Eighty percent of the time, Project ETHAN has been successful in reducing the need for unnecessary transport via ambulance. “This results in real savings passed on to the patient and the patient’s insurer,” Dr. Gonzalez said.
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ACEP Now: Vol 34 – No 07 – July 2015While the fire department is still crunching the numbers, having reduced the patient encounter from 40 minutes (if taken to the hospital) to only 10 minutes (if transport is not needed) will certainly garner significant savings given the results of a study of Houston emergency departments in 2011.1 The study showed that 40 percent of visits were for primary care–related issues. If those patients went to a clinic instead, more than $2 million could be saved annually.
“Project ETHAN is a real example of what can happen when public and private entities partner to solve complex programs,” said Dr. Gonzalez, who noted that there were some logistical problems in launching the program but now everything is running smoothly.
Reference
- Begley C, Courtney P, Abbass I, et al. Houston hospitals emergency department use study. University of Texas Health Science Center School of Public Health Web site. Accessed May 6, 2015.
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