Wisconsin Pilot Program Uses Paramedics In-Home to Reduce ER Visits

From JEMS:

A new pilot program in Baraboo will examine whether paramedics trained specifically to perform in-home health care can lower the number of people coming into the emergency room and also reduce re-admissions to the hospital.

The five-year pilot study involves the Baraboo District Ambulance Service, St. Clare Hospital and the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and other partners in Sauk County to create a community paramedics program.

Insurers: Skip the emergency room

From the Telegram:

When is an emergency not an emergency? In health care, that can be a costly distinction.

Emergency rooms are designed to live up to their names by treating life-threatening or serious medical problems. But they often handle much more than that, sometimes at great cost to patients.

About 17 percent of all emergency department visits could take place at less-expensive alternatives such as retail clinics and urgent care centers, according to a study published last fall in the journal Health Affairs. Switching those ER visits to the alternatives could save more than $4 billion annually.

State says firing ER tech who had sex with patient was appropriate

From BGDailyNews:

Greenview Regional Hospital reported an incident to the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services Office of Inspector General after learning about allegations of sexual activity between a former patient and an emergency room tech.

Two OIG representatives reviewed the incident and the hospital’s response Monday, Greenview spokesman Alan Palmer said.

“They concluded at the end of the day that we had followed all of the rules and regulations and acted properly in doing what we did,” Palmer said.

‘Luxury’ Emergency Center Opening Near World Trade Center Next Month

From DNAInfo:

A new urgent care center opening soon near the World Trade Center will feel more like a spa than an emergency room.

Patients at the soon-to-open Medhattan Immediate Medical Care on Liberty Street will don plush robes instead of paper gowns, snack on free apples and granola bars in the waiting room and can supplement their treatment with acupuncture or a massage.

Town’s ER backlog reduced by after-hours clinic

From CBCNews:

A study by the University of Alberta suggests after-hours medical clinics can reduce demands on stressed hospital emergency wards — if the clinics have enough room.

“There was quite a strong correlation between a service offered outside the hospital that could ultimately influence how frequently people were using the emergency department,” said David Jones, a PhD student at the university’s school of public health.