Computers Being Used To Improve Ambulance Response Times
MARLTON, NJ (CBS) -- A South Jersey based health care provider is using computer technology to improve response times for Emergency Medical Service teams in Camden and Burlington Counties.
Virtua Health has used the new system since January, in which its 13 mobile ICU units are dispatched to locations before a call comes in. Assistant Vice President of Emergency Services Scott Kasper says the use of predictive analytics is more than just an educated guess.
"That essentially uses several years worth of historic data to predict when and where the next EMS call is going to happen in the future," Kasper told KYW Newsradio.
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The idea is to get to a patient faster when seconds really count. Computers produce maps not unlike what you might see on a TV weather report, they can change that rapidly. Real time traffic data is also incorporated to get around potential problem spots.
"We may ask a unit to go to a particular intersection in a community and find a place to park because the predictive model indicates that there may be a call there in the next few minutes," Kasper added. "And what we've been finding is the predictive modeling is extremely accurate."
Although he's not ready to produce any numbers just yet. The program supplied by a Colorado firm has only been fully operational for less than 3 months.
Edison and Jersey City also use the system, but Kasper says Virtua is the first in South Jersey to purchase the program.
