NAVIGATING MEDICAL AID
Program eases strain on 911
A plan to reduce the 50,000 emergency calls that Essex County paramedics respond to every year is also improving the lives of those who dial 911 the most, according to patient surveys. “Paramedics on the front line have a unique ability to see patients that are not connected and maybe falling through the cracks of the health-care system,” said Justin Lammers, deputy chief of professional standards with Essex Windsor EMS. “We leverage their ability to identify these patients, to get in there and do a deeper dive, assess the patient’s needs and ultimately prevent repeat calls to 911. This allows us to keep our ambulances on the road and allows paramedics to respond to emergencies.”
The Vulnerable Patient Navigator program went live in August 2016 to ease the strain on the paramedic service and reduce off-load delays by identifying people who call 911 more than three times a year.
Patients are identified by frontline paramedics as well as record reviews. After that, the Vulnerable Patient Navigator team reaches out. The team schedules an appointment with the patient to do an assessment, then connects them to the resources they need. “We connect with these patients, we enrol them in the program, and we work with them to facilitate, advocate, co-ordinate their healthcare needs,” said Lammers. He said that could include putting people in touch with healthcare agencies that can support them and get them the care they need so they’re not calling 911. About 350 patients have been enrolled since the program began two years ago. On average, the Vulnerable Patient Navigator team connects patients to 30 support agencies every month. The team also holds weekly health-care clinics in apartment buildings that have high emergency-call volumes. There are signs that the program is helping take pressure off the 911 system. The County of Essex stated in a news release that one patient went from 20 emergency calls per quarter down to five. Another patient’s call volume dropped from 24totwo.
“At times, some of these patients are using 911 as their health-care resource,” said Lammers. “We try to direct them to the systems in place that will support them. We educate the patients, too. A lot of times they ’re not educated on what options are out there and how to manage their chronic diseases.” The County of Essex said Thursday that recent surveys show 92 per cent of patients who received home visits under the program were “highly satisfied.” About 61 per cent of survey respondents said they were “highly satisfied” that the program made their quality of life better.
Patients enrolled in the program also “experienced a decrease in pain, discomfort, depression and anxiety,” according to the county, and reported an “increase in overall improvement to their health state.”