In a vote on Tuesday, the Lee Board of County Commissioners approved an agreement with Lee Health for an expanded Community Paramedicine Program, according to the Lee County Government in a release.
Patients of Lee Health will be referred to the program, the release says. Then, a team of providers will assist patients while they recover at home instead of in the hospital. The county says that the goal is for people not to have to return to the hospital for follow-up appointments to speed up recovery. These teams include emergency medical technicians, paramedics, case managers and social workers.
The intent of the program is to reduce the use of hospital emergency departments. The program provides in-home care in order to reduce the number of ambulance trips for illnesses and injuries that will not likely progress or worsen, according to the release.
An agreement was approved last summer by the Board to launch the first phase with the Florida Department of Children and Families. The county says that it has exceeded all initial goals.
In addition to relieving emergency rooms at hospitals, the release states that the Community Paramedicine Program aims to also reduce readmissions, assist with access to care and improve community relations by building and expanding services for recovery throughout the county.
According to the release, the terms of the agreement state that Lee Health will be on the hook to reimburse Lee County Emergency Medical Services up to $1,316,777 in the first year of the program.
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