Acadian Ambulance is using new ways to deliver emergency medical care.
The company says the change in care comes as healthcare systems capacity around the country continues to be strained and the public is increasingly interested in more efficient, low cost, and convenient health care.
Acadian Ambulance has been working with federal and state officials, insurance companies, and other healthcare providers to offer alternative models for patient care when a trip to the hospital may not be necessary.
The models, known as Treat in Place and Alternative Destination Transport, allow EMS crews to offer alternative solutions to meet patients’ needs. Both models provide cost savings to the patient and their insurers and offer quicker, more convenient care, they say.
In the Treat in Place model, Acadian says paramedics consult with a physician via telehealth and provide the necessary care without unnecessary transport to the hospital. The paramedics also help arrange follow-up appointments with the patient’s primary care provider. Some of the conditions treated under this model include COVID-19 symptoms, asthma or COPD exacerbation, nausea, vomiting, dehydration, or diabetes-related illness.
A practical application of the Treat in Place model is providing telehealth physicians with the ability to treat a patient suffering from nausea, vomiting, and dehydration with anti-nausea medication and IV fluids carried by Acadian’s paramedics.
When patients may need to see a provider, but not necessarily require an ED visit, paramedics use the Alternative Destination Transport model. Patients can be transported to an urgent care clinic, physician’s office or behavioral health facility. Some of the conditions treated under this model include non-traumatic joint and back pain, broken bones or sprains, cuts requiring stitches and diagnostic testing.
If the patient’s condition warrants immediate emergency department care or the patient prefers to go to the hospital, the paramedics will quickly provide the transport.
Acadian’s Treat in Place and Alternative Destination Transport programs drastically eliminate unnecessary trips to the emergency department, reduce hospital admissions and lower the overall cost of healthcare for both the patient and the health system, they say.
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