Oklahoma Medics Embracing iB Web Service

1,000 medics licensed and trained on Invisible Bracelet Web app

PR Newswire

posted: 65 DAYS 22 HOURS AGO

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TULSA, Okla., Sept. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- The invisibleBracelet.org (iB) Emergency Health Registry is expanding its service area across Oklahoma by partnering with several EMS providers that will begin actively supporting the new Web service on November 1st, 2009.

Since the commercial debut in April, the iB service area has nearly doubled from 1.3 million people served by the Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) and Grove EMS to approximately 2.5 million people that live, work and travel in Oklahoma.

The newly licensed EMS organizations include: Cache EMS, Chandler EMS, Chickasaw Nation Emergency, Comanche County Memorial Hospital EMS, Creek County Emergency Ambulance, EMS of LeFlore County, Muskogee County EMS, Valley View Regional Hospital EMS and Watonga EMS. 32 additional EMS providers are in the licensing review or online training process. Combined, these organizations currently offer ambulance services for the majority of the Oklahoma population including the area surrounding the Oklahoma Turnpike system.

To qualify for the no-cost license, EMS providers must be registered and in good standing with the EMS Division of the OSDH.

"Beginning in October, qualified EMS providers can license, train and certify all of their medics--for free--through invisibleBracelet.org," said Docvia CEO, Noah Roberts. Trained medics can also earn a one-hour Continued Education Unit approved by the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH).

The iB system was designed and developed by practicing physicians and software engineers at Docvia in order to help people communicate during medical emergencies by enabling authorized medics to access their vital health and In Case of Emergency (ICE) contact details. After registering online and receiving a membership card in the mail, members place a special sticker on the back of their driver's licenses and ID cards.

"I must have been the first person in Ada to register. My local ambulance service wasn't on yet so I called and encouraged them to join," said Andrea Pogue, a registered nurse and consultant for CareerTech. "Now my local EMS providers, 9-1-1 dispatch, fire, police, even local hospitals are beginning to get behind this incredible service."

In October, approximately 78,000 state employees and dependents will be able to make iB one of their health benefits through the Oklahoma Employees Benefits Council (EBC). The service is currently being introduced to all state agencies in all 77 counties through the EBC staff and 300 State Benefit Coordinators.

"The popularity of iB is being driven by the rapid acceptance of local EMS providers," Roberts added. "Patent-pending technology is nice to have. Getting the leading EMS organizations and our state government to make the technology accessible to millions of people is even better."

For complete licensing and registration details, please visit invisibleBracelet.org

Media Contacts: Chris Zenthoefer (918) 830-4202 mobile chris.zen@docvia.com

Jim Stafford, i2E (405) 813-2435 mobile jstafford@i2e.org SOURCE Docvia

2009-09-24 15:29:00