Via American Medical Response
American Medical Response (AMR) operations in Sumter County has been selected as participants to implement the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Emergency Triage, Treat and Transport (ET3) Model. AMR, a Global Medical Response (GMR) company, is the largest participant under the ET3 Model with 62 of the total 184 selected participants. The AMR service areas cover millions of Medicare beneficiaries.
ET3 is an innovative, five-year program aimed at providing greater flexibility for ambulance care teams to address emergency healthcare needs of Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) beneficiaries following a 911 call. AMR paramedics and EMTs will assess patients on-site and determine if the patient should be treated in place or transported to an emergency room or alternative non-emergency healthcare facility.
Edward Badamo, Regional Director for Sumter County, said the ET3 Model is an innovative way to provide the most appropriate care for patient needs. “Our Sumter County operation is proud to be a part of this model, improving and personalizing healthcare for thousands. With the Delta variant driving new COVID-19 cases across Florida – including Sumter County – there is immense pressure on hospitals and across the entire healthcare system, so innovative programs such as ET3 and our Nurse Navigation program offer excellent telehealth options to patients who do not require transport to the emergency room.”
Sumter County EMS went live with the treatment in place (telehealth) and alternative destination transport to local partners in March 2021. Since its launch, enhancements to the local ET3 program have included expanded mental health capabilities, more advanced clinical qualifiers, and improvements to the overall IT infrastructure.
Ted Van Horne, GMR Chief Operating Officer, said the company shares CMS’s vision of improving quality, increasing access and lowering costs for patients and payers. “We’re very proud CMS has chosen to work with us on such a large-scale program that dovetails with our own commitment to finding innovative solutions to the problems facing patients and healthcare providers alike.”
As the ground transport arm of GMR, AMR has operations in thousands of U.S. communities, making the company a natural fit for ET3’s vast scope.
