How Des Moines plans to reduce ambulance trips to the ER
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People who use ambulance services the most will be the focus of a new city program designed to reduce unnecessary emergency room transports, Des Moines Fire Department assistant chief Percy Coleman tells Axios.
Why it matters: The fire department reviewed its 2022 data and found that 85 of the highest ambulance users amassed about 1,450 transports to area emergency rooms.
- That averages to just over 17 transports per person and the majority involved issues that were not life threatening, Coleman says. .
Catch up fast: For more than a decade, a growing number of the department's calls have not been fire related. Officials say many were avoidable.
- In response, fire chief John TeKippe urged people to think before dialing 911 in 2022.
Yes, but: The fire department responded to another record number of calls in 2023 — just over 33,350, up more than 800 from 2022.
Zoom in: People who overuse ambulance services often don't have vehicles.
- Many have mental or physical disabilities that can complicate their care or decisions for calling, Coleman says.
Of note: Ambulance transports generally cost more than $600, a figure that doesn't include emergency room or other medical costs.
- Plus, unnecessary calls can interfere with responses to true emergencies, Coleman says.
Driving the news: DSM's new "Mobile Integrated Healthcare" program will launch this spring.
- It's modeled after one in San Antonio, Texas, that is credited for reducing thousands of calls annually.
How it works: Fire department staffers, dispatchers and companies that manage Iowa's Medicaid program will identify people with 10 or more transports in a six-month period.
- Those users will be invited to enroll in a program to help obtain care, which could include transportation assistance.
- City staffers believe much of the program's projected $250,000 annual cost will be paid via savings, including grants or contributions from insurance companies that could benefit from the program, Coleman says.
The big picture: Communities across the U.S. are dealing with an increase in emergency calls, partly due to aging populations.
- Some emergency officials project their call volumes won't level off for more than a decade, per city government trade publication The Municipal.
Related: Counselors replace DSM police in hundreds of 911 calls.