A Pandemic Gives Telehealth a New Purpose With Community Paramedicine

This recent article by mHealth Intelligence discusses some of the important and innovative ways telehealth technology is being utilized to improve quality of service and care coordination in health care. Utilizing the technology, emergency medical service providers are providing better, more informed care outside of clinical settings.

“First responders have a great opportunity to use telehealth in ways that we really haven’t seen before,” says Carl Marci, chief medical officer for Ready, a two-year-old provider of mobile healthcare services that has seen business skyrocket during the coronavirus. “We’re redefining the house call for a whole generation who doesn’t even know what a house call is.”

Mobile integrated health programs, which focus on bringing healthcare and other services to the home to improve health and wellness and reduce unnecessary 911 calls and doctor’s office visits, have been around for a few years. COVID-19 has given them more of a spotlight, as health systems look to reduce traffic in the hospital while still providing chronic care management.