How the Brain was formed.......

It all started on a napkin in an airplane during the year 1998. Sound intriguing? Well, it's true. Here's how our company evolved from an idea outlined on an airline napkin to the 2008 version of Ninth Brain.

The central focus and passion of most of our professional careers has been Emergency Medical Services (EMS). It is what brought us together. Our three founders, Scott Brady, Lynn Zimmerman, and Carol Buckenmeyer, all started in EMS in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Scott remembers dispatching ambulances in a small office at Mercy Ambulance with little more than a phone, a pencil, and some paper. In 1972, he attended the first paramedic class held in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Lynn Zimmerman was his instructor. Later, Lynn joined Scott at Mercy Ambulance, and Carol Buckenmeyer continued teaching this new breed of healthcare providers in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Mercy Ambulance became part of the MedTrans organization, and Scott and Lynn assumed corporate positions. Scott served as an Executive VP, and Lynn served as the Corporate Clinical Director. While at MedTrans, Lynn's influence spread to the national level setting patient care, infection control, and quality measurements for pre-hospital care providers.

In 1996, Carol and Lynn formed a consulting enterprise to assist ambulance organizations with OSHA and federal regulatory compliance and clinical and quality measurements. After visiting several private and public ambulance operations, a common theme emerged. It seemed that everyone was having difficulty with recordkeeping, mandatory training, and certification compliance tracking. There was just not enough time, people, or resources to "do it all". While on a plane, following a site visit, the two started to brainstorm about a better way to handle things. An airline napkin held their ideas as they outlined a plan.

After two years of research and developing a business plan, Scott put aside his retirement and the three formed The Mercy Group. They turned their brainstorm into a product, which launched in 2001. This product was a web-based software application designed to assist EMS organizations in managing paperwork, tracking certifications, and handling the education issues that plague a heavily regulated industry.

It is now 2008, and The Mercy Group is now Ninth Brain. From a team of three, our staff has grown to a larger group of highly skilled healthcare professionals, software developers, project managers, and sales personnel. With the new name and larger staff comes a totally new and improved version of our initial EMS software. Known as Ninth Brain Suite (NBS), this product was designed to even better meet the needs of your company. While much has changed, we remain true to our roots. To launch this new and improved software, we listened to suggestions from our customers and incorporated those suggestions into our product. As a result, we are proud to present a management tool that automates the "boring stuff", giving your staff the freedom to focus on what's really important.

The moral of the story - Never Throw an Airplane Napkin away!