St. Elizabeth Physicians, the primary healthcare wing of St. Elizabeth Healthcare, and the cities of Covington and Florence will launch a para-medicine pilot program beginning next year. The program aims to reduce the number of avoidable emergency room visits and inpatient hospital stays among certain patient populations.
It provides at-home visits to certain patients in the St. Elizabeth Physicians’ network, namely those dealing with chronic diseases like diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (also known as COPD), kidney diseases, and other heart problems.
The pilot program will seek to provide the patients with routine medical maintenance and advice in lieu of in-office visits. About 300 patients are expected to be served in 2025, according to a press release from St. Elizabeth.
“As health care providers, we need to find ways to meet people where they are—and that includes in the home,” said Dr. Heidi Murley, president and CEO of St. Elizabeth Physicians, in the same press release.
Social workers from St. Elizabeth and paramedics from Florence and Covington will man the program. Visits “will assess the patient’s needs, including safety of the home, mental health, food and transportation, and link patients to community resources when necessary,” the press release states. “Community Paramedicine associates and team members will work with primary care to reintegrate the patient back into a practice.”
The program will then collect data to determine its effectiveness by measuring the number of emergency room visits, follow-up appointments, and referrals.
A $175,000 grant from the Copic Medical Foundation is funding the effort.