The Problem: Data for Mobile Integrated Healthcare/Community Paramedicine
Mobile integrated healthcare/community paramedicine (MIH/CP) is an EMS service that provides appropriate care to 911 callers who do not have an emergency but do have real health needs.
MIH carves out a new role for EMS – one that can improve community health, relieve stress on the 911 system and open up new revenue streams for EMS. Many municipalities are interested in creating an MIH program but lack an essential element: EMS data collection and management to oversee care and track the outcomes.
The Right Data Collection for MIH/CP: Are CAD and ePCRs Enough?
Your community likely uses computer-aided dispatch (CAD) to communicate 911 call information to everyone who needs to respond. This system can also track the type of calls you get. But can it support an MIH program?
It probably can’t, and here’s why. CAD is designed to be incident-focused, tracking an incident (call) from start to finish. It can track which calls were true emergencies based on whether paramedic care and transport to the hospital were needed. But for an MIH program, you will need data that does more than that.
ePCR (electronic personal care record) systems were designed to move EMS to a more patient-centered approach. Good ePCR systems integrate with CAD and also collect enough patient-specific data to get an MIH program up and running.
However, many MIH programs soon find that they want a more user-friendly system that can track a patient’s health needs over time and deal with the challenges of data collection in the field (like, are “Robert” and “Bob” the same person?). They want to share data with others in the community serving the same patients: hospitals, mental health providers, law enforcement, public health and social services. They want to manage consent, privacy and security as they also work more efficiently to share vital information. They want the option to receive information from other entities as well as share their own. Most ePCR systems just can’t do that.
An Interoperable Health Data Solution That Connects to Your Existing Data Systems
Julota’s platform is interoperable: think of it as a hub in the middle of all kinds of different data systems that makes data-sharing possible.
If you like your ePCR system but wish it could talk to the systems used by your community’s accountable care organization, hospitals or physician groups, Julota can help. If you want to customize how your data is collected and reported so you can be eligible for insurance reimbursement, grants and other programs (like CMS ET3), we can help. If you need a system that meets HL7 (Health Level Seven) standards for health data transfer and connects to your community’s health information exchange (HIE), we can help with that, too.
We help private and public providers connect and collaborate. The data shared is actionable and instantly accessible. It is managed to ensure that only the right data is shared with the right partners so you can meet your goals while complying with privacy and security requirements.
An MIH Data Solution That Manages Informed Consent
One tricky aspect of starting an MIH program is establishing a process for getting and recording informed consent. Emergency services don’t require consent in the same way that ongoing, non-emergent care does. Julota’s system walks your staff through the process of getting consent as outlined in your policies. Then, Julota’s system manages data appropriately so that data is used only within the bounds of that consent agreement.
Compliance with HIPAA and Other Data Privacy and Security Requirements
Managing private health data is a whole different level of operation than managing incident-based data. Julota’s goal is to save our clients headaches and expensive penalty fees by not only ensuring that the data is managed in a secure, HIPAA-compliant health data system, but we also ensure that our system meets CJIS and 42 CFR Part 2 standards for managing substance use treatment data so you can work with partners in law enforcement and behavioral health care.
Julota Knows EMS and Can Customize for Your MIH Program
Julota believes in mobile integrated healthcare. We think it’s smart. We don’t want you to walk away from the opportunity because of health data barriers.
To that end, Julota has developed a patented, award-winning health data platform. Our solution is award-winning because we’ve listened closely to what EMS needs and built it. And we continue to work with our existing clients to iterate and flex with their changing needs. We’re committed to your success and the health of your communities.
If you have questions about getting started using Julota or would like to learn more about how to use the platform for healthcare response in your community, our team is standing by to assist. Click here to connect with us today.
Julota Review
“In [my] 37 years of working in EMS, this was the first time I’ve seen all the local community organizations and services work together.”
Darin Reid, NCRFA Community Resource Paramedic Program Manager