Photo: From left to right, Covington Assistant Fire Chief of EMS Gary Rucker and Covington Fire Chief Corey Deye.
COVINGTON, Ky. – Covington is one of two Northern Kentucky cities partnering with St. Elizabeth Medical Center on a 12-month pilot program that aims to reduce avoidable trips to the emergency department and inpatient hospital stays for adults with certain chronic diseases.
The program will add two part-time paramedicine associates to Covington Fire/EMS that are specific to the partnership, and will not impact daily staffing or other essential Covington Fire Department resources. Covington Assistant Chief of EMS Gary Rucker said the partnership will expand the department’s resources.
“Having a partnership with St. Elizabeth really opens the doors to resources that typically a fire department doesn’t have,” said Covington Assistant Chief of EMS Gary Rucker. “St. Elizabeth has a lot of partnerships in the community that will expand what we have access to. This will be very beneficial to our residents here in Covington.”
The paramedicine program will be staffed by nurses from St. Elizabeth physicians and the two part-time paramedics from Covington.
Patients will be identified via the St. Elizabeth Physicians Group’s care management team and inpatient clinical outcomes team. The program will initially target patients with chronic conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, heart failure, and kidney disease, all conditions that require routine maintenance by patients and can become acute illnesses if not addressed properly.
“This is really filling the gap between Emergency Services and the emergency room,” said Rucker. “Often when patients are discharged, they aren’t clear on what to do once they’re home, and they will call 911 and go back to the hospital. What we’re trying to do is reduce emergency room and hospital admissions by helping them access resources and educate them on their disease process.”
The program is funded by a grant of almost $175,000 from the Copic Medical Foundation, a non-profit that aims to reduce fragmentation in the healthcare system. Rucker said the foundation will reimburse the City for the hiring of two part-time paramedicine associates.
To measure the program’s success, partners will measure data such as avoidable trips to the emergency department, improved rates of follow-up visits with primary care providers, and the numbers of referrals to community partners. While paramedicine programs are in place in several communities, including Lexington, Rucker said the partnership is the first of its kind in Northern Kentucky.
While paramedicine programs are in place in several communities, including Lexington, Rucker said the partnership is the first of its kind in Northern Kentucky. Florence is the other city in Northern Kentucky that is participating.
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