UCM Digital Health, a telehealth provider, is partnering with the Albany County Sheriff's Department in New York to integrate digital health tools into emergency calls.
The partnership will provide emergency medical service teams access to a UCM provider. If the EMS team decides that a patient doesn't need to go to a hospital, a UCM clinician can step in and provide digital care to the patient, according to the Sept. 13 UCM news release.
The partnership is working to reduce unnecessary visits to the emergency room.
"Ambulance service extends considerable time and resources transporting patients who might be better cared for outside of the emergency room," UCM's Director of EMS and 911 Steve Anderson said. "When an EMS crew is managing low to moderate emergency calls, system readiness for high-level emergencies is diminished. We are proud to partner with the Albany County Sheriff's Department to help address healthcare capacity issues, improve quality care and significantly reduce unnecessary emergency room visits."