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The Paramedics Who Keep People OUT Of The ER

U.S. Navy/Public Domain

It's a familiar story in American health care: people getting their primary medical care from a hospital emergency room instead of a primary care physician. 

The air and ground ambulance service Mercy Flights teamed up with Jackson Care Connect to try a new approach in Jackson County. 

And the pairing got a grant to test the theory.  It worked: people who got regular visits from paramedics in non-emergency situations cut their ER visits in half.  More than half, actually (56%).  Doug Stewart of Mercy Flights and Anne Alftine of Jackson Care Connect visit to give the details on the program, and how the findings can be used.  
 

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Geoffrey Riley is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and has hosted the Jefferson Exchange on JPR since 2009. He's been a broadcaster in the Rogue Valley for more than 35 years, working in both television and radio.