Case Study: Ouachita County Medical Center achieves 50% reduction in STEMI door‑in/door‑out times with Pulsara

Arkansas’s Ouachita County Medical Center Cuts Door-In, Door-Out Times for STEMI Patients by 50% with Pulsara

Ouachita County Medical Center (OCMC), a 99‑bed nonprofit hospital in rural Camden, Arkansas, faced slow STEMI transfers that left patients waiting well beyond guideline targets — in 2017 their average door‑in, door‑out (DIDO) time was 72 minutes versus the recommended ≤30 minutes. To address this, OCMC joined a 2018 Department of Health pilot to implement Pulsara, a mobile healthcare communication platform that replaces multiple phone calls with a single patient channel and automated team notifications.

Using Pulsara to unite ED staff, EMS and PCI centers on one platform, OCMC cut average DIDO from 72 to 41 minutes shortly after rollout and to 36 minutes by mid‑2021 — an overall ~50% reduction in transfer time. Pulsara’s real‑time notifications and streamlined transfer workflow improved coordination with referral hospitals and EMS, accelerated team activation, and enabled OCMC to expand the platform’s use to other time‑sensitive conditions like trauma and sepsis.

Ouachita County Medical Center

Jennifer Ray

ICU Manager