HJAR Jan/Feb 2022

16 JAN / FEB 2022 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS   What prompted the idea to use paramedics in the ED? As we began to evaluate ways to grow our specialized emergency department team outside of physicians and nurses, we determined the addition of paramedics was a great way to improve throughput and pro- ductivity by using their specific skillset to assist with procedures and tasks. The para- medics in our ED also add to the collabora- tion and communication with ambulance units and the ED. Was it COVID-related or in the works before the pandemic? The discussions were in the works prior to the pandemic. Having paramedics in the ED has been extremely valuable since the pandemic as we have seen the acuity of ED patients increase. Was it primarily to address a shortage of nurses, or were there particular skillsets and experiences you were seeking from the medics? Although the national nursing shortage is being felt more than ever before, we chose to bring paramedics to the ED for their par- ticular skillsets and to grow our ED team. Having paramedics as part of our multi- disciplinary team to assist with tasks and procedures during high volume, high acuity times in our ED has proven to be invaluable. Currently, paramedics in our ED are not necessarily assigned to a particular patient, but rather assigned to float and assist the clinical team with tasks in managing mul- tiple patients. Had you seen it modeled else- where? Our ED director collaborated with col- leagues in the Emergency Nurses Associa- tion and locally at bothArkansas Children’s and UAMS for guidance with their use of paramedics in the ED. How did you get started? Our ED leadership team had previously utilized paramedics in the ED. They, along with administration, recognized the impor- tance of adding this role to the ED and the benefit that it could bring to the hospital and patients. When did the program start? We hired our first paramedic in January 2021. Birch G. Wright, MPA Chief Operating Officer and Administrator Washington Regional Birch G. Wright, MPA, chief operating officer (COO) and hospital administrator, joined Washington Regional in 2020. Since 2018, Wright had served as associate medical director and COO of the Veterans Healthcare System of the Ozarks. He previously held various leadership roles within the VA healthcare system, including business and financial operations director and chief financial officer. Wright earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a minor in social work from the University of Arkansas in 1998 and a Master of Public Administration with an emphasis in healthcare administration from the University of Arkansas in 2001. Q & A