A Madison-based ambulance service is changing paramedics’ future by creating the first organization in Wisconsin focused on daily service for those who need medical care in their homes.
When a patient is released from the hospital, they may qualify for home health check ups, Steve Zank, a manager at Ryan Brothers Ambulance and certified community paramedic, said. Sometimes, the demand for home visits exceeds the resources available, he said.
“If a doctor says they want a patient to be seen every day, but the home health unit can only see them three times a week, then the community paramedic can go in and see the patient the other two days,” he said. “That way the patient can still get all five days of medical attention that they need.”
Zank said community paramedics typically have more than ten years of experience in traditional paramedic jobs prior to becoming a community paramedic.
“It’s a totally new concept, and I think it’s going to be the future of EMS,” he said. “We can fill the gaps between the home health units and actually having the patients call 911 and going back to the hospital.”
Community paramedics must complete 112 hours of classroom training and 196 hours of clinical time caring for patients, Zank said.
Zank is currently the only certified community paramedic in Madison, but he said eight additional paramedics are in training.
In June, Zank began working with the Triangle Health and Resource Center to create a clinic to see patients who are capable of traveling out of their homes. The clinic is open Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., treating between five and eight people during that time, Zank said.
The community paramedics are not trying to displace home health units or other organizations, but hope to fill the gaps that currently exist in the health care system, Patrick Ryan, co-owner of Ryan Brothers Ambulance and Professional Ambulance Association of Wisconsin president, said.
Currently, there is no provision for community paramedics in Wisconsin legislation, meaning their work is going unpaid, Zank said.
Ryan is working through the ambulance association to pass legislation that would enable community paramedics to be paid through a patient’s Medicare or Medicaid, Zank said.
Minnesota has implemented legislation that seeks to reduce the cost of medical care over time by putting preventive measures in place, such as community paramedics, Ryan said.
Medical care providers who help the state save money using preventive, quality care are then eligible to receive some of the saved funds. These programs allow organizations like community paramedics to provide care to those who may otherwise be unable to get the care they need, such as the homeless, Ryan said.
Wisconsin legislation that would allow community paramedics to be paid for their efforts is likely forthcoming, Ryan said. A draft of the legislation is complete, and Ryan said he, along with other members of the ambulance association, are working toward introducing the legislation.
Ryan said the practice will probably find Medicaid reimbursement within the next year or two, and health insurers will start to pay for the service. The ultimate goal, he said, is to save money.
“Our goal is to work with health systems in the Madison area to be able to provide better service to their patients after they leave the hospital,” Ryan said.
