Q&A
Primary care alternatives and ET3 program initiatives
1:49:53
·
165 sec
Dr. Birnbaum explains H+H's initiatives to provide alternatives to emergency department visits for lower acuity problems, focusing on the ET3 (Emergency Triage, Treatment, and Transport) program and virtual express care.
- ET3 program aims to decrease unnecessary ED visits for lower acuity problems
- Virtual express care allows for remote evaluation and treatment when appropriate
- Options include virtual visits, alternative transportation to EDs, and treat-in-place services with EMS on scene
Mercedes Narcisse
1:49:53
Since we're talking about primary care, because I'm always say preventive is better than curing.
1:49:58
It's cost effective.
1:49:59
What is the hospital doing when you see those cases?
1:50:02
Because me, personally, I know what I used to do.
1:50:05
But when you see those cases, what kind of, I mean, educational brochure that you can provide to those folks?
1:50:12
Because you realize they could have benefit from the primary care instead of coming to emergency room.
1:50:17
Do you have any literature that you can provide or someone to talk to them?
Adrienne Birnbaum
1:50:23
So yes.
1:50:23
And then also I'd like to mention it was mentioned earlier to some extent, but we are also providing alternatives to patients around than going to the emergency department.
1:50:33
So it was mentioned earlier that we have what we refer to as our ET3 program, which stands for emergency triage, treatment, and transport.
1:50:45
So this is a way in which we we hope to decrease visits, unnecessary visits for those lower acuity problems from going to the emergency department.
1:50:55
So what we do is we have a virtual express care program, and we work closely with FDNY.
1:51:03
So we actually receive calls directly from their operators.
1:51:07
And they use an algorithm to determine lower acuity problems.
1:51:11
Mhmm.
1:51:12
And complaints, they transfer the operator, transfer is those calls directly to us, and we have emergency emergency medicine providers that are able to provide care virtually to those patients if it's appropriate.
1:51:25
If it turns out that it's a higher acuity problem, that needs transport to the emergency department that by EMS, then we absolutely re up that to EMS and they do respond.
1:51:37
But other options that we provide through that service are that if it's a visit that can be handled virtually, We can do that and complete the whole visit and there's no ambulance needed to be dispatched and no emergency department visit that's required.
1:51:51
The other option is that if it is somebody that needs to go to the emergency department but doesn't have a level of acuity that requires the EMS Mhmm.
1:52:01
Level of care, then we can arrange alternative means of transportation for that patient to get to the emergency department.
1:52:08
And then the third thing that was mentioned earlier was the treat in place.
1:52:12
So we are available through that same virtual express care to treat patients.
1:52:18
This would be a patient where EMS is already on the scene.
Gale Brewer
1:52:22
Mhmm.
Adrienne Birnbaum
1:52:22
But they evaluate the patient and feel that it would my be appropriate for us, then they can also access our service and we could treat the patient right in their home without them needing to be transferred to the hospital and then also getting the ambulance back out for the next patient more quickly.
