Some patients may be offered a taxi to the emergency room instead of an ambulance in Edmonton and Calgary as part of a six-month pilot project.
Emergency Health Services-Alberta (EHS-Alberta), in partnership with Health Link 811, is expanding its 911 shared response program in Calgary and Edmonton to include alternative transportation for patients who need in-person medical assessment but do not require an ambulance.
The project builds on the EHS-Alberta/Health Link 811 Shared Response program launched in 2023 that transferred non-life-threatening 911 calls to Health Link nurses.
Eligible low-acuity callers in Calgary and Edmonton who are advised by a registered nurse at Health Link 811 to see a doctor within 24 hours may be offered a taxi service to the nearest hospital emergency department or urgent care centre, if they do not have another way to get there, at no extra cost to the patient.
“By working together with our partners at Health Link 811, we are improving patient care while protecting ambulance availability for the patients who need us most,” said Trevor Maslyk, Interim Managing Director, EHS-Alberta.
“Patients will have timely access to the appropriate level of care. Ambulances will remain available for critical, life-threatening emergencies. This will reduce system strain, improve efficiency, and strengthen our ability to meet performance targets.”
EHS-Alberta said since launching the shared response program in 2023, data has shown that transportation is a barrier to care.
A little more than one-third of the 50,000 911 calls that were redirected to Health Link 811 registered nurses as part of program were sent back to 911 for non-emergency ambulance transport.
While these patients did not require emergency care or transport, they lacked alternative transportation to reach the recommended in-person assessment a press release said.
“Our registered nurses at Health Link 811 will continue to assess callers using pre-determined guidelines,” said Patricia Chambers, Executive Lead of Patient Navigation & System Integration, Primary Care Alberta.
“If the caller meets criteria suggesting an in-person assessment is required, however, clinically the caller does not require paramedics for treatment, we will arrange for a taxi to pick them up from their location and bring them to an emergency department or urgent care centre so they can get that recommended in-person assessment.”
Taxi rides will be arranged by Health Link 811 for eligible patients who can safely walk on their own, do not require assessment by paramedics and are above the age of 18.
Eligible patients will be transported to the nearest emergency department or urgent care centre but return transportation will be the patient’s responsibility.
The six-month pilot project is fully funded by EHS-Alberta and will run in Calgary and Edmonton. If successful, it may be expanded to other communities across Alberta.
Comments