A new telehealth partnership in New Braunfels is restructuring emergency response by using virtual doctors to address non-urgent 911 calls.
NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas — A new telehealth partnership is changing how emergency calls are handled in New Braunfels and could save time, money and resources.
The New Braunfels Fire Department is now partnered with RightSite, joining San Antonio and other cities that already offer this service.
Fire officials in the town say the RightSite program is helping treat patients faster without always going the ER, by using virtual doctors to free up crews for more serious emergencies. The majority of 911 calls for the fire department are calls for emergency medical needs, Fire Chief Ruy Lozano says. But, he says about 40 to 60 percent do not need to be transported to a hospital.
Rightsite will address these situations by connecting paramedics on site with a board-certified ER doctor through a tablet or phone. That way, in 15 to 20 minutes, the doctor can diagnose what is going one, prescribe medication if necessary, and even set up a follow up with the patient.
“Our goal is to meet our citizens where they are and by transfer, doing an unnecessary transfer to an E.R. really doesn’t serve the patient. Where instead, we can take them to an urgent care center or just have medication delivered to their home,” Chief Lozano said.
A patient can opt out at any point and choose to be transported to the hospital. Lozano says either insurance is billed or RightSite’s foundation helps pay for the visit so it is at no cost to the patient. Lozano hopes the RightSide program can be integrated through dispatch as well.