Paramedics get a high-tech boost

EVERETT — For the first time in Snohomish County, some paramedics are using computers to record patient information.

Snohomish County Fire District 1 is the first emergency medical service provider in the county to start using electronic medical records, officials said.

By tracking patient information and data from aid calls using a computer, the district hopes to improve care and increase efficiency, Capt. John Magee said.

Other fire districts around the county likely will adopt the electronic records in the next few years, said Dr. Ron Brown, medical program director for Snohomish County EMS.

“It’s a matter of when,” he said.

Everett Fire Department and Fire District 7 are considering electronic records, Brown said.

Most hospitals and many doctors now are using computers to track patient data.

Using tablet computers, paramedics and emergency medical technicians will track data by filling out forms instead of writing things down, Magee said.

The information is uploaded to a secure, Web-based server that complies with federal privacy requirements. This makes it easier for managers to track records and ensure comprehensive reports are taken, he said.

“It was prohibitive cost-wise, in manpower hours, to do any kind of studies,” Magee said. “It’s virtually impossible to go through all those records by hand.”

The fire district currently send hospitals the patient record by fax, he said. They’re working with local hospitals to be able to transfer the information electronically.

The fire district started using the new computers and software in November, said Leslie Hynes, a district spokeswoman.

The system cost about $150,000 to set up. It costs $2.50 for each time a paramedic completes a report, Magee said.

Fire District 1 responds to about 10,000 emergency aid calls each year, which make up about 80 percent of the calls 911 dispatchers send them on, he said.

Reporter Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437 or jholtz@heraldnet.com.