Community Paramedicine: Changing EMS as We Know It
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“Community paramedicine is all about the patient and how we can positively impact their lives.”-Brian Randall NRP, Community Paramedic Gold Cross Ambulance
When I think of EMS, I picture Police, Fire and EMT’s/Paramedics responding lights and sirens in response to a person calling 911. Scenes of a car accidents, a diabetic emergency or heart attack come to mind. The reality is a lot of times when responding to these patients, they don’t make it. Sometimes the death was completely avoidable and warning signs were present. This is where community paramedicine comes in. Community Paramedicine is a new concept in healthcare that is changing emergency medical services in the Fox Cities as we know it. Since 2016 Gold Cross Paramedics and ThedaCare have been piloting a model that aims to reduce preventable injury/death in high-risk patients flagged in ThedaCare’s (EHR) or Electronic Health Record.
Examples of patients who have benefitted most from this program are diabetics and patients who have a confusing and extensive medication regiment. The Community Paramedic then goes to the patient’s home to observe in person how medications are being taken-or not taken. They also look for fall hazards and other safety problems in the home. A plan is discussed with the patient and their doctor after determining the patient’s goals. By determining shortfalls in a patients care at home, we hope to continue to reduce ambulance trips to the ER, readmission to the hospital while increasing quality of life.
Brian is our first Community Paramedic who has piloted the program with ThedaCare under the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Grant.
It is exciting to be a part of this pivotal moment in EMS. We are happy to have people like Brian who are determined to change healthcare and improve the wellbeing of our families and community members of the Fox Cities!
For more on this topic take a look at Brian Randall’s article “Community Paramedicine in 2019: Design, Sustainability and the Future”
https://www.zolldata.com/blog/community-paramedicine-in-2019-design-sustainability-and-the-future
For more details from ThedaCare Visit The Health Affairs blog:
https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hblog20190129.181994/full/
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