The Toggenburg ski patrol is 100% volunteer and works very hard to manage coverage of the hill throughout the season. This was a challenge to achieve, and operations made harder due to regular personnel changes. This made keeping up with paperwork a mountainous task, and keeping a high standard of the information even harder!
We used manual processes to check, double and triple check data to identify and fix omissions in our paper accident forms. We then used a separate system for transferring written information into a computerized database for reporting. Our antiquated method was not keeping up with our need for more accurate information while using less manpower.
This systemic lack of information challenged our ability to schedule manpower to the peak periods of demand. This key challenge is fundamental to our value to the business but the old process never gave us the visibility or the knowledge to roster appropriately.
Our patrollers range in age, occupation, and have varied levels of comfort when using a computer or smartphone. The switch to a mobile management system needed to be intuitive for our volunteer patrollers when entering data for an injured person and fulfill the patrol needs for reporting.
High on our list of ‘must have’ features was accuracy for required fields and instant reporting for trends during the season and at seasons end.
We also looked for the ability to track when we needed coverage for the most efficient scheduling of our volunteer patrol.
Roll out of Medic52 was relatively painless, but we took the time to get configuration just right for our operation through the trial and testing process. The Medic52 support team was quick to respond if any questions or concerns come up, with issues resolved promptly. We run a single computer in the patrol room for reporting, and an iPad tablet for data entry.
Our patrollers were quick to embrace the technology and we found that our error rate was reduced significantly in the first season due to the systems guidance for required fields and built in data checks.
We are now able to identify areas of peak demand, and injury trends and have built our schedule around this for next season.
Medic52 helps us deliver our commitment to the business and customers we serve, and fulfills our wishes! We look forward to working with this product well into the future.
Cindy Hoalcraft - Ski Patrol Director, ToggenburgWe chose to implement Medic52 due to its ability to be a fully hosted application with future mobility design concepts in mind. Form the initial discussions with the vendor and trials within our resort the season before, the solution proved easy to use and would have minimal impact on IT resourcing. The application can run on any web browser with access to the internet which means we can get very lightweight at Patrol Huts using mini PC’s keeping costs and support levels down. It has been a fantastic solution for us and we look forward to using this application well into the future.
Michael Fanning - IT Manager, Perisher, a Vail Resorts CompanyAs a full time medical professional of over 3 decades, I’ve worked with a variety of EMR (Electronic Medical Record) programs. Medic52 got it right the first time: the information is appropriate for on the hill / ski resort type situations one may encounter while practicing OEC (Outdoor Emergency Care) as a patroller. More importantly, they eliminated the cumbersome paperwork. With smartphone and tablet integration, we’re staying current with 21st century technology. Nice job!
Joseph M. Julian RN, BSN - Alpine Patroller - Toggenburg Mountain, Hospital Supervisor - Faxton St Lukes Healthcare / Mohawk Valley Health Systems