Case Study: Des Moines EMS reduces time-to-treatment with Pulsara

How EMS and hospital teams in Des Moines worked together to create a regional system of care

Des Moines EMS, serving nine central Iowa counties, faced fragmented, time-consuming coordination with regional hospitals for time-sensitive emergencies like stroke and heart attack, relying on legacy phone calls and multiple alerts. To address this, the Central Iowa EMS Director’s Association sought a digital solution and partnered with Pulsara to streamline prehospital-to-hospital communication.

Pulsara deployed its mobile app across about 30 EMS services and all metro hospital systems (implementation began November 2017), enabling secure, GPS-enabled transmission of patient info, images, ECGs, and ETAs from the field. The Pulsara solution improved communication and reduced treatment times—Mercy Medical Center’s door-to-CT time fell 21% (14 to 11 minutes) and door-to-lab time fell 13% (38 to 33 minutes)—and a UnityPoint case achieved door-to-CT <5 minutes, door-to-lab 17 minutes, and door-to-tPA 22 minutes, prompting wider regional adoption.

Des Moines EMS