How to Measure ROI for Emergency Communication Upgrades

Emergency communication upgrades should be evaluated on workflow performance not just hardware replacement.

Modern solutions that centralize EMS communications, activation alerts, dashboards, and reporting generate ROI in measurable ways.

In stroke and STEMI care, time-based metrics directly affect outcomes and accreditation.

Hospitals upgrading emergency communication workflows should track:

• Door-to-needle time

• Door-to-balloon time

• First medical contact (FMC) to balloon time

• Door-to-physician time
  
  

Documented results from GD-supported organizations include:

• 20% reduction in door-to-needle times at Southeast Health Medical Center

• 29% improvement in door-to-physician times at Southeast Health Medical Center

• 5.36% reduction in first medical contact to balloon time

• 47-minute average door-to-balloon time, with a 23-minute best time at Rush Copley Medical Center

• 40-minute average door-to-needle time, with a 27-minute best time at Rush Copley

• 11-minute best door-to-needle time and 36-minute FMC-to-balloon time at Hackensack University Medical Center
  
  

These improvements are driven by faster activation, centralized communication, and reduced coordination friction.

EMS Activation and Performance

Emergency communication systems should strengthen EMS-to-ED coordination not slow it down.

Measured improvements include:

• 98% success rate in EMS activations at Northeast Georgia Health System

• 3% reduction in transports at the County of Los Angeles Fire Department

Fewer missed activations and better routing decisions directly support both patient outcomes and system efficiency.

Operational Efficiency Gains

ROI also appears in everyday operational performance.

Examples include:

• 100% compliance in trauma surgeon bedside benchmarks at Rush Copley Medical Center
• Reduced need for redundant systems, including $8,000 saved by eliminating additional 12-lead storage systems at Baystate Medical Center
• $8,000 in annual form cost savings at AMITA Health St. Joseph Hospital

When communication, EKG management, documentation, and alerting are consolidated, hospitals eliminate duplication.

Accreditation and Compliance Benefits

Time-based performance metrics, structured documentation, and audit trails support:

• Stroke center certification
• STEMI accreditation
• Trauma verification
• Regulatory documentation requirements
  

When case clocks, acknowledgement timestamps, and activation data are automatically captured, reporting becomes more reliable and less labor-intensive.

That reduction in manual data collection also translates to saved administrative hours.

How to Build Your ROI Case

When presenting emergency communication ROI internally:

1. Establish baseline time metrics.
2. Identify activation and escalation gaps.
3. Quantify redundant labor time.
4. Evaluate infrastructure and maintenance costs.
5. Track improvements post-implementation.

Even small-time savings per case scale significantly across thousands of annual patients.

About GD [General Devices]

GD is a HealthTech company specializing in communication solutions that help EMS and hospitals deliver simply seamless patient care. Powered by responsive innovation, GD’s user-friendly solutions facilitate rapid, secure, voice, telehealth and data sharing communications across care teams to help save time, money and lives. Backed by a 40+ year history and thousands of implementations, GD is an experienced industry leader. Visit https://general-devices.com/ to learn more.

Media Contact
Alessia Ambrosino
201-313-7075