Texas Health Resources is teaming up with DispatchHealth to bring back the house call. Dallas-area residents in select zip codes can now receive urgent care in between Netflix binges.
Users make a request via phone, web, or app, and, if the request is medically appropriate, a DispatchHealth medical team will arrive in their vehicle outfitted with medical supplies. Patients should be seen in under two hours, according to DispatchHealth.
The teams consist of either a physician assistant or nurse practitioner, medical technician, and includes access to an on-call emergency medicine-trained physician. Reports are made and provided to the patient’s care team or primary care physician. Capabilities for the visits include stapling, IV fluids, catheter insertion, lab testing, and more. Mobile imaging with X-rays and sonograms is also available.
Texas Health Physicians Group providers will be partnering with the service to care for their patients with chronic conditions, which could reduce hospital admissions and emergency room visits. Jake Frost, market director of the Dallas area, DispatchHealth, said that 70 percent of ER visits are for non-urgent matters. Winjie Tang Miao, Texas Health’s chief experience officer, added that the medical cost of a home visit is one tenth that of the average ER trip.
“This new offering is an important step in delivering care that meets the needs and lifestyle of each individual,” Miao said via statement. “This is about offering convenient and affordable care, when and where people need it most.”
“We’re advancing the model for urgent care, moving beyond a strict facility-based approach, by bringing high-acuity care to patients who typically struggle with access to care in their time of need,” Frost said via statement. “They’re sick and either don’t want to or are unable to leave home. And we know that some of these patients may not really need to be seen in an ER, which can be costly and lead to long wait times.”
DispatchHealth serves nine national markets, and in North Texas includes areas reaching from Dallas to Arlington, Grapevine, Frisco, Allen and Garland, but doesn’t cover much of Dallas south of I-30. Requests can be made 365 days a year from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. To see if your area is served or to make request, learn more here.
