Evaluation of an EMS-Based Community Paramedic Pilot Program to Reduce Frequency of 9-1-1 Calls among High Utilizers

Many community paramedic interventions aim to reduce unnecessary emergency department visits among high utilizers of acute care, but fewer focus specifically on reducing summons for emergency medical services (EMS). We implemented an EMS-based pilot program that identified high utilizers of 9-1-1 and facilitated community paramedic outreach encounters to understand and address potentially unnecessary 9-1-1 calls. This study compares the pre- and post-intervention incidence rate of 9-1-1 calls among program participants.

This retrospective evaluation was conducted using pilot data from a single U.S. EMS agency that responds to approximately 100,000 9-1-1 calls annually. High utilizers, defined as individuals with ≥3 9-1-1 calls in 90 days, were identified for recruitment between February 1, 2019 and December 31, 2019. Community paramedics recruited participants via phone and then conducted home visits to assist them with navigation away from unnecessary 9-1-1 use. Dispatch data from September 1, 2018 to December 31, 2019 were used to compute the incidence rate of 9-1-1 calls per 30 person-days of observation before and after the initial home visits.

Data from 108 program participants were analyzed. The majority were over the age of 50 (79%), and 33% completed more than one visit. Median person-days of observation before and after the initial home visit were 354 days and 132 days, respectively. Participants called 9-1-1 an average of 0.68 times per 30 person-days prior to the community paramedic intervention, and 0.51 times per 30 person-days after the intervention, which represents an overall mean decrease in 9-1-1 utilization of 25% (p < 0.001). Although a decrease in 9-1-1 utilization was observed in the majority of participants, the 9-1-1 call rate increased in 29% of participants. No statistically significant changes in 9-1-1 use were observed in participants who received more than one home visit or who were in the highest quartile of 9-1-1 use prior to the intervention.

This pilot work demonstrates the feasibility of an EMS-based, community paramedic-only intervention to reduce unnecessary 9-1-1 calls and suggests that some modest reductions in EMS use may be achievable by dispatching community paramedics to conduct home visits with frequent users of 9-1-1.