The Los Angeles Fire Department has launched a telemedicine program for healthcare professionals to virtually screen 911 callers with non-life-threatening symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic, the department announced Friday.
The department has been developing the “LAFD Telemedicine Program” for more than two years, but accelerated its rollout due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Peter Sanders, LAFD’s public information director.
LAFD hopes to lower the number of ambulances dispatched to patients who do not need hospitalization, and consequently limit the exposure of firefighters and paramedics to potential COVID-19 patients.
The new program is also designed to enhance patient care.
“The (LAFD Telemedicine Program) enables highly trained healthcare professionals to evaluate patients remotely using smartphone technology, which also reduces potential crowding at local emergency rooms with patients who do not need hospital treatment,” Sanders said.
If a 911 caller has access to a smartphone and falls into a non-urgent category and is between the ages of 2 and 65, dispatchers can refer them to a telemedicine provider, and the patient will have a face-to-face screening, Sanders said. The provider may then recommend stay-at-home monitoring or send a pre-paid taxi or ambulance to take the patient to an emergency room.
“Our first responders are acting with courage and ingenuity in the face of the COVID-19 crisis,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti. “This pilot will help us respond more effectively by lifting unnecessary burdens from medical professionals, and ensuring that the most urgent calls for assistance are handled with immediacy that we know can save lives.”