Phoenix, AZ—Mercy Care Plan and Mercy Maricopa Integrated Care are expanding innovative new options for their members with on-demand urgent care in the Phoenix area through a partnership with DispatchHealth. The partnership is designed to increase member access to convenient acute healthcare, avoid ER waiting rooms and allow members to stay comfortable at home when they are ill or injured. Members can call, visit DispatchHealth.com or access a free mobile app in order to request care at home. Once a member requests care, an ER-trained medical team arrives at the member’s home with advanced treatment capabilities, such as on-site suturing, stapling, IV fluids, IV medication administration, UTI treatment, catheter insertion, lab testing, rapid infectious disease testing, gastrostomy tube reinsertion, wound care, treatment of sprains and strains, respiratory care and much more. These capabilities are equal to – or in some cases provide more services – than a typical urgent care center. The medical team can even order mobile imaging, such as X-Rays, when required. A board-certified emergency medicine physician supports every team as they are dispatched to provide on-demand care. “DispatchHealth offers our members the convenience of an urgent care visit from the comfort of their home. The partnership helps us address member demand for greater convenience while decreasing the member cost associated with an Emergency Room (ER) visit,” said Dr. Charlton Wilson, Chief Medical Officer of Mercy Care Plan. “It also allows us to better meet member needs when mobility and transportation negatively impact access to excellent healthcare.” The DispatchHealth provider team can electronically send prescriptions to the patient’s pharmacy, send details about the patient’s visit to the patient’s physician and coordinate payment through Mercy Care Plan and Mercy Maricopa Integrated Care. “DispatchHealth improves access to care, dramatically improves patient experience and decreases the overall cost of care. On-demand urgent care at home helps patients with acute medical needs and enables our teams to gain insight into a patient’s environment that isn’t available in a traditional clinical setting. This insight can help a care team address issues that may impede the healing, health and wellbeing of the patient,” said Kevin Riddleberger, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, DispatchHealth. DispatchHealth is available in the Phoenix area from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week, 365 days a year. Patients can request care by calling 480-582-9048, using the free DispatchHealth mobile app or at DispatchHealth.com.
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About Mercy Care Plan and Mercy Maricopa Integrated Care Mercy Care Plan and Mercy Maricopa Integrated Care are not-for-profit health plans serving AHCCCS members throughout Arizona. Owned by Dignity Health and Ascension Health, Mercy Care Plan has served Medicaid members since 1985. Mercy Care Plan serves families, children, seniors, and people with physical and developmental/cognitive disabilities. Mercy Care Plan is also an owner of Mercy Maricopa Integrated Care, the Regional Behavioral Health Authority in Maricopa County and the first RBHA in Arizona to offer integrated physical and behavioral health services to persons determined to have a serious mental illness. Mercy Maricopa manages the public behavioral health system in Maricopa County and parts of Pinal County. About DispatchHealth DispatchHealth offers consumers on-demand medical care in their homes or place of work in order to increase quality and convenience and dramatically reduce unnecessary cost. The company’s mobile technology platform extends the capabilities healthcare teams, health systems and payers to serve patients where they can access care most conveniently. Its innovation was recognized by the AARP Foundation/Rock Health 2017 Aging in Place Challenge for reducing unnecessary health care costs and hospital readmission rates, allowing older adults the opportunity to live independently in their homes. DispatchHealth has raised $37 million, led by Alta Partners and Questa Capital, to rapidly expand its services and partnerships. For more information, visit DispatchHealth.com.