Geisinger named an 'Integrated Delivery Network to Watch' for new Mobile Paramedic Program
WILKES-BARRE, PA -- Geisinger Health System’s Mobile Paramedic Program recently earned the health system a ranking as one of the top “10 Integrated Delivery Networks to Watch” by Integrated Healthcare Delivery magazine.
Often when a patient is discharged from the emergency department or managing heart failure symptoms, he or she needs important medical interventions or follow-up care but going to a skilled nursing facility or having a home health nurse isn’t an option. In such cases, the innovative Mobile Paramedic Program dispatches a paramedic to the patient’s home to provide the medical intervention or follow-up care, such as checking vitals, drawing bloodwork or administering intravenous (IV) diuretics. The new program is primarily used for patients with multiple, complex medical conditions.
While in a patient’s home, the paramedic enters notes into the electronic health record which is immediately available to the patient’s primary care and specialty doctors at Geisinger. If additional clinical support is needed, the paramedics have real-time audiovisual teleconnectivity with Geisinger emergency physicians.
“We wanted to create a nimble, flexible clinical resource that we could deploy rapidly and provide a focused clinical service to the patient,” said David Schoenwetter, D.O., FACEP, director of Geisinger Emergency Medical Services. “Our mobile health paramedics are highly integrated into our system and will comfortably take care of people who are complex and ill.”
The Mobile Paramedic Program is currently only available in Luzerne County. During its pilot phase, it reduced hospital admissions for heart failure patients in the program from 292 to 133 and hospital days from 1178 to 579 since its inception in March 2014. Additionally, the program earned perfect patient satisfaction scores.
“Being included in this ranking is further justification that Geisinger has created a new and improved way to care for patients at the right time and in the right setting,” said Dr. Schoenwetter.
The Integrated Healthcare Delivery list recognizes health systems nationwide that are innovating across a variety of care types and settings, whether partnering with local communities, collaborating with other providers, creating new pathways of care or embracing new reimbursement structures.
About Geisinger
Geisinger is among the nation’s leading providers of value-based care, serving 1.2 million people in urban and rural communities across Pennsylvania. Founded in 1915 by philanthropist Abigail Geisinger, the non-profit system generates $10 billion in annual revenues across 134 care sites - including 10 hospital campuses, and Geisinger Health Plan, with 600,000 members in commercial and government plans. The Geisinger College of Health Sciences educates more than 5,000 medical professionals annually and conducts more than 1,400 clinical research studies. With 26,000 employees, including 1,600 employed physicians, Geisinger is among Pennsylvania’s largest employers with an estimated economic impact of $14 billion to the state’s economy. On March 31, 2024, Geisinger became the first member of Risant Health, a new nonprofit charitable organization created to expand and accelerate value-based care across the country. Learn more at geisinger.org or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.