Sarah Trafton is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media Greene County Legislature Chairman Patrick Linger is reporting Greene EMS is currently establishing a community paramedicine program. Under the program paramedics could divert emergency calls, when appropriate, to telemedicine, instead of transporting a patient to the hospital. “It could save a significant amount of mileage,” Linger said. “Sometimes people are traveling to the hospital for things that are relatively simple and can be solved via telemedicine. The program is tentatively scheduled to launch April 5, Greene EMS President Mark Evans said. “What will happen is, we’ll be dispatched with an ambulance to a call,” he said. “If the paramedics gets there and determines the patient meets criteria that warrants them possibly not going to the hospital, they will initiate a telemedicine call.” The paramedic would speak with a certified physician in the emergency room specially trained to provide guidance to paramedics. Paramedics would use their tablets to make the call, or if internet is unavailable, they would use their phone. If cell service is an issue, a landline could also be used, Evans said. He said there is no additional equipment needed or there is no added cost to use the program. The physician could order a prescription for the patient or call their regular doctor. Patients more comfortable going to the hospital would be transported. Greene EMS has been trying to get the program up and running for years, Evans said, but the regulatory blockades were too great. “Now with COVID, suddenly, almost anything seems possible. If you had asked me last year or a year before if we would be doing telemedicine, I would have said when hell freezes over. It’s amazing the door that COVID has opened,” he said. “We think [the program] will work pretty well here,” Linger said. “We have some pretty remote areas from our trauma centers and hospitals. We would wind up saving travel costs and it keeps the ambulance in service.” Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.