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Essay On Community Paramedic

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Mobile Integrated Healthcare, Community Paramedic (MIH/CP) is a nationally recognized program where local Emergency Medical Services (EMS) have become involved in providing patient-centered care in partnership with local resources such as social services and primary care (Mobile Integrated Healthcare and Community Paramedicine (MIH-CP): A National Survey, 2015). These programs range in services from in-home consultation for chronic disease management to deploying telemedicine to connect homebound patients with offsite care givers. The author states: “From medical homes to care teams to accountable care organizations, the concept of collaborative, integrated, patient-centered care is a major theme of healthcare reform - and MIH-CP (p. 9)”. According to Community Paramedic Taskforce Results 7/1/15-12/31/15 (2016), the average patient age was 71 years old, and 61% of these patients were female (n=247). This data is consistent with Rittner and Kirk’s study (1995) relating to age and gender distribution. In 2015 there were more people in this age group than in 1995, which increases reliance on EMS for services that do not always fall into the emergent category, yet do need intervention of some sort. To reduce burdening the EMS system with addressing non-emergent needs MIH/CP programs seek to connect the right patient, with the right care, at the right time. However, some of these patients are limited in mobility and cannot travel to a primary care provider to receive care.

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