New England's first physician-only EMS response team launched in Maine, ABC affiliate WABI reported Oct. 7.
The MD3 team is made up of nine physicians who take on work shifts in addition to their regular jobs to respond to 911 calls. Physicians drive themselves to emergency calls in a specially equipped SUV. So far, the team has responded to more than 170 calls.
"If you're sick enough or injured enough that you won't live to make it to the emergency department, then having a team like this that can bring the emergency department to the patient, can be the difference between life and death," Tim Pieh, MD, an emergency room physician at Augusta-based Maine General Health, told WABI.
The year-long pilot program is headquartered in Delta Ambulance in Waterville, Maine, and is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.