The Challenge

Centralized Control -
The path that led to this revolutionary dispatch system began in fall 2003 when EagleMed decided to stop using dispatch centers at two hospitals and bring dispatch of its aircraft in-house. EagleMed's director of operations, Allen Zon, received the go-ahead to create a single, centralized dispatch center, but faced a very aggressive implementation schedule.

"We had less than two months to create something that didn't exist," Zon explains. "I began looking for systems that would allow me to have a command-and-control center for a six-state region with active flight plans."

Zon wanted a lot. He wanted detailed mapping that showed patient pick up and delivery sites. He wanted the map to display which EagleMed aircraft was nearest to the patient and was the most available based on crew and maintenance limits. He wanted a voice communications system that would allow his dispatchers to telephone the aircraft at any time. "I also wanted active [ATC traffic] with weather overlays, I wanted street-level mapping and I wanted the system to be expandable without a great deal of expense," Zon states.

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