Medulance Leveraging Technology to Take a Big Leap in EMS Sector

Established in 2017, Medulance is the brainchild of Mr. Pranav Bajaj & Mr. Ravjot Arora. The aim was to make ambulance services as accessible as finding food and taxis in the current scenario. As a leading emergency support provider, the company offers ambulance booking with an integrated tracking system to ensure first-point medical attention. To date, the company has assisted around 8,00,000+ lives with an approximate fleet of 5000+ ambulances available across 60 cities in India. In an exclusive interview with CXOToday says,  In the emergency healthcare sector, response time is one of the most crucial factors that saves lives and ensures better prognosis. With an aim to reduce the turnaround time for patients, we have built a robust tech-based infrastructure that employs new-age technologies for location mapping and tracking. We’ve continuously employed these technologies to provide patients with the best emergency response service.

1. How Medulance is leveraging technology to dissolve the gaps and reduce the turnaround time for patients

“In emergency response industry, the main gap that the organization is addressing is to make people aware of whom to call in times of medical emergency and the service they can call to avail the closest possible ambulance provider for help. The organization also focuses on more ambulances per pin code to ensure key metrics like response time. Medulance’s technology platforms are now built to connect customers with ambulance owners directly. Medulance is constantly working in the backend using technology to provide high-quality GPS-enabled ambulances at affordable prices within minutes to the needy,” says Pranav Bajaj, Director, Medulance, an Integrated Emergency Response Service Provider.

Medulance which started its operations in 2017 has been providing on-time ambulance services with a response time of 11 minutes in Delhi and catering to patients in over 40 cities in India, with a fleet of 5000+ ambulances.

“At Medulance, our key focus is to reduce the response time by integrating technology at the back end to make sure that help reaches at the right time and the right assistance is provided to the patient,” Bajaj added.

2. How the industry is leveraging new-age technology like blockchain, AI, ML, 5G, IoT, automation, etc. to disrupt business models across the value chain

The ongoing technological advancement is bringing a progressive shift in the healthcare industry. AI is being used widely by doctors and radiologists to assess the patient’s medical parameters and analyze potential risks. While reducing the cost of healthcare delivery, this new-age technology is also addressing regulatory, security, and privacy concerns in the healthcare industry. According to NASSCOM, AI will be essential for prompt pandemic breakout prediction, remote diagnosis, and optimal health resource allocation in the post-COVID age. Even in the pharmaceutical industry, nanomedicine and AI-ML solutions help develop precision medicines. In fact,  reports suggest that data and AI have the potential to add $450-$500 billion to India’s GDP by 2025, with a considerable contribution of $25-$30 billion coming from the healthcare industry.

Using new technologies like blockchain, AI, ML, IoT, 5G, and automation can assist governments in managing epidemics better, allocating resources more effectively, designing interventions, providing more precise-targeted care, and addressing human-resource issues. India has already started employing new-age technology to bolster the healthcare ecosystem, with a National AI strategy in the works.

In the health insurance segment, data-based solutions can help in making accurate assessments. While helping in making informed decisions, electronic health records and AI-based analytics enables effective and efficient claim processing. Another technology that is gaining traction in the market is IoT-based wearables. They can analyze real-time data and provide better access to patients’ history through the cloud. Growing rapidly, it will facilitate self-diagnosis, treatment tracking, and even help in post-treatment care.

3. How the role of EMS in the overall healthcare landscape is changing. What do you think is the minimum technology standard for EMS agencies right now?

Our country’s healthcare system is undergoing a transition from a fee-for-service delivery model to a patient-centered, value-based, and outcomes-based model. Herein, the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is positioned uniquely to support the transformation while achieving the Institute of Healthcare Improvement’s (IHI) triple aim of enhancing the patient experience of care, including quality and satisfaction, enhancing population health, and lowering the per capita cost of healthcare.

Essentially, the EMS provides timely prehospital care for all emergencies, including hazards like fire, floods, earthquakes, etc. Currently, the norms require EMS agencies to have a robust communication system to ensure the least response time. Additionally, ambulances transferring the patients to hospitals, managed by the call center, should be linked in real-time via an information system employing many modes and channels of communication which helps ensure seamless transfer of the patients.

4. When purchasing a technology solution for the back of the ambulance, what are key things one should keep in mind? Should agencies focus more on Interconnectivity and communication?

When procuring tech-enabled solutions, emergency service providers should always ensure that it is efficient and sustainable. It should support the existing operations and reduce response time while improving prehospital care. On the other hand, one should always keep the weight, energy consumption, and equipment’s power source when buying special medical devices.

In the emergency response sector, interconnectivity and communication are crucial. At Medulance, we have mobile applications for all our stakeholders – drivers, emergency centers, paramedics, and back-end operators – to assure no  lapse and  that no time is wasted during the relay of information. In a medical emergency, every second counts. Our app, MeduTech, provides users with customized dashboards where patient information, ambulance request, and dispatch are recorded in real-time for monitoring and assistance purposes. If needed, the information recorded is shared with the  hospitals to help  prepare for the incoming patient.  Interconnectivity is the core to saving lives, providing on-time treatments, and minimizing health complications when a medical emergency strikes.

5. Medulance works on a call service model to not alter the customer behavior, which is generally to call for help and not look out for an app on the phone and book an ambulance. Is it contributing to reducing the turnaround time and allocating the right ambulance for a particular situation, or like Uber and Ola, it should be an application?

People feel more comfortable calling a helpline number than using a mobile application at the time of an emergency. It is the voice of trust that matters the most. By speaking with the patient or the attendant, we understand the patient’s condition better. As a result, we can dispatch the ambulance immediately and provide the necessary aid.

All our first-line responders are trained in first aid and the voice call also helps us assist the patient and provide any necessary First-Aid communication on the call itself. In some cases, these first-line respondents stay on the call from the pickup of the patient till the time that the patient has secured a bed at the hospital. It ensures that the patients are able to receive proper medical attention and any other assistance while on their way to the hospital.

In an emergency, most people prefer to call a helpline number, applications are an efficient medium for additional healthcare services like telemedicine, diagnostics, and e-pharmacy. It allows patients to order or book an appointment at their convenience.

6. Technology that Medulance is looking forward to for immediate implementation or which could be used for pre-hospital practices by paramedics with ambulances

In the coming years, we intend to integrate real-time monitoring of bed data as this will allow us to accelerate our response time and also assist in better treatment. Also, the record of patients’ health, past health issues, treatments, and insurance in one place can be beneficial in many ways and can help provide patient with timely treatment in times of need.

Additionally, we are looking forward to onboarding more local vendors and integrating our in-house technology MeduTech, to ensure the wide availability and accessibility of hi-tech interconnected ambulances across the country.

7, Why do you think there is a dire need for emergency service providers to invest in networking in ambulance and emergency services?

One of the biggest challenges that the emergency service sector faces is the high number of unanswered calls and the unavailability of ambulances. A robust network is essential to resolve these issues and strengthen the paramedical infrastructure of the nation.

Primarily, networking will bridge the gap between different stakeholders. It will make sure that the patient receives a quality immediate response and assistance in the shortest time possible.

Medulance not only integrates more ambulances into the existing network, but also provides and uplifts the existing infrastructure by integrating technology at the back end. With multiple applications for various stakeholders in the pipeline such as drivers and Paramedics along with a comprehensive dashboard at the back end, continuous monitoring is done and these applications also help bring all stakeholders together in the same pipeline to facilitate seamless transfer of the patient.

8. How integrated electronic patient records could help paramedics at large in handling emergency cases?

Integrated electronic records are easy to share regardless of the location of the patient or the healthcare provider or doctor. Timely access to past and present patient records will help healthcare providers customize and provide better prehospital care, even during the process of  transportation. Furthermore, the health vitals of patients recorded during the transportation can be shared with the hospital beforehand to help the doctors prepare better for the incoming emergency case.

9. How Medulance is strategizing and planning to access the remote corners of the country to provide its help to the people living in the outskirts of the country?

Currently, we have a strong presence in 60 cities across India, and we aim to expand to over 100 cities by FY 2023. For client locations and units in remote areas, we have also started building tie-ups with nearby hospitals where patients can be taken in times of emergency. We also set up In-ouse medical rooms and mini-clinics at remote locations of the client, so that the employee can get the first point of medical attention in no time.

In remote locations, we also plan to forge partnerships with primary health care (PHC), community health care (CHC), hospitals, public safety authorities, and NGOs. By analyzing past data on medical emergencies, we are charting the best plans to serve these areas as per the requirement. We have also developed a detailed database of local vendors in specific locations in the country to ensure the timely availability of ambulances when needed.

10. So far, how has technology strengthened Medulance, and if the history of covid waves repeats itself, will Medulance be able to cater its services with even more efficacy? (As during this time, ambulances have played an instrumental role in saving the lives of people when they were denied admission due to unavailability of hospital beds and care)

Medulance is prepared.  We are constantly strengthening our operational infrastructure to provide the best-in-class emergency response. We have expanded our ambulance fleet and presence in more cities. Furthermore, we have on-boarded and trained more nurses and paramedics to cope with the supply demand gap.

Additionally, we have also taken measures to bolster our technical infrastructure. Using MeduTech to integrate various stakeholders makes the transfer process seamless. Given the importance of reduced turn-around time, we have ambulances stationed at hotspots of the city to ensure that the nearest ambulance can be dispatched to the patient’s location.

In medical emergencies, every minute counts. Life saving assistance is to be given to the patient even during the transfer to the hospital. We also equip ambulances with enough essential medicines and medical equipment to ensure that the patients receive care even during hospital wait times or long distance transport. While adopting new-age solutions for our ambulances,  equip them with the ready availability of oxygen cylinders, concentrators, and ventilators.

11. Has Medulance any systemic approach for different emergencies now, be it RTIs, heart failures, etc.?

At Medulance, we follow a regulatory approach for different health emergencies. Since emergency medical services (EMS) responders are the initial health care providers, they are certified medical professionals trained to respond instantly and accurately to time-sensitive medical emergencies such as heart failures, respiratory infections etc.

Simultaneously, our tech-enabled communication system enables all the stakeholders to respond directly and coordinate with the patient and reach the location in the shortest time. Our integration with what3words allows our workforce to track the patient’s location with accuracy upto 3 meters square. Also, our association with e-RaktKosh qualifies them to search for the nearest blood bank with the required blood type by scanning the QR codes present in the ambulances. Over the past few years, we have been able to reduce the response time in a densely populated city like Delhi from 30 minutes to 11 minutes.

Also, as I mentioned earlier, our ambulances are equipped with necessary medical equipments like ventilators, oxygen cylinders, etc. This helps our paramedics apply crisis standards of care (CSC) when the patient is being transferred to the nearest medical facility or hospital for treatment. While we have a range of medical crisis management practices in place, we are continually equipping our infrastructure with advanced methodologies to cater to critical patients.