WINNEMUCCA - Humboldt General Hospital Emergency Medical Services Rescue hosted a landmark meeting on Tuesday, March 27, initiating Nevada's first formal discussion on how paramedics can help bridge the ever-increasing gap between patient needs and appropriate primary care.
The "Community Paramedicine Stakeholders Meeting" was held at Humboldt General Hospital in Winnemucca. The 52-bed community hospital recently completed an 18-month expansion, which included a 30,000-square-foot medical office building, patient waiting areas and conference rooms.
Last month's meeting in the Sarah Winnemucca conference room nicely accommodated the approximately 60 attendees from across the nation, state and Humboldt County who took part in the informative interchange.
"For us," said HGH EMS Rescue Director Pat Songer, "this was a crucial piece in Nevada's community paramedic discussion. We needed to get everyone in the same room, with the same good information, and create a sort of launching point for us locally as well as on a state level."
The term community paramedicine was first coined in this country in 2001. The health care model continues to recognize EMS as providing rapid response, but also allows for paramedics to fill roles as a community resource for prevention, evaluation, triage, referral and advice.
Chris Montera, chief of the Western Eagle County Ambulance District in Colorado, and Anne Robinson, a public health nurse consultant, launched a community paramedic pilot program in June 2011 with the goal of providing better access to health care and reducing visits to the emergency department.
"We already have this available and often underutilized health care resource," Montera told the assembled group. "We are not looking to work outside our scope of practice, but rather to expand our roles within our scope of practice."
Dan Swayze, another of the morning's speakers, shared insights from his 10 years as vice president for the Center for Emergency Medicine of Western Pennsylvania, Inc. where community paramedicine is now covered in part by UnitedHealthcare, a major health insurer.
"You have to find your own way," Swayze told participants. "You have to find how community paramedicine fits in your community or your company. There are so many possibilities to explore."
The group was also privileged to hear from James DeTienne, president-elect of the National Association of State EMS Officials, who shared thoughts from an EMS policy perspective. Pat Irwin, program manager of the State of Nevada Office of EMS, elaborated on governmental perspectives related to community paramedicine.
HGH CEO/Administrator Jim Parrish opened the day's discussion by providing a CEO's perspective, including the surprising revelation that Humboldt General Hospital is seeking to reduce hospital admissions through community paramedicine.
"I know that seems like an odd move for us," said Parrish. "We are, after all, in the business of providing health care; that's where our money comes from."
However, Parrish said the hospital is attempting to stay ahead of impending health care reforms which will likely result in a per-person flat fee for health care.
"The more we keep people out of the hospital, the more money we make," explained Parrish. "It makes sense for us to keep people well and not allow them to become acute."
The day ended with a panel discussion involving the day's presenters as well as Michael Williams, vice president of operations for REMSA in Reno.
The group fielded questions from the audience for more than an hour. Following the close of the meeting, participants networked for nearly an hour more, sharing thoughts and exchanging information.
"We were so pleased with the outcome," said Songer of the day's presentations. "Fifty years ago, the idea of paramedics in large cities was a foreign one. Now, we couldn't survive without them."
He continued, "50 years from now, community paramedicine will not be an innovation, it will simply be part of our health care delivery model, and we are looking to be on the ground level of that transformation."
Humboldt General Hospital currently has eight paramedics enrolled in a community paramedicine training course offered by Colorado Mountain College.
Upon graduation later this spring, community paramedics will begin formally identifying patients that could benefit from the Winnemucca program and providing services in their home including hospital discharge follow-up, home safety inspections, blood draws, oxygen saturation checks, medication reconciliation and /or wound care.
The service already has experienced good success with a community flu shot program as well as an outreach program aimed at Humboldt County's diabetics.
"We are ready for this next step," said Songer, "and last month's meeting was an excellent way to ensure we have the information, the network and the supporters we need to move forward, and to help other services throughout Nevada do the same."
For more information on the Community Paramedicine Stakeholders Meeting, which was held Tuesday, March 27, at Humboldt General Hospital, please call Pat Songer, HGH EMS Rescue director, at (775) 623-5222, ext. 260.
[[In-content Ad]]
