San Diego Beacon Cites Success In Linking Paramedics To Hospital EMRs

Doctors can evaluate patients even before they arrive

Paramedics can transmit EKGs ahead to cardiologists, who can marshal resources for the patient even before the ambulance arrives, thanks to technology from the San Diego Beacon Health Information Exchange.

These patients typically are rushed into surgery for catheterization, though at some facilities the rate of false positives was as high as 30 percent. The new technology has brought that rate down to zero, reports Healthbiz Decoded.

"Our main goals for the Beacon project were improving cardiovascular care in the acute care phase, creating an Emergency Medical Services hub which translates the electronic version of the patient care record from paramedics that can be imported into any EMR in any hospital," said Dr. Jim Killeen of the University of California San Diego and a technical lead of the Beacon project.