINESS-SAVVY CONSIDERATIONS FOR TECHNOLOGY IMPROVEMENTS

TUESDAY, JULY 27   |    8:00 A.M. - 11:45 A.M.

You’d sooner give up your pet than your PDA. You’re eagerly awaiting the arrival of your new Apple iPad. Your home theater system puts the local Cineplex to shame. But does that mean you know how to make the best tech decisions for your agency?

CAD systems, computer networks and servers, software platforms, and medical device data integration systems are just a few of the many critical considerations for today’s EMS executive. Making the right choice about what to buy (and your approach to doing it) can mean the difference between restful nights, cost savings, and efficient and productive operations. The wrong decision can be a disruptive blunder.

This valuable seminar brings together a purchaser, a technology expert and a finance director to help you demystify the process of assessing your needs, evaluating the options, procuring the best vendor and making technology choices with confidence. You’ll learn:

• How to assess your organization’s true needs before you buy
• Core considerations for technology integration and sustainability
• How to find the balance between end users, your IT department and your needs for information that helps you run the department
• Strategies to involve all staff stakeholders in the process–without losing focus
• Tips on preparing specifications that ensure you get what you need without restricting vendors from proposing the best solutions
• How to use a valuable template for conducting a cost/benefit analysis
• Diverse ways to finance technology in a tough economic environment

Only $125 if you register before June 11 (a savings of $50).

PINNACLE INSIGHTS 2010: THINKING ABOUT SAFETY FROM A NEW PERSPECTIVE

TUESDAY, JULY 27   |    1:00 P.M. - 4:45 P.M.

Is there a way to improve patient and crew safety for both ground and air EMS? This special session—meant to complement the morning workshop on safety management systems—will present fresh ideas, research and statistics about the state of EMS safety, including lessons learned from UPS, FedEx and the airline industry. Then we’ll roll up our sleeves and get to work, using group discussion and case studies to identify potential solutions and how to move them forward. Together with colleagues and faculty, you’ll work on such topics as:

• How system design and response priorities impact safety
• Ways to reduce crashes
• How to create a safe workplace in the patient compartment
• Strategies for reducing medication errors
• Training and equipment to reduce injuries
• How wellness, fitness and hiring practices affect safety
• How to address sleep deprivation and the politics of shift schedules
• Employee motivation, training and PPE

You’ll leave this session with ideas and best practice implementation strategies that can be scaled to any size EMS organization.

This session is supported in part by American Medical Response, the Association for Critical Care Transport and Road Safety International. Provided at no charge to all registrants.

SPECIAL BONUS WORKSHOP: SHARING AND SHAPING YOUR LIFE IN AN EMS WORLD

TUESDAY, JULY 27   |    1:00 P.M. - 4:45 P.M.

Let’s face it—EMS can be hard on personal relationships. Your EMS extended family knows what you face each and every day. But your other family—your loved ones—often do not, and they can end up paying the price for your career choice.

This special seminar will show you how you and your spouse or partner can bring balance and harmony to your life. Dr. Nelson has an incredible gift to inspire and encourage others. By connecting the insights of Appreciative Inquiry, Emotional Intelligence and Positive Psychology, he will provide clear truths and resources for living fully. Don’t settle for just surviving or getting by—learn simple skills and tools to take home and enable your relationship to flourish. You’ll discover:

• Enhanced skills for listening and speaking clearly with your mate
• How to create a safe and intimate space with your mate
• Ways to bring more of what you want into your life and relationships

This program is designed for either couples or individuals who want insight into creating more fulfilling relationships. We especially encourage significant others to attend while their partner is attending another session. You’ll also have a special opportunity to get to know other spouses/partners and receive additional information about optional tours of San Diego venues during the remainder of the week.

Only $125 if you register before June 11 (a savings of $50).

LEADING A MODERN HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATION

TUESDAY, JULY 27   |   5:00 P.M. - 6:30 P.M.

No one said leading a healthcare organization is easy. It’s not. In 2002 Paul Levy took the helm of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston, Mass., one of the largest hospitals in New England and a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. BIDMC was struggling on the brink of bankruptcy following a merger of two hospitals in the 1990s and was losing the confidence of community leaders, donors, patients and providers. Mr. Levy led his organization through dramatic changes that have transformed the hospital and resulted in it earning some of the most sought after honors and prestigious awards. Learn from their journey.

In addition to being an exceptional healthcare leader, Mr. Levy is also known for his ability to use social networking tools to communicate his message, with his blog “Running a Hospital” and his presence on Twitter and Facebook.

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