Partnership Aims to Expand Emergency Care Access Via Telehealth 

A recent partnership between UCM Digital Health and MVP Health Care has led to the launch of the Treatment in Place program, which aims to provide patients with accessible emergency care through the use of telehealth.

UCM Digital Health (UCM) leverages a digital platform and a 24/7 telehealth service to provide emergency medicine services.

The company has partnered with MVP Health Care (MVP), a nonprofit health insurer that covers people residing in New York and Vermont, to launch the Treatment in Place program.

The program's goal is to provide MVP members with access to emergency care regardless of location. Through the program, emergency medical services (EMS) organizations and 911 centers can access UCM's digital services, including its medical staff and care coordinators.

UCM has relationships with various EMS organizations and 911 centers throughout New York. Thus, the program is currently available across 18 New York counties. The organizations plan to expand the program across the state.

"This program represents MVP and UCM's steadfast commitment to making health care more accessible, convenient, and affordable for our customers while creating new opportunities for efficiencies and savings in the health care system," said MVP Health Care's President and CEO Chris Del Vecchio, in a press release.

MVP members can access Treatment in Place by calling 911, which provides EMS personnel with the location of the patient. EMTs can connect with the UCM emergency medicine-trained care team through telemedicine to treat those with non-life-threatening conditions without having to take them to an emergency room.

The program also benefits the EMS organization, as they do not have to transport the patient to an emergency room, enabling them to utilize their resources more efficiently, the press release notes. The EMS teams can assess vital signs, perform physical exams, identify social determinants of health, or conduct diagnostic tests where the patient is. 

"As part of our broader mobile integrated health strategy, the Treatment in Place program is an important step in the right direction to provide patients with a combination of in-person and virtual care," said Keith Algozzine, founder and CEO of UCM Digital Health, in the press release. "It's really the future of healthcare and we are proud to partner with MVP Healthcare and many EMS organizations to provide patients with the right care, at the right time, in the right place, all while lowering cost and reducing strain on our healthcare system."

Similarly, a partnership announced in December 2022 between Mount Sinai Emergency Medical Services and its Department of Emergency Medicine led to the creation of a new program that provides telehealth options for non-urgent 911 calls.

According to a press release, Mount Sinai ambulances are dispatched to about 100,000 911 calls per year, about 10 percent of which involve low-acuity patients with non-severe injuries, patients in need of a medication refill, or patients in need of transportation to an appointment.

As part of the federal Emergency Triage, Treat, and Transport (ET3) pilot, the new telehealth program aims to provide virtual solutions to alleviate the strain. The program involves traditional initial steps, including patients calling 911 and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) showing up to perform a patient assessment. But, if emergency care is not necessary, EMTs remain on site and connect to the command center using tablet devices. The patient is then connected virtually with an emergency medicine provider.