TUESDAY, AUGUST 7 - 8:45 A.M. – 10:00 A.M.

EMS – IT’S ABOUT THE MEDICINE, RIGHT? (AND WHY THAT’S A SERIOUS QUESTION IN THESE TIMES)

EDWARD M. RACHT, MD
Dr. Racht, Medical Director for the City of Austin/Travis County EMS System, is an engaging and knowledgeable EMS leader. His city is one of three selected by the new initiative
called Take Heart America to demonstrate how best practices in resuscitation, when used together in a systems-wide approach, can significantly improve the survival rate of sudden cardiac arrest. EMS evolved out of the recognition that it could make a clinical difference in prehospital sudden cardiac death and traumatic injury. This in turn has led to many system enhancements such as protocol-based dispatch, deployment, response time reliability, the chain of survival, and getting the right patient to the right help. But, are we keeping our eye on the science when we make system decisions about all patient types?

TUESDAY, AUGUST 7 - 10:30 A.M. – 11:45 A.M.

A NEW TAKE ON AN OLD DEBATE: DEMYSTIFYING THE “IDEAL SYSTEM”

Much debate exists about the “ideal system” model for EMS. These two leaders have differing perspectives on what works in EMS and why, but they also agree on critical key elements. What are the clinical and operational best practice standards for fire, private and not-for-profit systems and how can they be compared? Be prepared to enter the discussion with questions and comments based on your own experience.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 7 - 1:15 P.M. – 2:15 P.M.

ACTING LIKE A REAL “SYSTEM” – THE INTERSECTION OF CLINICAL RESEARCH AND EMS ORGANIZATIONAL PRACTICES
DAVID CARTER
Clinical research tells us the closest hospital isn’t good enough. A patient suffering a heart attack or a stroke needs to be sent to the specialty center that can provide the appropriate life saving interventions, such as the new cooling therapies being implemented in more advanced systems. Appropriate destination determination is a complicated issue and EMS is often caught in the middle. Learn how you can engage the community leaders, the medical experts, and your EMS system to foster consensus about what’s right for every patient.

PERFORMANCE METRICS, DASHBOARDS AND OTHER SUCCESS INDICATORS
DAVID HARRAWOOD
You wouldn’t want your medics managing a patient without knowing their vital signs, so why would you manage a system without knowing its vital indicators? Defining your organizational vital signs can save, or kill, patients. Less dramatic, but equally important, is understanding how your metrics are a key internal guidance system to measure your
success or failure.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 7 - 2:30 P.M. – 3:30 P.M.

SAFETY LAST – EMS MISSING THE MARK
BRIAN MAGUIRE, DR.PH
Walk around any office and you’ll likely find at least one EMS provider on light duty or several who “left the field after an injury.” EMS work is more dangerous than any of us imagine. Lost
work days, added costs, lost careers, and death are just some of the many negative results of not focusing on workplace safety. From one of the leading published researchers in this field of study, learn the truth about EMS safety and what actions you need to consider to protect your staff and your bottom line.

ADVANCED ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING IN ACTION FOR EMS LEADERS
DAVID M. WILLIAMS
Organizational effectiveness, efficacy and growth require leaders and teams to function at a high level, continually learn, and be conscious leaders. Most leaders aspire to or claim that
they are using a theory-in-use which involves decision making using valid data, informed choice, and rigorous monitoring of the implementation of solutions to detect and redirect misfires. Actual practice, however, is focused on achieving intended purpose at all costs, winning rather than losing, suppressing negative feelings, and behaving as you would think is rational. Learn how you can assess your organization's ability to learn in action and overcome roadblocks to change.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 7 - 3:45 P.M. – 5:00 P.M.

PROFESSIONAL EMPHASIS GROUPS (PEG)
PEG participation involves sharing your own experiences, in order to provide its greatest benefit — the application of the topics discussed when you return to your system. Please come fully prepared to discuss success stories, challenges, results, questions, and issues. Each PEG session, facilitated by expert faculty, will be summarized and posted. Access to on-going PEG discussion boards will be available exclusively to all Pinnacle attendees courtesy of CentreLearn Solutions.

• Geeks/Technology (Guillermo Fuentes, Frank Gresh)
• Women in EMS Leadership
(Christine Zalar, Patricia Dukes)
• Fire-based services (John Garitz, John Sinclair)
• Not-for-profit agencies (Andrew Rand, Mike Williams)
• Quality (David Harrawood, Mike Taigman)
• Safety (David Carter, Brian Maguire, Dr.PH)
• Fleet & Logistics (Terence Ramotar, Mark Postma)
• Third Service & Government Service Leaders
(Joe Penner, Ernesto Rodriguez)