Measuring ParamedicsÂ’ Understanding of and Attitude towards Chronic Diabetes Care: A Bridge to Community Health

Community Paramedicine Applied in a Rural Community

“…The MedStar Mobile Health Program in Texas reported, over 15 months, a reduction in hospital readmissions while reducing Medicare charges by $30,343 per participant . Additional findings from demonstration programs in states such as Nevada, California, and New York echo these findings …”

“…Paramedics were selected to receive specialized CP training based on their length of time in EMS (at least 10 years) and length of time at the ACEMS (at least 4 years). This training was essential, as topics such as patient education and communication are lacking in current paramedic training . The CP training was based on the North Central EMS Institute's curriculum, and it consisted of approximately 15 weeks (200 hours) of didactic training and 100 hours of local clinical time .…”

“…Communities in the rural South often have the worst outcomes in these areas . Recent changes in health care policy and payment due to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act have created opportunities for innovation in the health care system, although not all sectors were equally represented, particularly emergency medical services (EMS) …”

“…Although 20 years have passed since the initial declaration of this vision, much work is still needed to make this concept a reality. The US health care system has been slow to embrace the concept of CP, due in part to a lack of reimbursement by payers for non–transport‐related EMS, a lack of evidence of associated outcomes in the peer‐reviewed literature, and a lack of overall program oversight …”

“…The US health care system has been slow to embrace the concept of CP, due in part to a lack of reimbursement by payers for non-transportrelated EMS, a lack of evidence of associated outcomes in the peer-reviewed literature, and a lack of overall program oversight. 1,3,4,[8][9][10][11][12] Reimbursement may be the largest barrier to overcome. Currently, payment for EMS occurs only when a patient has requested 911 emergency services and then is subsequently transported to an emergency department (ED).…”