A Washington, D.C., initiative partially designed to reduce the number of unnecessary ambulance rides has seen some positive results, but it has not yet made huge strides toward its goals, according to The Washington Post.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser launched the "Right Care, Right Now" initiative in April, and local fire and EMS officials recently provided a progress report. The initiative entails a $1 million nurse triage line at the 911 call center that connects patients with nonemergent injuries and conditions to primary care providers near where they live. One of its goals is to ensure ambulances and other resources are available for those with more serious and life-threatening issues. It also aims to ensure these patients receive comprehensive medical care they need that may not be available in an emergency room. At least 23 clinics, all of which accept Medicaid beneficiaries, participate in Right Care, Right Now.
D.C. Fire Chief Gregory Dean recently wrote to the department, saying the initiative has offered fast, private transportation for nonemergent patients to clinics via Lyft, and that 911 callers who were transferred to a nurse overall reported positive experiences in surveys, according to the report.
But fire officials noted Right Care, Right Now has still not cut most unnecessary ambulance runs.
"There is a habit or pattern that we need to change. A lot of time people are not familiar with getting to a clinic. They are just used to calling 911. That's not really what we wanted them to learn, but that's what they've learned," said Robert Holman, the D.C. Fire and EMS medical director, according to the Post. "We're trying to establish a new pattern."
Mr. Dean said a D.C. fire unit was still sent out in nearly half of all 911 calls sent to the nurses because nurses rerouted the call back to the 911 dispatcher based on the caller's description of their need, the report states. When nurses deem calls nonemergent, they help the patient schedule a medical appointment and get to and from their appointment.
Mr. Holman said more strides could be made toward the initiative's goals as nurses become more comfortable with decision-making.
"We are happy with the modest impact, but we would like to see this grow a bit more. I don't think our [department] members are feeling the effects of this just yet" in reducing the amount of time first responders spend with nonemergent situations, he said.
Overall, officials said, registered nurses fielded 1,103 calls between the initiative's launch and late August, including 130 patients who were sent to clinics and 131 called who received "self-care," such as nurses advising on medication use. In June, an average of 33 calls a week resulted in emergency crews being sent, and that number dropped to 15 by late August.
Read the full Post report here.
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