July 2013
| Business World Magazine | 113
McGinnis returned to NEMHS (as
Chief ) two years ago to help the company
transition from an emergency and non-
emergency transport service, into a full-
fledged mobile health service. Since his
return, NEMHS has become the first am-
bulance service to secure approval of a pilot
project involving community paramedicine
as a means to decrease the risk of injury from
falls. As McGinnis explains, in some cases, a
senior may fall, but not incur injuries that re-
sult in a trip to the emergency room, in fact,
he or she may refuse hospital care altogether.
The person may be fine for now, but the next
fall could lead to a broken hip or some other
injury which prompts all manner of other
medical services. So, in the appropriate situ-
ation, the community paramedicine provid-
er would meet with the patient to determine
the nature of the fall, assessing whether it
was caused by some issue involving mobil-
ity, stability, a vision problem, reaction to
prescription, or environmental factors such
as a loose rug or other impediment. The pro-
vider will meet with the person in his or her
home to make recommendations and the
information is also shared with the person’s
personal physician so that he or she can also
make any necessary recommendations. The
intent is to help spare the person from falling
again. That not only benefits the individual
who could suffer from a fall, but reduces the
demand on emergency medical services and
hospital resources. McGinnis says the idea
has resonated not only with medical profes-
sionals, but insurance companies too.
NEMHS is also beginning another com-
munity paramedicine project which poses
benefits for people recovering from severe
injuries requiring surgical intervention. Mc-
Ginnis explains that following “trauma” sur-
gery at the Maine Medical Center (a Maine
EMS designated trauma center), a person
may be discharged from the hospital and
have a long trip to return home. This is be-
cause patients often come by ambulance and
helicopter to the trauma center from long
distances for the specialty care they desper-
ately need. After discharge, the person may
be required to routinely check in with a
doctor over the following weeks, necessitat-
ing a repeat of that long drive to the trauma
center clinic simply to have an examination
that lasts for only a few minutes. In this new
program, the community paramedic trained
in postsurgical evaluation could meet with
