FRANKLIN COUNTY, PA - It's called the "Hospital Emergency Planning Initiative," and officials say there's nothing else like it in the nation.

You might not know what "HEPI" means, but in an an emergency you'll probably find out how it works.

"HEPI is about the initial notification of a healthcare system, that there's been a call that needs a certain criteria, such as mass casualty, bombing, a hazardous material situation," explained Vickie Negley, the director of safety and emergency preparedness at Chambersburg Hospital.

Laptops have been installed in ambulances across Franklin County, giving emergency crews immediate access to the hospital.  EMS crews enter information into the laptop program from your home.  That goes directly to the hospital, so you'll get better care when you arrive.

Emergency responders say the new technology might not only help save a person's life.  It will also make life easier for anyone who's using it.

"The time saving it will put in everybody's workload and the initiation of a single-patient, let alone many patients into a hospital system.  The electronic sharing of information, minute by minute as an incident happens, will improve the time frame in which patients can get care as they arrive at the hospital," said Doug Bitner, the president of the Franklin County Emergency Medical Services Council.

Pennsylvania Congressman Bill Shuster helped secure federal funding to bring the HEPI program to Franklin County.  A future phase includes connecting 911 dispatchers to EMS responders.