Mobile Integrated Health's High Frequency Utilizer Program

About the Program

Category: Health (Best in Category)

Year: 2018

The purpose of Palm Beach County Fire Rescue’s (PBCFR) Mobile Integrated Health High Frequency Utilizer Program (HFUP) is to address a system-wide gap in healthcare that impacts entire healthcare continuum that is inclusive of the patient. By using an already established innovative multidisciplinary approach to care within Palm Beach County Fire Rescue’s Mobile Integrated Health Program a specific population initiative was designed for individuals deemed to be frequent users of the EMS system, known as “High Frequency Utilizers” (HFU). The PBCFR High Frequency Utilizer Program’s objectives are based on The Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s (IHI) Triple Aim Initiative which is intended to improve the patient experience of care, improve the health of populations, and reduce the per capita cost of healthcare. PBCFR’s High Frequency Utilizer Program works to expand on the IHI Triple Aim Initiative to not only improve the system of care for high utilizers of EMS but to also to enhance collaborative efforts of healthcare providers and community partners to establish a chronic disease management approach that is innovative, effective, and mitigates the challenges of high frequency EMS use experienced by the entire healthcare continuum. A pilot phase of PBCFR’s HFUP was initiated on October 1, 2017 and was completed on March 31, 2018 and the formalized PBCFR High Frequency Utilizer Program will begin May 1, 2018. The target population for the pilot was a subset of 25 enrolled individuals who met inclusionary criteria that classified them as HFU’s, these criteria will also continue to be utilized for the formal program. These individuals are often transported by frontline 9-1-1 units to the emergency department, medically stabilized and then discharged home without having their true medical, social, or behavioral needs met, thus perpetuating the cycle and driving up healthcare costs. Once an individual is enrolled in this innovative program, a team of skilled clinicians (Generally comprised of a paramedic and a social worker) visits the individual’s home and uses a Systems Approach to address his or her various needs. These professionals serve as medical clinicians, patient advocates, and care coordinators to mitigate an array of social, behavioral, and medical issues the individual may be significantly impacted by.