Page 4 - May 2019 with HCHeroes

Not Everyone Who Calls 911 Needs to Go to the ER

BY LOIS THOMSON because you can transport the person to the care is telemedicine, which Johnson
the most appropriate location." However, said is a means of bringing the hospital to
Medicare is proposing to implement a he added that if the person insists on patients in the field. Telemedicine has
new program called Emergency Triage, going to the ER, they will be taken there. become a big part of health care, with
Treat and Transport, or ET3. The idea is "Yes, absolutely. None of this trumps the monitors being brought in and doctors
to determine whether a person who calls patient's choice." video-streaming and speaking to
the 911 emergency line can be taken to a Because of the potential importance of patients. He said part of the ET3 model
more suitable place than automatically this program, Johnson believes Century allows for this.
being sent to an emergency room. Matt Ambulance should seek to be a part of it. "Somebody might be experiencing
Johnson, general manager of Century "As a large ambulance provider in the something that they perceive to be an
Ambulance Service, explained the state of Florida, I think it's important for emergency, but telemedicine can be used
patients could be going to different loca- us to participate in this program because on-scene to help diagnose whether the
tions that are more appropriate – even it is the direction that health care is head- ER is appropriate; or perhaps they
the patient's physician's office, if they ing – providing more appropriate care should go to an urgent care or see the
could handle the patient. Medicare will where it's not so expensive and when it's family physician, and both the family
pay for them to be transported to an not necessary. It's reshaping the direction physician and the EMS providers will be
urgent care center that accepts Medicare Matt Johnson of the way pre-hospital emergency care is reimbursed for the service. It's a whole
so they can get treated at a lower price, or being delivered. We want to help drive new level of care that could be adminis-
even be treated on-scene. Medicare that was attached to a hospital. But not that change as a positive thing, so it just tered in the field that really hadn't been
would save money because not everyone everyone who calls 911 needs an ER with makes sense to be a part of it." done in the past. If you think about it, it's
will be going to the hospital for treat- all of its resources and price." In addition, Johnson believes the idea kind of like a modern version of a doctor
ment. As an example, Johnson pointed out behind the program will be effective, making a house visit."
Applications to participate in the that previously, someone with a sprained calling it a step in the right direction. In summarizing Medicare's proposed
model are expected to be released in a ankle who called 911 would have auto- "Twenty years from now, will it look like ET3 program, Johnson said, "It allows us
few months, and Johnson said that while matically been taken to an emergency it will next year? Probably not. It will to take the patient to a more appropriate
everything is just being proposed at this room, when a trip to an urgent care cen- evolve, but I believe it's the right type of location for more appropriate care at the
point, his company is considering apply- ter would have been sufficient. evolution to occur." He said people in right price. Ideally, at the end of the day,
ing. "They announced it earlier this year "Now you can take them to urgent the pre-hospital fields have known for a Medicare believes it will reduce the
but not all of the details are out yet, we care. It's a big paradigm shift in the way long time that for many of the transports amount of money it will spend on people
will have more specifics this summer." emergency care in the field has been they do, the patients don't need to go to going to the ER."
He added, "In the past, whenever some- treated in the past. Before, you were just the ER. "But transporting them to the ER
one would call 911, the only option for picked up and taken to the hospital and was basically the only choice." For more information, call
whoever was going to transport them somebody would get reimbursed for tak- Another recent, front-line aspect of (905) 356-0835 or
was to send them to an emergency room ing you to the ER. Now it's changing medicine that could be incorporated into visit centuryambulance.com.

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4 May 2019 southfloridahospitalnews.com South Florida Hospital News