1. Network | Expertise | APPLICATIONS | Service
M A K I N G B U S I N E S S R U N B E T T E R
Company:
American Medical
Response, Richmond, VA
Industry:
Healthcare, Government,
Emergency Services
Challenges:
Contractual compliance:•
Improve response times
and level of patient care.
Expandable solution:•
Enable future growth
without costly
hardware upgrades.
Solutions:
Save time through•
real-time vehicle
location and mapping.
Closest, best-equipped•
unit can reach the scene
for better patient care.
A total solution that can•
accommodate future
applications and reduce
upgrade costs.
VPN security from•
dispatch to vehicle
and back.
At AMR, success is measured
in seconds.
As part of the ambulance company
contracted by Richmond, Virginia, AMR’s
paramedics are under pressure to respond
quickly and effectively in emergencies.
Not only do wasted seconds jeopardize
patients’ health, but they also translate
into increased costs for AMR.
With 35 units, and 100,000–125,000
transports a year to manage, it was
crucial that AMR find the most effective
way for paramedics and dispatchers to
communicate today—while minimizing
exposure to time and money expenditures
as the solutions grow. Not only was it in
the best interest of AMR’s operations to
reduce response times, but it was also in
the best interest of the public they served.
Getting the best vehicle to the
right place was a challenge.
Before implementing a Wireless WAN
solution, AMR’s dispatchers would have
to survey vehicles by radio to locate the
nearest vehicle to answer an emergency
call. It often took 30–45 seconds to
assign the call, and then as long as a
minute for the driver to consult a paper
map to determine the best route.
AMR’s contract with the city of Richmond
stipulates response times of under 9
minutes 90% of the time. Taking one to
two minutes just to get the call started
significantly reduces the time available for
the drive itself. Not meeting contracted
performance parameters means incurring
penalties, some assessed on a per-minute,
per-call basis.
Not only was it difficult to serve the
patients with optimum speed, but the unit
hours of utilization, associated costs and
resulting penalties increased.
“We knew it was important to wirelessly
enable the dispatch system. We already
had a good relationship with AT&T, so
we explained what we needed, and they
came to us with a complete Wireless WAN
solution—not just a one-off answer to a
single problem,” said Carey Driver, Senior
Systems Administrator.
The AT&T team was familiar with
AMR’s operations. They knew that the
emergency responder needed to find a
solution that would not only solve the
immediate need for an Automated Vehicle
Locator (AVL) system, but allow them to
add applications in the future as their
needs grew, without necessitating costly
new hardware installations, and lengthy
vehicle downtime.
“Every time we take a vehicle off
the road to install equipment, we
lose valuable capacity to respond to
emergencies,” stated Jeff Taylor, Director
of Communications.
The broadest and deepest portfolio
of wireless business solutions.
APPLICATIONS
Case Study
American Medical Response, Richmond, VA
2. M A K I N G B U S I N E S S R U N B E T T E R
“AT&T brought us a solution.
They let us try it out and we
quickly realized it was the
perfect answer.”
Jeff Taylor
Director of Communications
American Medical Response,
Richmond, VA
AMR’s Wireless WAN solution
from AT&T helps shave valuable
seconds off response times.
Now the paramedics in the dispatch
center determine the precise location
of every unit in real time. Dispatchers
know which vehicle is closest and best
equipped to respond to a particular
incident, so that when a call comes in,
assigning a vehicle in real time can save
as much as 45 seconds.
Dispatch contacts the driver of the
assigned vehicle and sends routing and
mapping information over the AT&T
network where it is displayed for the
paramedic’s reference—saving up to a
minute compared to referring to a paper
map. Within seconds, the vehicle (with
the necessary equipment on board)
can be on its way to the scene of the
emergency via the most efficient route.
As Jeff Taylor said, “AT&T’s WAN
solution allows us to be scientific
about improving our response time
and routing.” With the benefit of real-
time information, emergency services
organizations can more easily optimize
response and operations.
AT&T was able to identify
a solution to meet AMR’s
needs, and brought together
the appropriate resources to
implement it.
AT&T and InMotion Technology delivered
the solution. InMotion’s mobile router, the
OMG1000, communicates over the AT&T
wide-area wireless network. The OMG1000
therefore not only provides support for
AT&T’s available PC Card modems, GPS
and onboard applications storage, but also
enables surrounding ambulance personnel
with WiFi-enabled laptops to connect
to the OMG1000 and establish critical
connectivity via the AT&T network. It was
the ideal answer to AMR’s problem. Its
flexibility makes it easier and more cost-
effective to upgrade technology and to
add more complex applications over time.
By working with premier technology
providers like InMotion, AT&T’s experts
have the knowledge and access to
resources required to develop complex
wireless solutions across a wide variety of
businesses and industries. By combining
AT&T’s wireless network, InMotion’s
OMG1000 wireless router, and adding
Bradshaw Consulting Services’ Marvelis™
Vehicle location/mapping software suite,
AT&T’s wireless data solutions team
has provided AMR of Richmond a cost-
efficient solution.
“Our partnership with AT&T has
always been there. We trust
them for innovative thinking
and superior customer service.”
Todd Anderson
East Region
IS Project Manager
American Medical Response,
Richmond, VA
