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System reduces call for ER trips

By ABBIE VANSICKLE
Published December 14, 2006

TAMPA - Each day, emergency dispatchers field dozens of calls from people needing medical care, but not all of those calls require an ambulance ride and a trip to an emergency room.

A twisted ankle, a minor spider bite or a backache don't have to be treated as quickly as, say, a heart attack or a gunshot wound.

Now, a pilot program between Tampa Fire Rescue and a private home care company promises to send a doctor or nurse practitioner out to certain patients' homes to treat nonemergency medical troubles.

"It's just such a wonderful concept," said Dr. Catherine Carrubba, a Tampa General Hospital emergency room doctor and the medical director for the Fire Rescue. "It will work well for patients."

The two-year pilot program is the first in the state and will treat patients 65 and older, she said.

It comes at no cost to the city, and there is no contract. AllianceCare, a for-profit company based in Boynton Beach, will send a medical team out to private homes. Because of the age restriction, most of the patients will be covered by Medicare. If a patient doesn't have insurance and is not covered by Medicare, they will be treated at no cost, said Greg Bellware, AllianceCare's senior vice president.

"This is a very simple and a very small service but a very important one," Bellware said.

Here's how it works: When someone calls 911, dispatch sorts the calls according to priority. If an elderly person calls in with a nonemergency problem, dispatch will contact AllianceCare. A company employee will call the patient within 10 minutes to set up a home visit appointment.

Within two hours, a doctor or nurse practitioner and a paramedic will come to the patient's home. Once there, the team can prescribe medications, perform X-rays and handle other medical needs.

The AllianceCare team works from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week. The company has started small, handling only three or four calls a day.

"Taking care of patients' needs that can be best met in the home is not only better care but it's more economical for the entire health care community," Bellware said.

Hillsborough Fire Rescue has no plans to get involved in the program, said spokesman Ray Yeakley.

[Last modified December 14, 2006, 00:46:33]