MEET: DISPATCHHEALTH:

This health care team is ‘bringing back the house call’

Physician assistant Joe Hamilton, left, Community Engagement Director BJ Wright, center, and Marketing Director Bill Butcher are part of the team at DispatchHealth.

DispatchHealth

• Local address: 3841 West Charleston Blvd, Suite 203, Las Vegas

• Phone: 702-848-4443

• Email: [email protected]

• Website: dispatchhealth.com

• Hours of operation: 9 a.m.-9 p.m. daily

• In business since: 2015

Dr. Mark Prather, an emergency room physician, started DispatchHealth in Denver, Colo., in an attempt to reduce the number of people using the ER for nonlife-threatening health issues. “Our care model has proven acute care can be delivered safely in the convenience of the patient’s home or location of need,” Prather said. The concept took off and has spread to Southern Nevada.

Describe your business.

DispatchHealth is a new and innovative provider of on-demand mobile urgent care services. Unlike traditional urgent care or emergency room visits, our medical team brings treatment to the privacy and comfort of your home, your workplace or to a senior-living community. This service can be easily requested by phone, on our webpage or via a free mobile app. Once a request has been triaged and validated as appropriate, patients are given an estimated time of arrival. The medical team will arrive in approximately 60–90 minutes. The medical team consists of an emergency medical technician (EMT) and an ED-trained and board-certified nurse practitioner (NP) or physician assistant (PA), with continual virtual support from an emergency room physician.

The team can treat a wide variety of injuries and illnesses, such as the flu, upper respiratory conditions, dehydration, urinary tract infections, bronchitis, sinus infections, strep throat, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, pink eye, and more.

The concept for DispatchHealth was created in 2013 by an emergency room doctor in Denver, Colorado, in an attempt to reduce the number of people using the ER for nonlife-threatening health issues.

Who are your customers?

Our delivery model and clinical capabilities allow us to treat the entire family, from young children to teens, adults and seniors. It works for busy parents, working adults with hectic schedules and seniors in senior-living communities. We are bringing back the house call.

DispatchHealth has contracted with the major health care insurance providers in Las Vegas, including Medicare and Medicaid. After a treatment is completed, we bill insurance providers directly. There may be a co-pay required depending on a patient’s insurance coverage. The co-pay would be collected after we have been paid by the insurance company. We also have a self-pay rate for those without health care coverage, who are out of network or have a high-deductible plan.

We focus much of our attention on the senior community, as seniors may have limited transportation options and mobility challenges. Having an option besides calling 911 is critical. Going to the emergency room for nonlife-threatening situations is not only costly, but can be disruptive and disorienting. We believe our mobile urgent care solution is taking tremendous steps toward higher quality health care delivery, lowering costs and increasing patient satisfaction.

What sets you apart from similar services in the area?

People tend to be more relaxed, share more information about their health issues and have better outcomes when treated in their home. Other advantages include not being exposed to others with serious health issues in a waiting room; having our team able to administer a first dose of medication, as well as write orders for prescriptions during the home visit; and having a medical team completely focused on your health needs. The average home visit is 45 minutes.

Our goal is not to replace the primary care physician or home health provider, but to support their efforts. Our team leaves a copy of all treatment notes, tests results and prescriptions with the patient, and will send a copy to their designated primary care physician and other care providers as requested.

What is the hardest part about doing business in Las Vegas?

Navigating the road construction right now in Las Vegas can be a bit tricky and time-consuming, but we are learning all the side streets and back routes, thanks to input from long-time, local residents.

What is the best part about doing business in Las Vegas?

The people and the business climate. Las Vegas has always been open to new and innovative ideas. The business community is quick to recognize and embrace new technology, solutions to problems and quality service endeavors. There are also many networking groups, community events and organizations, such as the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, eager to engage and support new business.

What obstacles has your business overcome?

Establishing a health care delivery model has had its challenges, including creating the technology infrastructure to ensure our success, educating our health care partners that we are here to support them, not replace them, and getting the message out to the community of who we are and how we can be of service.

Business

This story originally appeared in the Las Vegas Weekly.

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