By Steven Kroll, Director of EMS Innovation
This week (May 19-25, 2019) is the 45th annual National EMS Week. Spearheaded by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), in partnership with the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT). EMS Week recognizes the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) community for the lifesaving work they do every day, around the clock, in communities large and small across the country.
EMTs and Paramedics collectively touch the lives of thousands of people every day who are in need of assistance, having a very bad day, and possibly in a life-threatening crisis. Many people have better outcomes because of the work that they do, and many people feel just a little bit better because of the kindness they show.
On behalf of the United Concierge Medicine family, we thank the nation’s EMS responders for everything that they do. An essential part of our public safety and health care systems, we are proud to work with EMS responders as we combine our Virtual ER with EMS services to provide patients the right care, at the right place, at the right time.
UCM VIRTUAL ER AND EMS TEAMS: TRIAGING PATIENTS AT HOME
EMS responders are on the “front lines” of healthcare and the immediate treatment provided by an EMT or paramedic gives us, as emergency medical physicians and providers, invaluable information and time as we triage and treat patients. At UCM, we are forging new relationships with EMS to help deliver the right care, in the right place, at the right time. EMS responders are becoming part of our Virtual ER team, using their assessment skills to help UCM physicians triage patients at home.
UCM is “ET3 Ready” to be the qualified health care provider for ambulance agencies needing telemedicine medical direction for Medicare treat and release and non-hospital destinations. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently introduced a voluntary, five-year payment demonstration model called Emergency Triage, Treat, and Transport (ET3), in order to provide greater flexibility to ambulance care teams to address the health care needs of Medicare beneficiaries following a 911 call.
Under the ET3 model, CMS will, for the first time, pay participating ambulance services, working in consultation with a physician or other qualified health care provider, to transport an individual to an alternative destination (such as a primary care doctor’s office or an urgent care clinic) or provide treatment in place. UCM is prepared to be that qualified heath care provider for ambulance agencies across the nation, combining the assessment provided by EMTs and paramedics, UCM’s technology – by phone or app, and the UCM Virtual ER team to deliver patient centered care. Read more about ET3 in our recent blog post.
At UCM Virtual ER, we’re continuously developing new partnerships with EMS teams to care for our patients — and look forward to creating more partnerships in the days to come.
