Fayette County adopts telehealth model to tackle non-emergency 911 calls

Fayette County adopts telehealth model to tackle non-emergency 911 calls

Fayette County Fire and EMS is now using RightSite Health to provide telehealth doctor visits for non-emergency 911 callers.

FAYETTE COUNTY, Ga. - For decades, the standard procedure for a 911 medical call has been "load and go"—transporting every patient to the emergency room, regardless of the severity of their condition. But a new partnership in Fayette County is aiming to change that "one-size-fits-all" approach.

What we know:

Fayette County Fire and EMS has officially launched a partnership with RightSite Health, a telehealth service designed to treat non-emergency patients right in their own living rooms.

When you dial 911, a Fayette Fire and EMS crew will still respond to your home just as they always have. However, once they arrive, the process changes for low-acuity cases:

• Assessment: Medics conduct a full physical assessment to ensure there is no immediate life threat.
• The Option: If the case is non-emergent, the paramedic offers the patient a video call with a board-certified ER doctor via a tablet.
• Treatment: The doctor can diagnose the issue, call in prescriptions, and work with a "patient navigator" to schedule follow-up appointments or arrange rides to urgent care.

What they're saying:

The primary goal of the program is to keep ambulances available for life-threatening emergencies. Officials estimate that more than 50% of medical 911 calls do not actually require an emergency room visit.

"It puts our EMS units back in service faster," said Fayette County Fire Capt. Jason Anderson. "We can run more emergency calls and keep the patient from the emergency room to get that care they need much faster from home."

A traditional transport can tie up an ambulance for two to three hours at the hospital. With RightSite, that same unit can often be back in service in as little as 14 minutes.

Local perspective:

Fayette County joins several other Georgia agencies already using the technology, including Henry County, Peachtree City, Grady Health Systems, and Sandy Springs.

For residents, the service offers a more convenient and less expensive alternative to a hospital bill. For the county, it ensures that when a "true" emergency happens, help is just around the corner rather than stuck in a hospital parking lot.