Innovative partnership with Empress EMS provides hands-on, enhanced medical care to help patients avoid unnecessary trips to the ER
TROY, NY – April 26, 2022 – UCM Digital Health (UCM), a leading digital health and telehealth provider, including a 24/7 emergency medicine triage, treatment, and navigation service, is proud to announce an innovative partnership with Empress Emergency Medical Services (Empress). This collaboration will provide mobile integrated health through a combination of virtual and hands-on medical care in a patient’s home, place of work, or wherever they are when care is needed.
Empress and UCM are working together to direct patients away from unnecessary emergency room, urgent care, and hospital visits. This partnership empowers Empress to serve as an extension of UCM Digital Health when it is determined that hands-on care is needed for a patient. If UCM concludes that in-person treatment is required during a virtual consult, a paramedic provided through Empress EMS will be deployed to the patient’s location.
“This is an exciting opportunity to bring the skills and expertise of our partner Empress to provide a higher level of care to patients,” said Steven Anderson, director of EMS & 911 business development, UCM Digital Health. “Empress’ team of paramedics can now partner with our UCM team to serve as the eyes, ears, and hands in-person for our patients.”
Paramedics may be sent to the patient’s location for several reasons, including checking vital signs, performing a physical examination, assessing social health determinants, and even conducting critical diagnostic tests, including checking blood glucose levels and performing an EKG. Additionally, higher-risk patients can receive elevated assessments if a diagnosis is unclear and further assistance is needed. Escalated actions might include intravenous treatments, oral or nebulized medications, splinting, or bandaging a severe wound.
This mobile integrated health program reinforces UCM Digital Health’s partner approach and allows best-in-class, innovative healthcare solutions to integrate into the UCM platform and ultimately benefit the patient. This model reduces cost, increases access, and improves quality by helping patients get the care they need on their own terms.
“Working in partnership with the team of exceptional medical practitioners from UCM will offer an innovative approach to provide enhanced care in our communities,” says Jim O’Connor, vice president of corporate development, Empress EMS. “As the need for expanded access to healthcare continues to evolve, our combined team will be perfectly positioned to deliver these valuable services in-person and on time.”
“This partnership benefits the patient by providing a high level of care, where and when they need it,” said Marla Moskal, vice president of marketing, UCM Digital Health. “We’ve received a lot of fantastic patient feedback regarding the tremendous value our patients are experiencing from this offering. Patients are amazed when we offer to send someone to their homes. In fact, one patient stated that she felt the care she received was better than a visit to her local hospital. Just as important, she also felt safer having avoided added exposure to illness.”
The service has been deployed in New York, and UCM plans to continue to expand the program nationally in the coming year.
About UCM Digital Health
UCM Digital Health (UCM) delivers an end-to-end digital first healthcare solution that combines a digital front door platform with a 24/7 emergency medicine treat, triage and navigation telehealth service – designed to lower costs, improve outcomes and provide a better patient experience. UCM Digital Health brings together clinical expertise, advanced technology and compassionate care to offer powerful advantages for insurers, brokers, employers, patients and providers. UCM Digital Health partners with insurers, employers, patients, providers, technology solutions companies – covering every corner of the healthcare ecosystem to deliver a complete, trusted, technology-based and data-driven healthcare solution. UCM Digital Health’s unique combination of digital front door platform plus emergency medicine triage and navigation expertise allows all care to begin digitally in one place. Located in Troy, New York, UCM Digital Health was founded in 2015 by emergency clinicians Keith Algozzine, PA-C and Michael Bibighaus, M.D., in an effort to combine healthcare and technology who continue to run the operations of the company. Accreditation by URAC for Telehealth Services. www.ucmdigitalhealth.com
About Empress Emergency Medical Services
Empress EMS a division of PatientCare EMS Solutions, is the region’s leading provider of pre-hospital care and Emergency Medical Services. Throughout our company’s development, dramatic advances have brought cutting edge technology and innovation to the pre-hospital care arena. Empress EMS has been a leader in strategic innovation in mobile healthcare with a goal to deliver unequalled quality, service and value to our patients and healthcare partners. Offering our patients and their family’s access to every available medical option to improve clinical care, patient experience, and outcomes, by filling gaps in the care continuum with 24/7 medical resources. Providing the right care, in the right place at the right time delivered by highly trained EMS professionals has been our major priority. Serving our communities since 1985, Empress EMS is headquartered in Yonkers, NY with locations throughout the Hudson Valley and NYC. www.empressems.com
MEDIA CONTACT:
Marla Moskal
UCM Digital Health
412-719-7104
