Four Compelling Automated External Defibrillator Management Must-Haves

-By Micah Bongberg Google+ | @annuvia

SAN FRANSISCO, CA – It is well-documented that Arch offers Automated External Defibrillator (also frequently called Automatic External Defibrillator) owners new, innovative software-based tools to manage their AED units and keep them in compliance with local and state laws. But how, specifically, does Arch do this for AED owners across the nation and how is Arch different than other AED management programs?

Managing an AED is easy, but in order to receive necessary Good Samaritan protections, management must be done correctly. Arch uses advanced technology to remove many of the routine, albeit mandatory, administrative responsibilities required of AED owners. By removing these restrictions from the day-to-day responsibilities of office managers, facilities managers, environmental health and safety personnel, and others tasked with keeping large AED programs in compliance with state laws, Arch encourages greater AED deployment from a broader cross-section of businesses in communities across the United States.

Annuvia has assembled the following four characteristics that make managing an Automated External Defibrillator program easier than ever before:

1. Medical Direction from a Team of Leading Physicians
   Arch as teamed with leading emergency room physicians, cardiologists, electrophysiologists, and others to provide AED unit medical control. Rather than having just one physician responsible for the entire country’s program, Arch offers the support of representatives from the entire medical community. Arch’s Medical Directors are responsible for writing AED unit prescriptions, reviewing clients’ policies and procedures manuals and, importantly, reviewing post-event AED use reports to ensure proper protocols were followed and, if necessary, offer suggestions to improve the chain of survival at each client’s location.
2. Integrated E-commerce
   Arch is the first and only AED Medical Direction and Oversight program to integrate important AED information, such as readiness checks, equipment monitoring, and AED expiration dates with an “Amazon.com”-like e-commerce store to place new orders easily and efficiently, before products expire. The availability of Arch’s online store gives AED owners the ability to purchase replacement supplies and re-order expired AED pads and batteries while they’re conducting regular, monthly equipment checks.
3. AED Unit Product Recommendations.
   For AED owners that have opted in to view Arch’s store, Arch uses a patent-pending technology to cross-reference their account details in order to determine near-term needs, if applicable. For instance, if an AED user has a Physio Control CRPlus AED with a ChargePak that is set to expire in twenty days and a Defibtech Lifeline that has a five-year battery and electrode pads that needs to be replaced, Arch will analyze these needs and give the AED owner recommendations, through the integrated e-commerce store, to purchase these three items. The user can then place an order, immediately, only for the products they need to keep their program on track, up-to-date, and in compliance with mandatory guidelines. This system, which is the first and only of its kind in the AED/Defibrillator industry, allows large AED program administrators to keep track of what’s needed, when something is needed, and link directly to a “checkout” page to place their orders (purchase orders and invoicing is available for certain purchasers. Contact Annuvia for more details).
4. Automatic 911 Call Center & EMS New AED Unit Filing
   All AED units added to the Arch system, whether just one new AED for a church group or five-hundred AEDs for a large manufacturing company, are cross-referenced through a proprietary algorithm to determine which 911 call center should be informed of the new AED, so that the 911 agency has an opportunity to add this data into their Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system. Furthermore, Arch’s algorithm determines whether or not the location of the device requires an EMS form to be filed by state law. If so, Arch pulls the actual AED form used in the requisite jurisdiction, automatically populates the data fields required on the form (even complicated items like a physician’s signature), and automatically emails, faxes, or mails the EMS agency a copy of the form, depending on their preferences. Once sent, a time-stamped copy of the form is saved on Arch for future use. Thus, Arch removes the burden of filing complicated paperwork for AED owners and AED distributors, yet ensures the requirement is met. Rather than just “saying” its being done, Arch does it and the proof is available online for all to see.

As the aforementioned features of Arch demonstrate, Arch does a lot more than provide AED owners with “online” prescriptions and excel-like AED unit Medical Direction and Oversight programs. Arch engages its clientele, encourages further AED unit deployment, and gives assurance and confidence that AEDs are the right thing for communities across the country.