News

Paramedics in Manatee County expand further into preventive care to ensure the most vulnerable are protected from COVID-19   April 12, 2021 Manatee County, Florida --  In a county just south of Tampa, the COVID-19 pandemic changed how community paramedics deliver care, and now, as testing becomes routine, paramedics are shifting gears and adding a new service: administering COVID-19 vaccinations to the homebound. Using the Medicare definition of...

Sounds simple but an innovative software application is having profound effects in breaking the cycle of drug addiction and arrests March 8, 2021, Tippecanoe County, Indiana — At first, launching a new technology-driven initiative during the early days of the unfolding COVID-19 pandemic might not have seemed like the right time. But hindsight proved timing is everything—and with the ongoing opioid crisis, there wasn’t another moment...

Insurance companies recognize the value and savings of expanding paramedicine services   Treating patients with multiple chronic conditions in their own homes is a model gaining greater traction across the United States, with the latest example coming from private insurer Humana now partnering with DispatchHealth, an urgent care delivery company. This recent agreement comes just months after the federal government opened its doors to hospital-at-home Medicare reimbursement, recognizing...

Recently interviewed by the Chicago Tribune, one Bradley University senior is turning heads and winning awards as she bridges gaps in her Indiana community. A new statewide program in Indiana, called ‘My Health Baby,’ has helped the state decrease infant mortality rates by increasing education, outreach and health care access to pre and post-natal mothers. While all progress is positive progress, the program is, unfortunately, lacking coverage in...

November 18, 2020, Austin, Texas -- Not everyone who calls 911 may need to go to the hospital and that’s where Travis Baker, a paramedic practitioner working for Austin-Travis County EMS, comes in. Baker recently joined an EMS that serves over a large area: 2.2 million people in a region spanning 1,039 square miles. Here, providing more targeted, high-quality care at patients’ doorsteps and avoiding...

HealthCall helps County Health Department produce more accurate COVID data October 23, 2020, Galveston, Texas — Galveston County Health District (GCHD) in Galveston, Texas, recently announced its partnership with HealthCall to more effectively monitor COVID-19 cases after the county struggled to produce accurate data to analyze trends related to the pandemic. HealthCall’s innovative software platform was customized to meet Galveston’s local needs as the situation unfolded. HealthCall’s...

From the beginning COVID-19 presented with countless unknowns, and Empress EMS, a PatientCare EMS Solutions company, which serves New Rochelle, New York, just 20 miles north of New York City, recognized the high risks its region faced. Instead of waiting for direction from federal or state authorities, Empress EMS sprung into action, and its quick thinking may have helped mitigate a worsening situation in what...

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed a spotlight on the growing value of treating patients with minor or manageable symptoms in their homes and avoiding costly hospital visits. However, treatment without transport continues to be largely undervalued and widely goes unreimbursed. A number of states are now showing how things can be done differently by offering new reimbursement models for treatment without transport. The most recent example comes...

Galveston County Health District (GCHD) launched a new innovative patient care system with HealthCall to help monitor active COVID-19 cases in Galveston County. “We are excited to partner with HealthCall. The company was able to customize its patient care system to meet our needs during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said GCHD CEO Kathy Barroso. “This new automated system will streamline case management of COVID-19 cases.” Click here to...

Almost two years ago the Crisis Center’s TransCare Medical Transportation division launched its pilot Community Paramedicine program made possible by a grant from Florida Blue. The goal for this pilot is to work with community members who frequently utilize hospital emergency rooms for basic healthcare, and connect them with a primary care physician, behavioral health care, or other medical resources better suited to their needs. Click...